things I'm excited for
Signed-off-by: Xe <me@christine.website>
This commit is contained in:
parent
bc4420cf19
commit
37043c8085
|
|
@ -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.
|
||||||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue