Category Archives: Virtual Reality

Pricey Virtual-Reality Headsets Slow to Catch On Wall Street Journal When RocketWerkz Ltd. released one of the first videogames for virtual reality last spring, developers at the New Zealand studio were hopeful it could break evenmaybe even turn a profit. Neither happened. Its $20 strategy game, Out of Ammo, has ...

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Pricey Virtual-Reality Headsets Slow to Catch On - Wall Street Journal

Virtual reality was supposed to be the next big thing.

That was the message the tech industry peddled for years. But despite all of the hype, consumers just don't seem as excited as many would have hoped.

There are the obvious reasons: the gear is expensive, headsets are clunky and image quality is still nowhere near that of movies or console games. But the biggest obstacle to VR's mainstream adoption is not its tangible limitations, but rather, the fact that the experiences it affords are isolating and lonely.

Consider this: the most popular tech of the last decade has been social. Studies show that when we check email and social media, we actually get a hit of oxytocin, the same"cuddle chemical" that is released when we embrace, or fall in love. That's what makes it all so addictive, and why we keep coming back. Yet VR is the opposite: it excels at novelty, but falls short on human connection. And that could be the biggest factor in VR's stalled growth.

Early in 2016, the research group SuperData estimated Playstation VR would sell 2.6 million units. A few months ago, they revised that figure to just 750,000. At the same time, less than a year after flooding its locations with Oculus Rift VR "pop-up" stations, electronics giant Best Buy is closing down almost half of its in-store demos.Workers from multiple Best Buy pop-ups told Business Insider that it was common for them to go days without giving a single demonstration. People just didn't seem to want to try out the headsets.

How does virtual reality work?1:47

That's a huge problem, because casual shoppers can't get a sense of a VR experience just by walking by. They actually need the immersive experience, which requires physically putting on the headset.

But that's where the inherently isolating design of VR headsets becomes apparent. Once you put on the headset, you're separated from the world around you. And sure, that heightened level of escapism is one of VR's great attributes. But if you're by yourself in the middle of Best Buy, putting on a helmet that blinds you to your surroundings may just be a bit more vulnerable than most people want to feel when they're out at the mall.

Even at home, where one can fully appreciate VR's capacity for immersion while in the comfort and safety of your living room, it's still equally isolating a far cry from family movie night or a games night with friends.

In a recent column in the LA Times, Dimitri Williams noted that,"If we look at the most popular games of recent years 'World of Warcraft,' 'League of Legends,' 'Pokmon Go' they are each a sparkly excuse for playing with and being around others Without others, we grow bored, restless, frustrated and sad."

Some companies are starting to develop social VR spaces, which are being touted as the "killer apps" that could, finally, bring virtual reality to the masses. But it's a belated move after years of massive investments that somehow overlooked the necessity of social engagement and community experiences.

We all want to connect, and the most successful devices, platforms and networks help us do that. VR might also, soon. But until it's more social, people will leave the headsets off, and opt for technology they can enjoy with those around them.

This column is part of CBC'sOpinion section.For more information about this section, please read thiseditor'sblogandourFAQ.

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Virtual reality is still too isolating to be 'the next big thing' in tech - CBC.ca

Behind the scenes of "Dreaming of Italy," the VR presentation filmed in Milan, Italy for New York Fashion Week.Courtesy: Samsung, FTL Moda

Fashion and tech are two industries that have danced around each other the last few years, but beyond the vague hybrid buzz term "fashion tech," they've have had trouble finding a true love connection.

Tech appears to be more willing or at least more ambitious with some laudable strides with wearable technology as far as fitness trackers go . Fashion, however, has always seemed more reluctant. Sure, Google Glass made the runway at a Diane von Furstenberg show a few years back, but look how well that went .

Samsungmaybe not the first brand that comes to mind when thinking about high fashionhas had a low-key, but consistent presence at New York Fashion Week the last several seasons, usually as a sponsor with press lounges at the tents offering free extra battery juice (and sometimes some green juice) to smartphone-addicted journalists.

Apple ( aapl ) , the Korean tech giant's most formidable foe worldwide, has made more of a vocal, flashy effort to court the fashion world , especially with the then-long anticipated unveiling of its Apple Watch in 2015. The iPhone maker made headlines alone for inviting more members of the New York-based fashion press than usual to what became the invite-only event of the spring season in San Francisco, followed by fte for the Instagram-set at self-described "brick-and-click" boutique Colette on Paris's chicest street: Rue Saint-Honor.

