Possibilities for a VR compositor

[Max Jensen]

Hi,

With the Oculus Rift and Valve also likely showing its own VR-headset next
week at GDC I expect VR to be a big thing in the coming years. Fortunately
Wayland seems to be quite suitable for creating a VR desktop, there is
already this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgtba_GpG-U

However, I think there are even more possibilities and I don't know if
Wayland already supports them. Is it currrently possible to have two
buffers for one window (one per eye)? This could open a whole new door of
possibilities:
- 3D video players
- traditional non-VR games that want a nice 3D effect, many already do it
using anaglyph 3D (even I have experimented with it for my 2D game
<http://i.imgur.com/qOnwARB.png>)
- 3D modelers like Blender could actually look even more 3D

Another idea would be to allow applications to expose their depth-buffer.
That way I think you could have a game running in the background and have
your windows placed around you in the 3D world with correct occlusion.
Imagine this use case: You start a game that supports it, you go to a nice
place <http://depasquale.deviantart.com/art/BioShock-Infinite-362635121>,
then you press a key combo and the compositor pulls up all your windows
around you and you can do some work.

Anyway, this email is only to make you aware of VR in case you weren't
already. Valve is heavily pushing Linux with steamOS/steam machines and VR
is getting bigger and bigger with companies like Facebook, Valve, Samsung,
Nvidia, Razer and HTC all planning to make their own HMD. And since we have
Wayland I think this is a great opportunity to enable VR desktops that blow
everything Windows can offer out of the water.

Thanks,

Max Jensen
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/wayland-devel/attachments/20150301/56c2457f/attachment.html>