41 ROUND TABLE VR
MARIA KOROLOV: I write about technology, so I’ve used all the major headsets, plus dozens of the mobile headsets. I sometimes load up apps for my niece, like Minecraft-style VR drawing programs. Over Christmas, family members played some casual VR games when we got together, casting the VR image to the TV screen so that we could all see what the player was seeing. MUKI KULHAN: Despite the fact I’m literally, physically and emotionally immersed – no pun intended – in this space, I’m always on the lookout for the best content being made, something dierent, with great graphics and a damn good story to tell. One of my favourite VR experiences recently was JauntVR’s Winter Olympics, where I got to know a few top snowboarders, and got to ride and do super-fast big air tricks from a first person POV – which made it my first time snowboarding without falling over. A bruise-free experience worth trying! TANYA LAIRD: That’s like asking me which child I prefer. A parent would never pick! FABRICE LORENCEAU: I was impressed with 6DoF experiences with the Vive and later with the Rift. Titles such as Game Simulator, Raw Data, Windlands and Robo Recall. More recently, I also enjoyed the frictionless experience of the Oculus Go headset; it’s an overall quality device at an aordable consumer price point. LUCAS WILSON: One of the first pieces of VR I saw, years ago, was this Wright Brothers experience from XRez, and it remains one of the best things I’ve seen. It was the first time I had done a flight simulation experience and the entire thing just captured the magic for me. I also love the episode ‘Early Days’ from the PURE McCartney VR series that we worked on with Jaunt. It’s Paul McCartney talking about his relationship with John Lennon in the early days of The Beatles, and it puts a lump in my throat every time – it’s nothing fancy but it speaks to the impact that immersion can provide. FEED:DESCRIBEYOUROWN BESTEXPERIENCEASAVR CONSUMER.
FEED: HOWDOYOUSEEVRTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPING?WHERE IS ITSBIGGEST POTENTIAL FORGROWTH?
MARIA KOROLOV: I think porn is the big, X-rated elephant in the room. That’s what will get people to buy the headsets, and drive innovation in filming and interface design. MUKI KULHAN: Big growth with VR tech is happening with eye tracking, retina scanning, haptics and interactive, augmented graphic overlays, and of course, the use of voice recognition and AI integration into the experiences. I’ve seen some pretty cool prototypes and the tech will only get smarter! TANYA LAIRD: - Right now it’s not about VR itself but about the other technologies that can be combined to create an enhanced experience. We’re talking about things like artificial intelligence, haptics, geolocation, biohacking, blockchain, et cetera. The future is not a standalone VR future, it’s a combination of many dierent technologies including VR - and more likely AR - as part of the mix. On the software side, creators of popular games and of platforms enabling content distribution and content-making will be successes.
FABRICE LORENCEAU: Similarly to how people were slow to adopt cinema or TV when this technology first emerged, VR will be much the same. The majority of people will be hesitant about VR for a while, but I feel it will become more integrated into our daily lives just as computers and other technologies have. To popularise VR, I think we’ll see a lot of arcade activations that will appeal to large groups of people who are already engaged with that type of content on their phones. The biggest potential for growth is in VR hardware. There is an opportunity for those who manage to reduce the cost, friction usage and cord-cutting. That might be what Oculus is trying to do with the Oculus Go. Additionally, the next development is the merging of VR and AR headsets – Microsoft seems to be spearheading these eorts with its MR headsets. opportunity for growth lies in the creation of compelling content and device acquisition that allows for content consumption. People keep saying that VR needs its breakout app or moment, and I disagree. I think there’s a slow, steady ecosystem that builds upon itself. It’s a continuous cycle of the consumer electronics manufacturers supporting the necessary hardware, and more and more content coming out. The live event market will be a driver of device adoption, and location-based installations are going to be pretty big, similar to video game arcades in the 80s. LUCAS WILSON: VR is part of the consumer electronics ecosystem. Its
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