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Yet sales for Apple Watch , and wearable tech overall , are still mixed. Thus, as far as appearances go, Samsung's slow burn in fashion might finally be heating up.

It is Samsung ( ssnlf ) that is elevating its stature at New York Fashion Week this month, upgrading its fashion cred by toting in the most buzzed-about platform in tech these days: virtual reality.

"We think theres a great opportunity for virtual reality in the fashion industry whether its a private fashion event like this one or taking that same experience to the everyday consumer," says Minson Chen, a product manager for alliances and business development at Samsung Electronics America. "Using virtual reality also allows retailers and fashion professionals to collect data though [the Internet of things]. Designers really want to use information from the consumers and with VR we can capture this data, bring it back to the brand and ultimately help drive business."

The electronics maker has teamed with FTL Moda, a fashion production firm that stages shows for New York Fashion Week, to produce what the two are touting as the first all-digital fashion presentation. Inspired by the theme titled "Dreaming of Italy," the footage was shot in digital and 360-digital in Milan, Italy's fashion capital, earlier this month.

Neha Singh, founder and CEO of Obsess VR, the startup behind the virtual reality software being used for show as well as building a VR shopping platform for fashion, says virtual reality will elevate the fashion industry to a level that's not possible with other digital mediums today.

"With VR, we can create experiences that let anyone feel like they are sitting in the front row of a fashion show, or walk around and shop in a store anywhere in the world from your own couch," Singh says.

Thus, instead of sitting alongside each other in cramped folding chairs dotting the sides of a traditional catwalk, attendees will be able to don Samsung's Gear VR headset for an up-close, 360-degree view of the latest collections and corresponding details about each look. The event will include a museum-style backstage with digital video panels lining the walls as well as "Digital Mannequins" and mirror display technology showcasing the actual designer collections.

"The mirror display is really going be at the center of changing the retail experience for both the retailer and the customer," says Ron Gazzola, vice president of marketing for visual display at Samsung. "The idea of developing digital display science for the fashion industry came about when we looked at the retail space. We knew developing a mirror display for fashion would be all about how to incorporate that experience."

Among the labels featured in the spring 2017 lineup are the 110-year old accessories maker Invicta, Israeli bridal designer Limor Ben Yosef, German streetwear couturier Sonja Tafelmeier, and budding eco-friendly Indian brand Premal Badiani.

The virtual presentation will be hosted at an invite-only event (with the requisite fashion week after-party) on Tuesday at the Samsung 837 all-purpose gallery and flagship store in Manhattan's Meatpacking Districta once-gritty neighborhood now home to luxe aspirational brands such as Tory Burch and Helmut Lang as well as a few lingering actual meatpacking plants.

There is also an Apple Store across the street.

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Samsung Goes for a New Look in Virtual Reality at New York Fashion Week - Fortune

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Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto--and other Nintendo executives--have questioned the appeal of virtual reality in the past. In a new interview with Time, Miyamoto said some of the issues with VR he saw years ago are being worked on, but he still has some doubts and worries.

"In terms of being together online in virtual reality, I think a lot of the problems have been solved or are starting to be solved," he explained. "This is something that we're looking into, too. But when I see people play virtual reality, it makes me worry, just as for example if a parent were to see their kid playing virtual reality, it would probably make them worry."

He added: "Another issue and challenge that I think everybody faces is how to create an experience that's both short enough while also fully fleshed out in virtual reality."

In June 2014, Miyamoto said he's worried that virtual reality might be an isolationist activity--and this goes directly against the kinds of games Nintendo wants to make.

"When you think about what virtual reality is, which is one person putting on some goggles and playing by themselves kind of over in a corner, or maybe they go into a separate room and they spend all their time alone playing in that virtual reality, that's in direct contrast with what it is we're trying to achieve with Wii U," he said, at the time promoting that system. "And so I have a little bit of uneasiness with whether or not that's the best way for people to play."

Here is a picture of Miyamoto trying Oculus Rift at E3 2014:

Nintendo's next home console is the Switch, which comes out on March 3. There have been rumors and reports that claim the system may support virtual reality in the future, but Nintendo has not made any official announcements.

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Miyamoto Still Has Doubts About Virtual Reality - GameSpot

Some new technologies can be tuned to our personal characteristics, like the voice recognition on smartphones trained to recognize how we speak. But that isnt possible with todays virtual reality headsets. They cant account for differences in vision, which can make watching VR less enjoyable or even cause headaches or nausea.

