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VR SuperGun

kierann

kierann

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Hi folks,

In case it's of interest here' a link to project I've been working on called VR SuperGun.

http://kierannolan.com/vrsupergun

It allows live play of JAMMA PCBs in browser based WebVR, both locally over and over a network connection. It'll work in flat 3D on a regular screen, or using any VR headset. There is some lag, but is playable. It's a prototype so there's lots of tweaks and upgrades I'd like to add to it over time.
 
Man, this is SOOOOO cool!

I have to ask though, wouldn't it be easier to just use MAME or another emulator for the games? I mean, using real PCBs would be awesome, but just to get this up and running?

Also, anyway at all to get this to work with a PSVR? Even on a computer, but using the headset? Sadly, it's the only one I own!

Finally, will the games actually display in the correct size, since they are older and the VR headsets resolution is low anyway?

So cool so far man!
 
hey Xtrasmiley, thanks for the feedback and that's a great question!

Totally I think MAME does make things easier for people, and New Retro Arcade: Neon does this brilliantly

This is a partly an experiment to see if it's possible, and to try see is there a halfway between emulation and using the real thing. Also it might be useful for playing a game that can't be emulated accurately, or for playing a game in a museum where for some reason that physical cabinet might be out of bounds. Another thing is you can see inside the cabinet, so it is a sort of document of how the inside of arcade machines work for people who aren't familiar with them.

I haven't had a chance to test it with the PSVR headset, it's more suited to computer setups. Also at the minute VR controls don't work, it's just keyboard based for now.

The VR arcade machine display is not pixel perfect (the source image has been scaled to HD, then scaled down to 640 pixels wide), but it does keep the same 4:3 proportions on the virtual screen in the scene.

Thanks again for checking it out!
 
Dood. That's freaking dope.

Sure there are a lot of easier ways to implement playing arcade classics in VR but doing it on real hardware is just sick.

My hat is officially tipped to you sir.
 
Awesome project! Really cool idea to allow to see the cab for historical purposes. Keep at it!
 
Hi folks, thanks for the feedback!

I've made a trailer for the project, you can check it out on YouTube > here < !
 
Could inputs be piped to the JAMMA WebVR interface? Almost like a virtual arcade where people can play games over the internet on real hardware? Or would the latency be too great?
 
Hi Biggestsonicfan,

Sorry about the long delay replying
It's possible to play it online from a remote browser, although the latency does affect things, it depends on the type of game.
Games that are slower paced and keep the enemies at a distance, like sideways scrolling brawlers, tend to work best. SCHMUPs are more prone to error but playable still to an extent.
There's still a lot of testing to do.
 
I could see some value in using the concept for all the arcade PCBs that have never been emulated or not emulated well. Groovymame is great for all the finished emulation - i.e. Games that work and don't give you that "this game has issues" warning. But... there is a lost generation that probably won't work well while we're still alive thanks to the mame teams refusal to make use of GPUs even on games with 3d graphics.

Namco 246, Konami viper and a whole bunch of others that were never even ported like Virtua Cop 3, or games that were ported badly like Ghost Sqad and everything else that uses a Wii remote.
 
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