🚀 go-pugleaf

joshua@cs.washington.edu (Joshua Blacksher) writes:
>Why couldn't a pair of vr glasses take a standard vga output and
>simply split it into a left a right view, i mean the software would
>produce both views, useing one half of the screen for left, the other
>for right, and the glasses would show half of the screen to each eye?

I concur that there is a desperate need for such a low-cost, non-
shutter device that has a standard 15-pin VGA connector.  This
device should preferably use widely available active-matrix color
LCD screens which support 640x480 resolution.  Ideally, the visor
would split this area into left and right 640x240 displays.

If the screen were placed facing upwards on top of the head, an
angled mirror would project the dual images forward.  Two mirrors
just in front of and above the forehead would split the image into
left and right components, where the images would be directed
downwards and presented to each eye.

This system allows the large form-factor screen, such as those
commercially available for use in laptop PCs, to have its image
reduced by using non-45 degree angles on the directing mirrors.

The lack of integrated frame buffer is crucial to keep the cost
of this HMD low--most PCs and workstations have capable video
solutions that can be used for their frame buffers.  Currently
available "virtual reality" games such as Origin's Ultima Under-
world or NovaLogic's Comanche demonstrate that even VRAM-type
displays on a 486 machine can sustain reasonable rendered frame rates.

The widespread availability of such an HMD would foster grassroots
commercial and individual contribution to VR research.

Glenn Slayden