Stanford researchers are trying to personalize virtual reality headsets to take eyesight into account. (Image credit: iStock/AleksandarNakic)

Now researchers at Stanfords Computational Imaging Lab, working with a Dartmouth College scientist, are developing VR headsets that can adapt how they display images to account for factors like eyesight and age that affect how we actually see.

Every person needs a different optical mode to get the best possible experience in VR, said Gordon Wetzstein, assistant professor of electrical engineering and senior author of research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Though the work is still in its prototype stage, the research shows how VR headsets could one day offer the sort of personalization that users have come to expect from other technologies.

We hope our research findings will guide these developments in the industry, Wetzstein said.

The problem that the researchers set out to solve is that the display screens on VR headsets dont let our eyes focus naturally. In real life, once our eyes focus on a point everything else blurs into the background. VR makes focusing more difficult because the display is fixed at a certain point relative to our eyes. This eyestrain can cause discomfort or headaches.

Over a 30- to 40-minute period, your eyes may start hurting, you might have a headache, said Nitish Padmanaban, a PhD student in electrical engineering at Stanford and member of the research team. You might not know exactly why something is wrong but youll feel it. We think thats going to be a negative thing for people as they start to have longer and better VR content.

Importantly, the effects of visual conflicts in VR may affect younger and older people differently. For example, people over the age of 45 commonly experience presbyopia a difficulty focusing on objects close up. Younger people dont generally have presbyopia but they may have vision issues that require them to wear glasses. In either case, current VR headsets dont take these vision difficulties into account.

One insight in our paper is to consider age as a factor, rather than focusing only on young users, and to show that the best solution for older users is likely different than for younger users, said Emily Cooper, a research assistant professor in Dartmouths Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

The researchers are testing hardware and software fixes designed to change the focal plane of a VR display. They call this technology adaptive focus display.

The group tested two different hardware options. One relies on focus-tunable liquid lenses. Twisting a dial squeezes the liquid lenses inside the headset to change the screen display even though the lens itself remains in place. The other option involves mechanically moving the display screen back or forth, like adjusting a pair of binoculars. The system also incorporates eye-tracking technology to determine where on the screen the user is looking.

In conjunction with the eye-tracking technology, software ascertains where the person is trying to look and controls the hardware to deliver the most comfortable visual display. The software can account for whether a person is nearsighted or farsighted but cannot yet correct for another vision issue called astigmatism. With these displays, VR users would not need glasses or contacts to have a good visual experience.

Its important because people who are nearsighted, farsighted or presbyopic these three groups alone they account for more than 50 percent of the U.S. population, said Robert Konrad, one of the researchers and a PhD candidate in electrical engineering at Stanford. The point is that we can essentially try to tune this in to every individual person to give each person the best experience.

The researchers tested prototypes of these personalized VR displays at last years SIGGRAPH conference. Tal Stramer, a Stanford graduate student in computer science, was involved in this phase. The team tested their adaptive focus display on 173 participants aged 21 to 64 and found that the technology provided improved viewing experiences across a wide range of vision characteristics.

This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, a Terman Faculty Fellowship and grants from Okawa Research, Intel Corporation and Samsung.

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Stanford researchers personalize virtual reality displays to match a user's eyesight - Stanford University News

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This company is opening a virtual reality multiplex this fall - Mashable

Prepared for the weather

National University of Singapore

By Timothy Revell

Virtual reality devices can already fool your eyes and ears. Soon your other senses will be fooled too, with the creation of a device that can bring the weather in your virtual world to life.

Nimesha Ranasinghe at the National University of Singapore is working towards the ultimate VR experience. Last year, his team showed how electrodes can be used to add sweet tastes into virtual reality. His new accessory, called Ambiotherm, adds atmosphere into the mix as well.

Ambiotherm has two components that combine with a normal VR headset. The first is a wind module that contains two fans that clip on to the bottom of a headset.

This means that we can simulate the wind blowing in your face, for example, as you ski down a mountain, says Ranasinghe.

The second is a temperature module that attaches to the back of the neck. So when walking through a virtual desert, we can simulate the harsh sun beating down on you, he says.

The accessories dont just affect the area they are pointing at, though. In previous experiments, Ranasinghe and his team found that if heat is gradually applied to the neck it feels like the whole body is experiencing a different temperature. Similarly, wind passing the throat can give the impression of standing somewhere windy.

