everything you always wanted to know about virtual reality
TRANSCRIPT
Everything you always wanted to know about Virtual Reality...
...but were afraid to ask
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Virtual Reality is the use of technology by a person to interact with a digital universe in a manner which feels akin to real life. Specifically through the use of a Virtual Reality headset, and sometimes accompanying bits of hardware of various types, a person can combine their physical movements with the images presented to them by the headset to truly immerse themselves in whatever world is presented to them. Despite products being developed as early as the 1980s, for many reasons, the technology has never lived up to the promise and consequently the idea, although regularly explored in popular culture, failed to reach the mainstream. Until now.
What is Virtual Reality?
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Why is it relevant now?Advances in display technology and computer processing power have continued to the point where in 2012 a US company, Oculus VR, was able to capture the imaginations (and $2.4 Million) of thousands of people with their product: the Oculus Rift. In 2013 they followed up with a $91 Million raise, and in 2014 sold the company to Facebook for $2 Billion. It’s worth noting that this meteoric rise all took place before Oculus VR had even completed their product, which became available for pre-order in January 2016. A host of big names have got on board with their own products. The hype is turned up to eleven and we’re about to see if Virtual Reality can finally start to deliver on its promise.
It’s about games isn’t it? Aren’t games for kids?Originally the Oculus Rift was aimed at the gaming market which by itself is substantial, but the broader applications of the technology were always considered. Facebook’s purchase of Oculus VR demonstrates the industry’s belief that Virtual Reality is set to have a huge impact on the mainstream consumer marketplace, and not just the gaming world. Virtual Reality has applications in health care, education, the adult industries and more. As a technology almost purpose built for product demonstrations and interactivity, it has huge, relevant application in the drive to better customer engagement by retailers.
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What hardware is available and how much does it cost? Right now a large number of players are in the market with products ranging in sophistication. In no particular order we have:
Oculus Rift – the one that started it all. Pre-orders were just announced and the headsets cost $599 US.
HTC Vive Pre – developed as a collaboration between HTC and Valve Software, this product emphasises gaming.
Samsung Gear VR – essentially a VR housing to use your Samsung phone as a headset. It’s actually much more impressive when used. It costs $99.99 so for those who have access to Samsung hardware already, it’s an incredibly cost-effective gateway to Virtual Reality.
Sony PlayStation VR – one of the first to be announced after the Rift, this was originally known as Sony’s Project Morpheus. Aimed at the Playstation 4, this is another device that’s believed to be largely gaming focused.
Google Cardboard – not actually a joke, this product was launched by Google to allow anyone with a smartphone to get a taste of Virtual Reality. You essentially cut out and fold the cardboard pattern and pop in your smartphone, ending up with a headset you definitely won’t get style points for showing your friends. You will, however, get a cheap and accessible way to give people an idea of what Virtual Reality can do. Around $29.99.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a large number of devices set to reach the market in 2016.
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What’s being done with Virtual Reality right now?
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The first real-world experiences based on Virtual Reality are appearing in the leisure and entertainments industry already. Europa park in Germany claim to have been the first to implement a Virtual Reality ride, using an Oculus Rift headset to augment an existing roller-coaster in late 2015.
9 Europa park in Germany
Alton Towers theme park have worked with Figment Productions and used Samsung gear headsets in their new roller-coaster: Galactica. The ride will offer a fantasy of space travel, synchronising visuals with the movement of the roller-coaster. It’s scheduled to open in April 2016.
9 Galactica
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Virtual Travel Virtual Reality film-maker Visualise, has partnered with Thomas Cook travel agents to provide ‘Try Before You Fly’ – a series of cutting-edge virtual reality holiday experiences using the Samsung Gear VR.
9 Try Before You Fly
Virtual Car Showroom Microsoft and Volvo have teamed up to produce a virtual reality car showroom, meaning that the car showroom of the future doesn’t need to contain any actual cars. This is technically Augmented Reality but we won’t tell if you don’t.
9 Teamed Up
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With this particular technology, the sky really is the limit. As the headsets hit mass market, expect the slower market entrants such as Apple to make their strategies known. Expect a lot of buzz around Virtual Reality advertising and the first product demonstrations to hit the high street. Expect a big Virtual Reality presence at the industry technology shows such as the RBTE.
9 RBTE
What’s should I expect from Virtual Reality in 2016?
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If you’d like to learn more about Virtual Reality, the best
way is to follow blogs such as 9 Road To VR and
follow the 9 Google news feed for virtual reality.
Find Out More
Next instalmentAs ever, stay tuned for the next in this series which will follow in February 2016. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that this month’s edition was meant to cover alternative payments such as Apple Pay, so maybe that will appear next month.
Visit www.gwdevices.com to find out more about any of the technologies we cover.
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