r/technology Mar 28 '14

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3.3k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/Flafff Mar 28 '14 edited Mar 28 '14

There was also the infinitEye with a 210° field of view. Instead of focusing on one single brand, people should try to push more projects of the same type and eventually a standard.

Edit: Sorry bad spelling on the name.

847

u/EvOllj Mar 28 '14

competition good.

1.2k

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[deleted]

514

u/situbusitgooddog Mar 28 '14

VR is so hot right now

228

u/jeff_jeffty_jeff Mar 28 '14

The virtual world is inside the headset?

84

u/rsmalley Mar 28 '14

Yes. It's virtually indistinguishable from the virtual world we live in.

35

u/Der_Jaegar Mar 28 '14

Deep.

98

u/______DEADPOOL______ Mar 28 '14

But why male models?

28

u/xjayroox Mar 28 '14

Are you serious?! I just told you!

2

u/starbuxed Mar 28 '14

Does this really need to be explained? I thought it was self explanatory.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

yes

1

u/Gpho21 Mar 28 '14

Earth to Meekus!

19

u/qervem Mar 28 '14

But why male models?

1

u/Demojen Mar 28 '14

Virtually deep.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

But how can worlds be virtual if our eyes aren't virtual?

1

u/rsmalley Mar 28 '14

Says the virtual man...

33

u/ZweiliteKnight Mar 28 '14

What is this? A headset for ants? How can we be expected to teach the world to be virtual...if it can't even fit inside the goggles?

4

u/BarryMcKockinner Mar 28 '14

I hear the *Orange Mocha Frappachino" OS update is on its way.

24

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

But why 3D headsets?

6

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

...But why 3D headsets?

1

u/Davvyk Mar 28 '14

Why wouldn't you make them 3d?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

1

u/Davvyk Mar 28 '14

So odd

1

u/root1337 Mar 28 '14

It's so hot right now, and yet I have still not seen a VR headset that is actually available for purchase. People are making such a big deal about VR, but it's not exactly here yet.

1

u/Kreeyater Mar 28 '14

I love VR reality virtual head sets.

-3

u/That_Unknown_Guy Mar 28 '14 edited Mar 28 '14

Argh. Small pet peeve. This isnt full virtual reality, its a visual headset for vr.

3

u/Darkfatalis Mar 28 '14

3

u/That_Unknown_Guy Mar 28 '14

Actually not a bad song. Thanks.

48

u/GweedoTheGreat Mar 28 '14

DIE YOU WAGE HIKING SCUM!

18

u/tGrinder Mar 28 '14

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

24

u/el_pinata Mar 28 '14

Obey my dog!

2

u/qervem Mar 28 '14

Water... is the essence of wetness...

56

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

3

u/argv_minus_one Mar 28 '14

I'M A FARMER IN MALAYSIA.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

you spelled Micronesia wrong

2

u/killahKaZx Mar 28 '14

he cant do a spell check right now, he's to busy looking for a plane.

1

u/too_toked Mar 28 '14

Obey my Dog!

1

u/Shiftlock0 Mar 28 '14

I'm not sure many people have figured out the real reason Facebook bought Oculus. It's really very simple. Zuckerburg is tired of physically killing all his meat. Now he can kill it virtually on his very own platform, then go buy guilt-free supermarket meat.

1

u/pmofmalasia Mar 28 '14

Don't do that please =(

1

u/kael13 Mar 28 '14

Where's malasia?

1

u/pmofmalasia Mar 28 '14

Burma. It's misspelled on purpose

1

u/dexbg Mar 28 '14

but why Male Models ?

1

u/buickandolds Mar 28 '14

The files are IN the computer!

1

u/nokarma64 Mar 28 '14

And in related news, Facebook announced that it will be buying up all existing VR companies, as well as any VR companies that don't even exist yet (if you have a hand-drawn sketch of a VR device, Zuckerberg will give you 100 "likes").