Visuals and sounds are the easiest part of the real world to replace. Its much more difficult to simulate other senses, so its really interesting what theyve done, says Adalberto Simeone at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Other attempts to emulate environmental conditions in VR experiences normally involve a room with fans and heat lamps dotted around, says Simeone, so making it compact is a big achievement.

By making VR more realistic it could increase the possible uses. Researchers have already shown that VR can reduce pain, reduce fear of death, and even help people who are paralysed regain some feeling in their legs.

Were studying how human emotion can be augmented using multisensory VR. The next step is to start including smells and vibrations, says Ranasinghe. Ambiotherm will be presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Colorado in May.

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Virtual reality weather add-ons let you feel the sun and wind - New Scientist

Deshaun Watson shredded the vaunted Alabama defense when it mattered most in the fourth quarter of the national title game to give Clemson its first championship in three decades. Of all the eye-popping stats that the Tigers superstar QB produced, the most jaw-dropping is this: in the fourth quarter when faced with the blitz, Watson went 6-of-7 with two touchdown passes.

People talk about being in the zone, and Watsons cool response to pressure epitomized it. And its probably because hed seen it all before many times.

Clemson is one of the college football programs that has been on the front end of the virtual reality movement in sports. The Tigersstaff estimates that Watson devoted about 40 percent of his time in virtual reality immersed in blitz pick-up situations. Obviously, Watsons own talent and vision was a key factor in his ability to burn the Bama blitz, but his coach also gives credit to VR for helping the Tigers take their program to the next level.

I didnt know what to expect early on from (the VR), but its been great for us, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told FOX Sports last month. Weve learned how to maximize theefficiency of it. Deshaun might go through yesterdays blitz script. (Linebacker) Ben Boulware can go in and practice without having to practice. Sometimes a guy who is hurt can still get mental reps. Theres just so many uses for it. Its been a great teaching tool.

Two years ago FOX Sports delved into the subject of virtual reality coming into the world of football. Stanford has been the first program to go all-in, but now there are 13 FBS programs and six NFL teams using the technology via STRIVR Labs (the company that started at Stanford). Clemson actually spends even more time using it than Stanford does, according to STRIVR data.

Temple was another program whose usage of VR actually surpassed Stanfords in 2016. The Owls might be the best example of its impact as it related to their first league title in 50 years. They blew out Navy 34-10 and held a Middie triple option attack that had been averaging 61 points per game the previous three games to 51 points below that after Temple linebackers and DBs did over 500 VR reps in the week leading up to the AAC title game. In addition, Temple QB Phillip Walker hadnt been able to do much in practice that week because he was in a walking boot and instead got his reps in the VR headset. Walker completed nine of his first 11 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns against Navy and went on to win the Most Outstanding Player award for the AAC Title Game.

Im a huge, huge believer in virtual reality, former Temple coach Matt Rhule, now at Baylor, told FOX Sports. We had it for the last two years and won 10 games in each of those years.

I think the eyes are one of those untrained aspects of football. Everybody talks about speed and how fast a guy is but its also about recognizing plays and structure, and I think instincts can be learned and taught, so that intangible thing becomes tangible.

At Clemson, Watson is moving on to the NFL, but VR will remain a big factor for the Tiger QBs. One of the quarterbacks vying to replace Watson is Zerrick Cooper, who red-shirted in 2016 and didnt get any reps in practice on the field but he did in the VR lab.

He was able to sit in my meetings for 30 minutes and the other 30 minutes, Id send him to the VR room, which is right next to my room, and he would go thru all of the concepts, cross it off on the playbook and hes in the game, said Tiger QB coach Brandon Streeter. Hes in 7-on-7. Hes really doing it almost. Hes done very well.

Cooper would put the VR headset on to go through many of the same things Watson and the Tigers other QBs experienced the previous day at practice. I was able to get game-like reps, he said. I could be in the play, look around, see what the defense is giving me. Look at a blitz period. You get to see the front and the coverage and how the safety rotates.

Swinney said VR hasnt just helped develop his team on the field, Clemsons also used the technology to boosts the Tigers recruiting.

We can capture what its like to run down the hill. We can put you on the field and experience Death Valley live. You can experience that locker room celebration live. Maybe you cant come visit. But now we can bring it to you.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports | Kim Klement

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Virtual reality has a growing impact on college football - FOXSports.com

APPLE CEO Tim Cook has said that he sees augmented reality (AR) as holding more potential than virtual reality (VR) and that the technology holds as much potential impact to change the world as the smartphone market.

