Day: July 10, 2021

It’s Time to Upgrade My Home Computer: Anybody Have Any Good Recommendations on What to Buy for the Best VR Experience?

I’ve got my eye on this little number by Acer, which is currently in stock, although I’m wondering if I should upgrade the RAM from 16GB to 32GB…

*sigh*

I’ve held it off as long as I can, but it’s time to face facts: it’s time to upgrade the four-year-old desktop computer I use at home. I bought it in December of 2016, based on the computer specifications at the time for my trusty Oculus Rift, and it still met the minimum specifications when I upgraded my Rift to a Valve Index earlier this year.

But the Vive Facial Tracker that I eagerly bought makes my Intel Core i5-6600 CPU running at 3.30GHz cry, so it now sits sadly in its little box on my computer desk. The final straw was when I kept crashing while in NeosVR today (sans facial tracker) while Joris Weijdom was giving me a guided tour of the interesting, postmodernist immersive theatre work projects he is involved with at the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht. After several successive embarrassing crashes, we had to resort to using video chat on Discord!

So yes, it’s time (at least, if I want to continue using NeosVR, which I do). The recommended specs for the Valve Index are brief (and no, I am not aiming for the minimum; I want whatever I buy to last me for at least three years):

Minimum

  • OS: Windows 10, SteamOS, Linux
  • Processor: Dual Core with Hyper-Threading
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD RX480
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Additional Notes: Available DisplayPort (Version1.2) and USB (2.0+) Port required

Recommended

  • Processor: Quad Core+
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 or better
  • Additional Notes: Available USB (3.0+) Port required for Headset Pass-Through Camera

Fortunately, I already have a computer store picked out (the same place I bought my last PC from, a suitably übergeeky place where all the salespeople can comfortably and confidently sling computer acronyms with the best of them. The shortage of computer chips caused by the current boom in cryptocurrency mining might cause some problems, though; most of the higher-end gaming machines I have my eye on are back ordered, according to my preferred store’s website. I’ll probably drive across town tomorrow and see what they have in stock that meets the recommended PC requirements for my Valve Index. There’s not really a rush; the only platform I am having problems with right now is NeosVR.

But I decided to write this blogpost and ask you, my readers: what Windows PC specs do you recommend for a higher-end virtual reality setup?

If you have any recommendations (or links to helpful resources to help me draw up my shopping list), please leave a comment on this blogpost, drop me a line via the Contact Me page, or ping me on the RyanSchultz.com Discord (or any of the other social VR/virtual worlds Discord servers we might have in common). Thanks!

Feeding Second Life Selfies into WOMBO and Reface: Now with Duets!

Ever since I discovered it in March, I have been endlessly fascinated with what I can create by plugging Second Life avatar selfies into the two AI facial refacing and animation apps on my iPhone, WOMBO and Reface (here’s my original post, and I wrote three more here, here, and here).

There’s just something about the stylized, perfect way that Second Life avatars look that lends itself perfectly to being manipulated by WOMBO and Reface, which makes the resulting images and videos leap right over the Uncanny Valley for me!

WOMBO only creates lipsync videos, and Reface started off with inserting any face into still images, artworks, and Hollywood movie clips. But recently, Reface also started letting you take any selfie and create lipsync music videos as well:

Marilyn Monroe: “I wanna be loved by you…”

But not to be outdone, WOMBO has just released WOMBO combos: duets where you can select two facial images to animate! Here’s three examples:

Promiscuous, by Nelly Furtado
Anything You Can Do, from the musical Annie Get Your Gun

The following is one of my all-time favourite Monty Python comedy sketches! (My brother and I used to say this to each other all the time…)

“Help! Help! I’m being repressed!” from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Both WOMBO and Reface are available for Apple iOS and Android devices. They’re great fun, the results are entertaining, and I can recommend them both highly!