Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive simulation of a 3D environment. It will profoundly impact the way we work, learn and play, and raise potent ethical issues. Unlike augmented reality, the real world is completely replaced by the simulated environment. Virtual Reality requires additional technology which ranges from Smartphones and low-cost VR headsets (from Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR) to high-end systems such as Oculus Quest and Rift, the HTC Vive, and PlayStationVR. Content ranges from 360-degree photos and videos (though this is not fully VR) to deeply immersive geo-located environments with haptic feedback. VR Experiences with haptic feedback rely on gloves, vests, and full-body suits.
With the rapid advance of the technology supporting Virtual Reality, new standalone VR headsets are arriving – especially the new Oculus Quest which will ship in Spring 2019.
VR is creating fascinating opportunities for Education, Media, Storytelling, Journalism, Work and Retail environments. It is already beginning to transform entertainment and learning even though we are in the first steps of a long journey. In the end, it will impact society even more than the development of the graphical interface at the Xerox PARC labs in the 1970’s for computing.
The ethical issues raised by Virtual Reality are hard to identify now but the blurring of the boundary between the real and the virtual will create profound challenges. This is an area that both fascinates and concerns us at Digital Bodies.
There was no better way to wrap up the GDC 2019 conference than Valve Software’s Mike Ambinder talking about a brain-computer interface in VR. No need to worry about any immediate developments in BCI (as it’s …
As anticipated, the new Oculus Rift S was announced today at GDC 2019. It launches this spring for $399 – or the same as the Oculus Quest. Which also launches this spring, as will others. Yes, …
We’re only on day two, but it’s time to highlight the VR and AR news at GDC 2019. Here’s a quick summary of the announcements which have focused on both hardware and gaming platforms. Keep in …
In a blow to VR filmmaking, Google is closing their VR studio, “Spotlight Stories.” The popular immersive film studio shuttered with an announcement in Variety: Google Spotlight Stories is closing its doors after over six years …
For all the progress in virtual reality, realistic avatars and social VR remain a fundamental challenge. It comes as no surprise that, Facebook’s lifelike avatars have made the most progress in this area. The social network …
Read more Remarkable Developments in Facebook’s Lifelike Avatars
Here’s the lineup for Tribeca Immersive, the VR Program at Tribeca Film Festival this spring. The Festival is a favorite of ours since we get to experience cutting-edge projects in our own backyard. It’s convenient when …
Read more An Expanding VR Program at Tribeca Film Festival 2019
You may have seen Talespin’s announcement earlier this week for VR and AI soft skills training. It’s just the proverbial tip of the iceberg of what’s to come as artificial intelligence begins to integrate into virtual …
Read more VR and AI Soft Skills Training Raises Fascinating Questions
The latest Walmart VR experience is not designed to help their employees cope with Black Friday crowds, but sell products. And it’s a sign that the future of retail lays in immersive experiences. Walmart has teamed …
Read more Walmart’s New VR Experience – Selling Merchandise in a Parking Lot
The Sundance immersive stage in the New Frontier program offered cutting-edge projects with immersive technologies. We’ve been going to Sundance for the last five years and love our all-too-brief visits to Park City and its snow-peaked …