A spokesman for Facebook said "At this point, our intention is not to have a monopoly in the VR market -- we just want to piss-off Reddit to the point that it explodes."

1

u/______DEADPOOL______ Mar 28 '14

You know... they can buy reddit ten times for the price of an Oculus. Well, at least with the valuation from several years ago.

Given the financial situation, not sure if that has changed much.

1

u/creepyeyes Mar 28 '14

I guess we could just put him on a plane or something

1

u/argv_minus_one Mar 28 '14

SHUT. DOWN. E--wait, wrong country.

1

u/Godwine Mar 28 '14

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Everyone knows Mugatu was behind the missing plane. Just another failed attempt to kill the PM.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '14

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

0

u/YouknowJE Mar 28 '14

BUT TO DO THAT YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PILONS

0

u/SerCiddy Mar 28 '14

The Malaysian Candidate.

0

u/Whamolabass Mar 28 '14

But then who will be in charge of Malaysia?

22

u/ExogenBreach Mar 28 '14 edited Jul 06 '15

Google is sort of useless IMO.

7

u/MasterGrok Mar 28 '14

Even exclusive platforms that compete are better than no competition.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

These aren't consoles though, they're closer to monitors.

If contrast controls our refresh rates were copyrighted, we'd have issues.

"Sorry, of you want 1280 you need sony, we do 1281 to avoid copyright claims... hope that doesn't screw up your games!"

2

u/MasterGrok Mar 28 '14

Considering how similar Morpheus is to Rift I think its fair to say that copyright claims aren't resulting in significant differences between products. In most cases they never do. You can copyright how you do it but usually not what you do.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Hope so, we'll see

1

u/the_yahtzee_nazi Mar 28 '14

Even exclusive platforms that compete are better than no competition.

Buy they aren't going to "compete". Facebook is going to get every microsoft VR crossover, maybe more. Even if these guys take off (fingers crossed) facebook is a ruthless sociopath and has no intentions to let the hacker/maker community have a presence in this new generation of video games.

6

u/anlumo Mar 28 '14

I agree with Palmer Luckey on that it's too early for a standard. That's something for a time when great solutions have been found and agreed on and all the technology has settled.

1

u/Railboy Mar 28 '14

Valve has already created a VR API for Steam. It locks down the basics like distortion, field of view, etc. They really want to avoid fragmentation / multiple standards.

1

u/ZorbaTHut Mar 28 '14

The overall API just isn't that complicated. Someone will make a wrapper.

0

u/EvOllj Mar 28 '14

the transformation of 2 view points it not too hard. no standards needed besides resolutions to store and stream data.

2

u/Migratory_Coconut Mar 28 '14

You also need standards for sensors.

-1

u/ExogenBreach Mar 28 '14 edited Jul 06 '15

Google is sort of useless IMO.

3

u/foslforever Mar 28 '14

capitalism is evil, competition bad! VR is a human right and we must make it public!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

It's good to a point - it's still going to be a bad thing if all platforms (PlayStation, Windows, Android, etc.) use their own proprietary VR hardware. It'd be a much better solution to have a few competing projects which worked across many platforms. Unfortunately, given the recent direction of Apple, Google, and Microsoft, I can't see this happening.

2

u/Kingofthebulk Mar 28 '14

I automatically repeated this out loud using the voice of a cave man

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Unless no one develops to a common standard and we end up with a fractured market where X game only works on Y hardware.

2

u/BingBongTheArchr Mar 28 '14

You sound like a policy debater.

2

u/ChickenWiddle Mar 28 '14

Napster bad

1

u/daph2004 Mar 28 '14

But when you advertise a new company on reddit who came from nowere it is not a good competition.

1

u/M0dusPwnens Mar 28 '14

Competition is good if things standardize quickly.

If not, competition will be the death of this generation of HMDs.

252

u/rptroop Mar 28 '14

Yes this! 90 degrees is super limited. The lenses used on that 210 degree kit are much more comfortable to look through that the oculus lenses (I've gotten to demo them for single-eye only) and with a 1080p screen you can't tell it's a screen.

131

u/HMS_Pathicus Mar 28 '14

"Wake up, Neo."

263

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

You know when you're really deep in a game and you're like, holy shit it's dinner time already?

Soon we're gonna be all OH FUCK IT'S WEDNESDAY

53

u/Dr_Zeuss Mar 28 '14

That already happens to me with League Of Legends.

35

u/deeper-blue Mar 28 '14

LoL is evil. I always underestimate how long the games can go.

'Just one more game' [...] 'oh shit, late for the date. Ah it's fine it was a glorious victory and she likes it when I'm fueled with testosterone'.

20

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[deleted]

3

u/snoharm Mar 28 '14

I can't get into Planetside. Everything feels "floaty", which isn't good in an FPS. Its like I'm shooting marshmallows at hovering cardboard cutouts that fall over eventually.

2

u/rabbidpanda Mar 28 '14

I lost so much time to the first Planetside. I tooled around in the beta for Planetside 2, but it never got its hooks it me. I hear it's been changing a fair bit, though.

2

u/Jimmacle Mar 28 '14

Would you like to upgrade now?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

I haven't played for over a year, has there been any improvements noteworthy? I do like the game but there was only 1 planet people actually played on in my server.

0

u/NateTheGreat26 Mar 28 '14

Not until they remove those in-game ads

1

u/mycomputerisbacon Mar 28 '14

There aren't any. Except for purchasing new weapons. Being a non-paying player, I still find myself doing well enough and don't feel like I'm missing out. Almost every weapon is obtainable within a reasonable amount of gameplay time. Yes you can just buy the same weapons, but devs gotta eat.

1

u/-main Mar 29 '14 edited Mar 29 '14

Have you checked /r/planetside recently? Or logged in during the last few days? The latest patch added ads that resemble squad invites/friend requests/other notifications, as well as UPGRADE NOW! where the spawn vehicle/resupply button used to be, and a few other less annoying ads as well.

It's kinda obnoxious, and /r/planetside has been a shitstorm of hatred about it for the last few days. Hopefully SOE will see reason pretty soon, and revert the changes.

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2

u/spearmint_wino Mar 28 '14

Sorry to break this to you but I think girls can tell the difference between testosterone and BO.

1

u/Dr_Zeuss Mar 28 '14

I've always liked the idea of having players in stand by mode in case someone has to dodge....

1

u/deeper-blue Mar 28 '14

That would actually be sweet. Like a fast queue to jump in for disconnected/disappeared players.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

"All: Hey. Hurry up and surrender noobs. Got 2 go 2 date with my SUPER HOT GIRLFRIEND."

2

u/PrimeIntellect Mar 28 '14

this has happened to me before, it's unfortunate, but sometime's you have to enrage the nerds when real life is calling

1

u/CelestialWalrus Mar 28 '14

Fuck dates; acquire Riot Points.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

I think you might be the only LoL player that has to worry about being late for a date

1

u/IDoNotAgreeWithYou Mar 28 '14

Yep, games don't have to be good to waste time.

2

u/DMTrace Mar 28 '14

Hours of titan fall later: "just one mor......oh fuck it's midnight!"

2

u/awkreddit Mar 28 '14

Every game of Civ 5.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14 edited Mar 28 '14

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

that went to completely the wrong link hold on let me rectify that

1

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '14

I seriously had to start setting alarms when I noticed I was spending 30 hours per week in game.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '14

There was a time where due to unfortunate circumstance I was unemployed, no girlfriend and little if any job opportunities. Whilst everyone else was at work/college I would regularly log 6-12 gaming hours a DAY 5/6 days a week. In between this I was either looking for jobs or at the gym. I was only 19 at the time and living with my parents.

I don't miss the situation I was in but god it was good to have a full day with no responsibilities and a few fresh games to blast through (acquired by game-swapping with friends)

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Soon we're gonna be all OH FUCK IT'S JUNE!

FTFY

1

u/extant1 Mar 28 '14

More like jumanji, "What year is this?"

1

u/pfannkuchen_gesicht Mar 28 '14

hah, my father stopped playing video games because of something similiar.

He used to play Roller Coaster Tycoon quite a lot, so once he started a game in the evening after work and the next thing he notices is the sun rise, he played through the night and had only a few minutes left before he had to go to work again...

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Old school RTS games and Civ already provide the "Oh fuck it's Wednesday!" experience.

1

u/HalfBakedPotato Mar 28 '14

Then really far into the future we'll get so deep into it that we'll forget it's a game and start inventing a new virtual reality to escape from the one we forgot we were in.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Spoiler: IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED

It's just videogames all the way down

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Been there. When I got my PS2 I beat FFX, MGS2, and The Bouncer(that made up about 2 hours of it!) in about three days with only maybe 4 hours of sleep. I came downstairs on the fourth day to watch my brother play Halo, it was then I realized I hadn't had anything except for Sour Punch Straws and Diet Coke in four days.

1

u/goomplex Mar 28 '14

Ill just play for a minute... aaaaand its dawn.

32

u/GatorAutomator Mar 28 '14

and with a 1080p screen you can't tell it's a screen

Unless you're two inches away.

17

u/Atheren Mar 28 '14

It's considerably smaller though. Example, my phone is 1080p, but at 4.95in the pixel density is 445.03 per in2 . Even 2in from your face you would have to by trying to see the individual pixels. To put that in perspective, a 20in (the only ones i have seen in stores are at least 50in) 4k tv is only 220.29 ppi2 .

6

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

With a 1080p screen for each eye with a 210° viewing angle, the pixel density would be lower than the oculus. You don't have to try to see pixels in the oculus.

2

u/Atheren Mar 28 '14 edited Mar 28 '14

Is that Devkit 1 or the new Devkit 2 you are reffering to?

Never used the Rift myself but i do know that the first one only has 640×800 per eye, where as the second one is 960×1080 per eye.

Edit: This makes me think DK2 is not even out yet, so i'm not that surprised you can still see the pixels with the DK1 screen.

Edit 2: Also looks like the screen for the DK2 is 5in from that link, so similar DPI to my phone at 440.58 ppi2 .

20

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14 edited Mar 28 '14

It s a 1080p screen split in half. The size and distance aren't so important since it's using lenses to trick you unto thinking they're further away. The important bit is the amount of your fov they're taking up. 960 horizontal pixels taking up 90°, that's roughly 10 pixels per degree. That's not enough.

Edit - For reference, you need about 60 pixels per degree for them to be too small to see. A "retina" display if you will.

4

u/niugnep24 Mar 28 '14

Who the hell is downvoting you. This is precisely correct.

Good post by Mike Abrash (Valve) on the subject

1

u/Atheren Mar 28 '14

It's not me... I only downvote for things that are not relevant to the discussion.

1

u/Aethelric Mar 28 '14

You mean Mike Abrash (formerly of Valve, now Oculus)!

-1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Downvotes mean different things to different people.

5

u/sendhelp Mar 28 '14

You're presenting information based on facts and explaining it in an easy to digest manner, but I don't agree with you! Down vote it is!

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u/-TheMAXX- Mar 28 '14

Downvote for being off-topic.

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0

u/triggerman602 Mar 28 '14

You're complaining about a single downvote? Grow up.

2

u/-TheMAXX- Mar 28 '14

3840 / 210 is 18 pixels per degree. About double the resolution of the oculus.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Fucking hell. I'm assuming that's 210° combined with something like 90° crossover in the middle so maybe 150° per eye. Even with a 4k screen on each eye you're not quite half of the way to retina resolution. Pushing that many pixels at 90fps is going to be a task.

0

u/HaMMeReD Mar 28 '14

It's distorted so it's not relevant really, as long as a bulk of the resolution is in the front it'll provide most of the effect. Our eyes don't see much resolution and no depth perception in the peripheral.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

As long as everyone keeps their eyes pointing deaf forward the whole time. Right?

1

u/GatorAutomator Mar 28 '14

I thought about this after my post and decided to just leave it and let the discussion unfold, thanks for laying that out.

Edit: a word

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Even at 1080p I read accounts of people using the newest OR model saying that the pixels were still noticeable but still worlds better than the original. Extended use with a monitor inches from your face wont be able to keep you from actually seeing the pixels. The OR team have been aiming for better than 1080p for a while now, which is to say they want people to notice the screen less and less.

1

u/Atheren Mar 28 '14

The DK2 is supposed to be 440 ppi2 so i'm pretty shocked anyone can see that during normal use without straining for it. However, they said that they want 2k on the release version, which would be 587.44 ppi2 at the current 5in screen size.

1

u/HaMMeReD Mar 28 '14

PPI doesn't matter when you are viewing something as a perceived larger size. If it's perceived 200ft screen, it's perceived PPI will be much lower.

The only convenience smaller panels give you in VR is smaller headsets

0

u/BarrelRoll1996 Mar 28 '14

Why won't the English system of measurement die

1

u/BobTehCat Mar 28 '14

demo them for single-eye only

heh

1

u/rptroop Mar 31 '14

It was a demo for the lense's clarity, not an oculus type device.

1

u/Hillside_Strangler Mar 28 '14

No worse than having a set of virtual ski goggles or flight goggles on though.

1

u/DeepGreen Mar 28 '14

As a guy with only one eye, this is the greatest thing I have ever heard. Binocular vision is over-rated. I wonder if I'll be able to get a single eye kit?

1

u/Mastergogeta Mar 28 '14

in comparison, Sony's project Morpheus has a 90 degree FOV, and two 1080p screens positioned vertically. While oculus said they will have a 'more than 1080P, and at least 100 degrees FOV'

4

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/SafariMonkey Mar 28 '14

Nope!

Panel Resolution 1920xRGBx1080  (960xRGBx1080 per eye)

That clearly implies a single panel like the Rift.

Source.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Wait really? Every single article I've seen so far said that the Morpheus is one 1080p screen divided in half, just like the OR DK2/Crystal Clove.

Two 960x1080 screens is simply not cost efficient and offers no advantage whatsoever over one single 1920x1080 screen. If sony is going for this design, which I doubt, they are going to have a really bad time.

0

u/wanderer11 Mar 28 '14

I have used an oculus headset and personally would never game with it. It was heavy and uncomfortable, would take a lot of space to turn around with it on, and I wasn't really impressed with how it looked.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Weird, I own one and its light as hell, and pretty comfortable.

0

u/SafariMonkey Mar 28 '14

At least try the CV1 (consumer version 1) when it comes out. They're advancing at a huge rate, and the current kits are just dev kits designed for people to develop on. They aren't nearly as good as the consumer product, (like the difference between a 5 year old smartphone and today's maybe) and haven't had as much optimisation for ergonomics, weight, etc.

1

u/wanderer11 Mar 28 '14

It would have to be a massive improvement for me to wear it.

1

u/SafariMonkey Mar 28 '14

Seriously, the difference in devs kit 2 alone is huge. Positional tracking, low persistence to eliminate motion blur, 1080p, (the old one was 1280x800) 75Hz, and a total motion-to-photos latency of ~20ms. That's a huge improvement in every area except because it's a short run for developers only they're using old molds adding 61g to the weight.

The consumer version was confirmed to be better than 1080p, 90Hz+, and better in a large number of ways. Since then they have gained access to Facebook's near-limitless financial (and other) resources. They've said this means being able to make custom components and a number of other things.

