From 37043c80852c6839151bdc9344931ee12966f8f0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Xe Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2021 14:24:52 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] things I'm excited for Signed-off-by: Xe --- blog/excited-for-2022-2021-12-28.markdown | 192 ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 192 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/excited-for-2022-2021-12-28.markdown diff --git a/blog/excited-for-2022-2021-12-28.markdown b/blog/excited-for-2022-2021-12-28.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2c42ea3 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/excited-for-2022-2021-12-28.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,192 @@ +--- +title: "Things I'm Excited for in 2022" +date: 2021-12-28 +author: ectamorphic +--- + +2021 has been...a thing. However there are a lot of things that I am looking +forward to in 2022 that I'm gonna summarize in a few categories. + +## VR + +2021 has been a really dry year for VR tech. The chip shortage has really hurt +the budding VR industry, but there are some things that have been announced that +I am looking forward to. + +[VR has really been one of the main things that's been keeping me sane over the +eternal plague. It's become one of my main activities and I am looking forward +to the improvements that come with new generations of VR +tech.](conversation://Cadey/enby) + +### Simula One + +[Simula](https://simulavr.com/) is trying to create a VR headset that can +function as a monitor replacement. This is something I am _really_ excited for. +The Simula One has a lot of potential to change how people use computers. + +Right now a lot of the "working in VR" kinds of projects try to recreate the +_experience_ of using a desktop PC in VR. This makes sense, the existing +paridigm is already there and people are already familiar with it. However there +is also a lot of room for ditching the constraints of the past and really +experimenting with what computing can be if you aren't constrained by monitors. + +The Simula One headset is going to have [one of the highest pixels-per-degree on +the market for consumer VR](https://simulavr.com/blog/vr-comparison/). It's +going to be running NixOS and [Monado](https://monado.freedesktop.org/). + +I don't really know if it is going to take off and if the result will be any +good, however it's very important that people try these kinds of things. Who +knows what will catch on? They are going to open up a kickstarter in January and +I plan to be one of the early high tier donators. + +### Valve "deckard" + +Valve has been working on the Steam Deck, but there's also a section of Valve +that has been hard at work on a VR headset codenamed +["deckard"](https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/29/22699914/valve-deckard-standalone-vr-headset-prototype-development). +The rumor mill says it will have an option to run as a standalone headset as +well as a traditional PCVR headset. Other digging into things have found a wifi +chip (a specific wifi6 realtek one) that would allow for streaming VR gameplay +over a network and there are also references to using +[xrdesktop](https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/news-and-events/moving-the-linux-desktop-to-another-reality.html) +as a way to run "flat" applications in a VR space. There are also rumors that it +will support "inside-out" tracking, which is also essential for being a portable +headset. + +I would absolutely love to have such a thing. I travel occasionally for work and +I would really love to have a quality PCVR experience on the go. It would let me +be able to not skip my workout days when I'm in a hotel room. + +The VR space on Linux is slightly stagnated at the moment due to most of the +investment either being in SteamVR on Windows or on Oculus' fork of Android. +This does make sense though, there is a lot of money to be made in the VR space. + +Hopefully Valve can improve the state of VR on Linux with the "deckard". + +## Video Games + +2021 has had some banger releases. Halo Infinite finally dropped. Final Fantasy +7 Remake came to PC. [Metroid +Dread](https://christine.website/blog/metroid-dread-review-2021-10-10) finally +came out after being rumored for more than half of my lifetime. Forza Horizon 5 +raced out into the hearts of millions. Overall, it was a pretty good year to be +a gamer. + +[I was going to do a writeup of my thoughts on Halo Infinite, however I really +want to reserve that for when I can do it co-op. From what I've heard of the +development of Infinite there were many points where they didn't think that the +game would ship at all. It came out though. It's decent, movement is really fun, +but overall I don't feel it's going to be genre-defining in the ways they would +have hoped.](conversation://Cadey/coffee) + +However 2022 looks like we're going to finally start returning to "normal" with +development schedules. Here's what I'm the most excited for: + +### Steam Deck + +The [Steam Deck](https://www.steamdeck.com/en/) is a handheld PC that will let +you play games. It's also likely going to be my first "next gen" console, as +despite my repeated attempts I have been unable to get an Xbox Series console or +a PS5. + +[Is the Steam Deck really a console? It's much more like a PC, but it's not as +much of a console as the Oculus Quest 2 is.](conversation://Mara/hmm) + +[Let's just call it a console for the sake of +argument.](conversation://Cadey/coffee) + +I'm excited for this on multiple levels. Valve is going to make it run SteamOS 3 +by default. SteamOS is based on Arch Linux and they have been making improvement +after improvement to the Linux kernel and all of the software they are going to +use on it. Valve hopes to have most games on Steam playable like they are on a +PC running windows. + +It's also a bit of a chunky boi. It's gonna be a bit hefty, but I'm excited for +what it is going to bring to the ecosystem. It may lead to the year of Linux on +the desktop! + +[Isn't that every year though?](conversation://Mara/hmm) + +### Splatoon 3 + +Splatoon is one of my favorite game series. It's a game where you have a bunch +of ink guns and your goal is to cover as much turf as possible. The game feels +like Quake in the best ways. You use your sticks to lead and the gyroscope to +refine your aim, just like you would with a Steam Controller. + +[I'm still sad that the Steam Controller failed in the +market.](conversation://Cadey/coffee) + +Splatoon 3 looks like it will build on the fundamentals in great ways. I can't +wait to see what they have in store! + +### The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild + +I have over 400 hours logged in Breath of The Wild. It is in the running for my +favorite games of all time. The really innovative part of Breath of The Wild was +the fact that it was a jRPG without a leveling mechanic, experience points or a +hard-defined story path. You are dumped into the world, given tools to explore +through it and then given free reign to do whatever you want. It is a massive +open world (probably one of the biggest in a Nintendo game save maybe Xenoblade +Chronicles X) and you are given the agency you need to play the game how you +want. You can run straight to Ganon and finish the game in less than an hour. +You can spend hundreds of hours exploring the world to solve all the puzzle +shrines. + +Most of all though, the really great part about Breath of The Wild is the fact +that as you play, your skill as a player improves. You learn to chain together +mechanics to do basically whatever you want and the game doesn't stop you. You +can do _whatever you want_ and the real progression system is your skill. + +[This sounds weird, but tying progression to player skill is incredibly +anti-meta as far as these games go. Usually jRPGs are very tailored experiences +where you go through the standard "fetch bread -> kill god" kind of power skill +tree, but with Breath of The Wild you can "kill god" right out of the gate and +"fetch bread" later.](conversation://Cadey/enby) + +I have no idea what to expect for the sequel to Breath of The Wild, but I'm +excited as heck to see what they come up with. + +[This is going to have an article written about it once I've gotten a chance to +play through it. This may take a week to a month. It's gonna be worth the +wait.](conversation://Cadey/enby) + +## My Projects + +I don't really like having too many project plans ahead of time, but here are +the biggest things I'm already committing myself to do next year. Something +something forward looking statements something something. + +### Daily Workout Streams + +I love rhythm games. I haven't really had good rhythm games to play until I got +back into VR. I've been playing a lot of [Beat +Saber](https://store.steampowered.com/app/620980/Beat_Saber/) and more recently +[Synth Riders](https://synthridersvr.com/). I've been streaming my play on +[Twitch](https://twitch.tv/princessxen) and I have a playlist of the VODs on +[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJDDsMrk2tSH3nhLWqV8IZLgae1CNYurH). + +I live a very sedentary lifestyle, even before COVID, and I want to start to get +back into shape. Doing it [dancing on the +internet](https://youtu.be/q3F06mKP2uk?list=PLJDDsMrk2tSH3nhLWqV8IZLgae1CNYurH&t=4342) +is fun, so why not? + +### Spellblade + +I have a bunch of unreleased material for Spellblade that I need to go in and +edit up and post. + +### V-Tubing + +I got a webcam for Christmas that I plan to use for V-Tubing coming soon. I want +to use it for recording conference talks as well as for doing some non-VR gaming +streams. + +I have been working on getting a V-Tuber model hacked up out of the one that +I've been using in VRChat, but having no idea what I am doing in Unity has +really not been helping. + +--- + +Hope this was an interesting view into what I'm excited for. This may be my last +post for the year. Stay safe out there, things have been rough.