I recently stumbled upon a video that went viral on several social media platforms. A man proposed to his now wife by having her parental home recreated in virtual reality. They lured her into a giant silo at the company that developed the environment under the disguise of a virtual reality shooting game. This got me thinking: what is the applicability of virtual reality now and how will that change in the future?
Virtual reality has been around for some time now. The first version of a head mounted display as we see them today was tested in 1968. The sheer weight of the machine meant it had to be elevated above the user or it would crush them. Since then, there have been many variations of virtual reality – from adding additional sensory experiences in cinemas such as moving chairs to the Oculus Rift. The latter is the most common nowadays and the main focus of this article.
The Oculus Rift was a pioneer into ‘consumer accessible virtual reality’. Starting out on crowdfunding giant Kickstarter in 2011, it gained massive media traction. The first few iterations were rolled out to backers and developers in 2013. The first problems surfaced: the well-known rollercoaster environment caused extreme nausea. This was caused by body inertia while the brain saw a moving environment. Promises of solving this issue were never truly conclusive.
Nevertheless, vast amounts of industries created new and inspiring ways of using virtual reality. The applications seemed endless. Surgeons practiced their operating skills and pilots tested their ability to control an air vehicle. However, as consumers got their hands on the product, some glaring issues came to light. Firstly, the system is incredibly expensive – a basic kit currently sells for $500. Secondly, using the software generally required a large and empty space, only available in dedicated virtual reality rooms. Consumers, who would mostly use it for gaming, created a vast library of videos where they hit objects in their rooms while using virtual reality devices. Lastly, the consumer applications were limited and received little support from major third parties. These three issues have brought us to a market where virtual reality is mainly used for training purposes by educational institutions and companies.
The application in several industries are revolutionary and new applications of virtual reality keep surfacing. Unfortunately, the consumer application remains limited and has somewhat halted over the past few years. The hope of the consumer to experience a virtual environment, to live in an artificially created world, is far from a reality.
Sources:
Anon, How did virtual reality begin? Virtual Reality Society. Available at: https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/beginning.html [Accessed October 13, 2017].
Kickstarter, 2016. A Brief History of Oculus, from Day Zero to Day One. Available at: https://medium.com/kickstarter/a-brief-history-of-oculus-from-day-zero-to-day-one-8878aae002f8 [Accessed October 14, 2017].
First of all thank you Mas for this post as it definitely cooled down any VR enthusiasts and showed the facts about VR.
As in most technologies also VR follows the Gartner Hype Cycle and it was overhyped as many people expected too much from the new technology. On the other hand, every technology needs the traction created in this overhype period to become recognized and due to this increased visibility, gain more momentum and ultimately funds.
However, I disagree with your point that consumer applications are limited and VR is mainly used for educational purposes.
As exactly the video gaming industry now explores the VR gaming scene, VR is just about to start now. As evidence to my claim, the popularity of Playstatiion VR, one of the most prominent representatives of VR in the gaming industry, just hit the 1 mio Sales milestone. (https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/5/15719382/playstation-vr-sony-sales-one-million).
Consumers hitting objects in their living rooms can be easily avoided by preparing for the VR experience in advance.
I truly believe that we are only seeing the beginning of what is bound to happen in the VR world.
Hi Mas,
Interesting thoughts about the commercial application of VR.
Recently, I have received a promotional set of Google Cardboard VR glasses that was made from carton and had two plastic lenses. By downloading a free app, I was able to see different VR scenarios and even play games. Another time that I have used a VR glass, I was at a large sports and outdoor retail store. There, the outdoor apparrel brand The North Face has set up a stand with two VR glasses where you could virtually explore Nepal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnul6T8PHbM).
Both times, VR was used as a marketing tool to enrich customer experience. Eric Oliver, the director of digital marekting at The North Face said that “every brand wants to forge an emotional connection with its customers. Our brand mission is to inspire a life of exploration, so we felt like this was a great way to enhance our storytelling, use technology and transport people to the outdoors.”
I am wondering, why it is that the consumer applications have been growing at a rather low pace and, consequently, there are only few commercial applications available, as opposed to the sheer amount of consumer applications available for phones or consoles such as the playstation and xBox.
In my opinion however, price certainly is not the reason. Over the past years, consumers have spent more than 400€ for a Playstation or xBox console for which each game costs an additional 50€ and more than 1000€ for smartphones. Further, I think that everyone has the chance to find a spot here he or she can freely play the game. So there must be more to it, why consumers are so reluctant aand slow at utilizing VR.
It is exciting to observe, in which direction the commercial VR use will evolve!
Hi Mas,
Interesting take on how VR is still far away from the real world and that consumers don’t really get to experience it. However, companies like Lowe’s, IKEA, Wayfair and many other retailers have developed systems that allow their products to be seen in VR. With the idea to let consumers visualize how a product will fit into their houses. E.g. bedroom furniture. Furthermore, the app allows the consumers to turn products, so that they can get a view from the side of back.
Moreover, there are also companies who have developed software that allows architectural design firms and real estate clients to tour virtual models of proposed building designs.
So the way I see it, we aren’t living in a virtual world YET. But it is becoming more probable and the use of VR has become more and more common.