Speaking to The Independent.Cook was asked for his take on future trends like AR, and he left no doubt that he sees the technology as the next major trend ahead of VR

"I'm excited about augmented reality because unlike virtual reality which closes the world out, AR allows individuals to be present in the world but hopefully allows an improvement on what's happening presently," he said

"Most people don't want to lock themselves out from the world for a long period of time and today you can't do that because you get sick from it. With AR you can, not be engrossed in something, but have it be a part of your world, of your conversation. That has resonance."

Cook went on to say that, just like the smartphone has become a global product used by everyone, he believes that AR holds a similar level of potential.

"I regard it as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone, we don't have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it's for everyone. I think AR is that big, it's huge," he said.

I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives. And be entertaining. I view AR like I view the silicon here in my iPhone, it's not a product per se, it's a core technology."

However, Cook was cool on how soon such technology would become mainstream, and be extension when Apple may get involved, suggesting there is still a way to go to make the capabilities relevant to consumers.

"There are things to discover before that technology is good enough for the mainstream. I do think there can be a lot of things that really help people out in daily life, real-life things, that's why I get so excited about it."

Cook's comments followed on from similarly bullish comments on the UK's future under Brexit, claiming that the nation "would be just fine" and that the firm was committed to the country, as evidenced by its new headquarters in Battersea.

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Tim Cook says AR has more potential than virtual reality - The INQUIRER

TAPS 21N: The Idea of Virtual Reality is an all-freshman introductory seminar that allows students to engage with the impact of one of the newest innovations of our time: virtual reality.

From watching VR videos with Google Cardboard to going on field trips to meeting with big names in the industry, students experience VR in multiple contexts.

Students explore VR in TAPS 21N (DEVON ZANDER/The Stanford Daily)

The course is taught by Matthew Wilson Smith, associate professor of German studies and theater and performance studies. For him, the excitement of the curriculum comes with the novelty of its topic.

[Virtual reality is] being created in real time, and largely right around here in Silicon Valley, he said. As a theater scholar and a performance scholar and a literature scholar, its a venture for me to explore a medium that has yet to be created thats in the process of being created. And its a medium that some of the students around the seminar table might be helping to create.

Students are assigned a combination of readings and VR videos to watch with Google Cardboard, which they then discuss during class. One of the main goals of the course is to examine the past, present and future of VR.

Were spending time looking at the history of VR, going back to the 19th century and through the 20th, although it even has roots all the way back to Plato and his allegory of the cave, Smith said. Were [also] trying to speculate forward about where this all might be going its currently a big unknown.

Another critical concern of the class is determining what makes for an immersive VR experience. As Smith describes it, [We] want to ask: What do we mean when we say immersion? Does it mean that we just pay attention, or does it mean that we actually are in a state where we forget the medium?

One way the class has engaged hands-on with the concept of immersion is going on trips to the Virtual Human Interaction Lab on campus, where itis able to use HTC Vive, one of the most cutting-edge VR systems available today.

The breathtaking quality of the simulation of presence was something that I frankly hadnt anticipated, Smith said. I knew it was a feature of the medium, but until Id actually done it, I hadnt fully appreciated just how powerful it is.

The course also explores the concept of agency and spectatorship in VR. Ryan Hsieh 20 was struck by the effect VR portrayals might have on audience responses to humanitarian disaster.

One thing we talk a lot about is desensitization, Hsieh said. For example, one video we watched was of this girl in Syria, another was of a girl in Haiti after the earthquake, and another was of poverty in India. A question we ponder is: Does watching and rewatching all of these scenarios and narratives make us less empathetic?

With all of the high-tech equipment it involves, one might expect TAPS 21N to appeal mostly to STEM majors. But Smith is adamant that, regardless of their interests, students will be able to resonate with some aspect of the course.

There arent as many humanities folks in the class as I would like, and Id like to have a mix, Smith said. I think so much interesting work in the history of technology comes out of people who are really fired up about art, history, literature and the whole world of the arts and the humanities.

Hsieh, who identifies as a STEM person, agreed that the course would be an eye-opening and rewarding experience for peers of various academic backgrounds.

I found out that thats super interesting, and it was engaging to pull from these different topics in discussion, Hsieh said.

Contact Lisa Wang at lisaw20 at stanford.edu.

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Classy classes: 'The Idea of Virtual Reality' - The Stanford Daily