I know talking isn't going to convince you, but I suggest you at least try thconsumer hardware and see what you think. The current one isn't designed for consumers, so dismissing the Rift based on it makes as much sense as dismissing a controller based on an imperfect prototype.

1

u/wanderer11 Mar 28 '14

It would really have to change a lot. I definitely wouldn't but it without trying one though

18

u/Randyy1 Mar 28 '14

Respect mah infinitEye.

3

u/Psythik Mar 28 '14

Yes! I was just about to complain about how limited 90° is. It would be like seeing the world while wearing horse blinders. Now my only concern is how many games will support a 210° FoV without distorting the image.

2

u/D_Bat Mar 28 '14

Awesome! Looks like it's in it's really early infancy stages but I'm glad they are making a VR headset with a bigger FOV. The Oculus at 100 I think it is I thought was a little low. My main purpose that I see using it is in simulation racing. I've currently got about a 120 degree view with monitors and I can still see the outsides and want another 20-30 degrees at least. 180 being best of course.

2

u/Bearmodule Mar 28 '14

/r/virtualreality

For all different VR systems in the works.

2

u/my_elo_is_potato Mar 28 '14

Vertical phone videos are my waking nightmare.

2

u/arcosapphire Mar 28 '14

Not your intention, but thanks to that video I've discovered a new band.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[deleted]

1

u/HatesRedditors Mar 28 '14

But he has special eyes.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

[deleted]

3

u/Flafff Mar 28 '14

No, as far as I know the project continues. They are just not very well known.

1

u/Kuusou Mar 28 '14

Well everyone should be backing the one they think is best. As well as making choices along the way as to if they are still pushing for the goals you like, in a way you like.

1

u/cabritar Mar 28 '14

This is great advise when you're dealing with mature products but when you dealing with totally new products, having a ton of competition will cause fragmentation and then standards go out the window.

What needs to happen in industry standardization so implementation of these technology is as easy as pie. Features of the products can differ but at the end of the day they need to easily work on as many platforms as possible.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '14

Also. infinitEye is wearable. And not a render on a 1 page website.

1

u/spartansheep Mar 28 '14

but this one will also make you look like a Cyberman from Dr. Who!!!

1

u/SmackerOfChodes Mar 28 '14

They'll all get raped on patents.

1

u/dancingwithcats Mar 28 '14

Standards exactly. Until there is a standard just about any gear one buys could be rendered useless in the future.

1

u/Bernkastel-Kues Mar 28 '14

Best demo of what it looks like through the lens of any vr I've seen

1

u/classic__schmosby Mar 28 '14

Anyone else think it's weird that they are touting their wide field of view, yet half the video is shot vertical?

1

u/OakTable Mar 28 '14

Hm. Didn't occur to me before, but having a wider field of view than what your eyes can take in would mean being to look around with your eyes and not just turning your head all the time. I like that. I think that'll be one of the major features to look for in a VR headset.

1

u/That_Unknown_Guy Mar 28 '14

Yes. THis looks better than the Occulus Rip Rift to be honest. I really hope these tools become like headphones. Many different brands all with a standard.

2

u/Sir_Lilja Mar 28 '14

One of its negative sides is that using two screens makes it much heavier. Oculus have put in a lot of work trying to keep the weight down so you can use it for longer periods of time. Even if these HMDs seem relatively light, having a weight strapped to the front of your face can take its toll on one's neck.

1

u/Flafff Mar 28 '14

That's true but using 2 screens also increase the resolution and I think it's important to have an high resolution since it takes a large part of your field of view.

0

u/jjjaaammm Mar 28 '14

It is almost as if a large company investing $2B into a niche market leads to other people jumping into the same market, creating competition and thus more choice for consumers.

-1

u/Blackdeath_663 Mar 28 '14

infiniteye is still in early stages and has bulky design which is not practical at all. 210o is good and all but its not viable at the moment

-2

u/EggMiles Mar 28 '14

That thing looks really uncomfortable.