Elbedome: Europe’s Largest VR Lab
If you like virtual reality or 3D experiences, then Europe’s largest VR lab is definitely where you want to be. It would be a storyteller’s or gamer’s paradise, except that the facility is designed for use …
Virtual Reality
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.
Impact of virtual reality
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.
VR Challenges: Cost, Social Element and Health Concerns
A recent YouGov survey shows that VR challenges to adoption remain – with cost leading the way. Basic familiarity with the technology has grown slowly with a third of adults saying they know something about VR …
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It’s Finally Here – The New Valve VR Headset
It’s been a long wait with endless rumors, but the new Valve VR headset is finally coming. 2019 is turning out to be the year of new HMDs, and we’re not close to halfway through. HP’s …
The HP Reverb VR Headset Sets a New Standard
You might have overlooked the new HP Reverb VR headset last week with all the HMDs at GDC 2019, but the company just set a new standard in Windows Mixed Reality platform headsets. As Sol Rogers …
The Ethics of a Brain-Computer Interface in VR
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 …
Should You Buy the New Oculus Rift 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, …
The Latest VR and AR News at GDC 2019
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 …
Google Closes VR Studio “Spotlight Stories”
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 …
Remarkable Developments in Facebook’s Lifelike Avatars
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 …
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