tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46581229026991214542024-03-15T03:28:10.139-04:00Ridley SoftwareAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-21243089898176570972015-10-13T20:02:00.004-04:002015-10-13T20:03:00.828-04:00Oculus Toybox Footage overlaid with real world footage of input.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="640" height="480" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3HH9g1lH3c/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3HH9g1lH3c?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-19547880635003053072015-09-23T22:01:00.002-04:002015-11-13T12:20:43.156-05:00The problem with hats.Let me begin by saying that I never give fashion advice. Why? Well, no one ever seems to ask me for fashion advice.<br />
<br />
<br />
I like to think they are just terribly intimidated.*<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* I might be wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's a VR post about fashion. Namely the issues with VR headgear and the problem of it not currently win a lot of points with people for style. <br />
<br />
I have a couple of working theories on why this might be and possibly how we might come to deal with it. All very scientific and research based.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Part I - The Baseball Cap Theory</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Baseball caps. They seem to ebb and flow between WILDLY POPULAR and PRETTY POPULAR at any given time. If you do a quick Google search, using the search term "baseball cap" and pretty much any famous person, you will likely get a hit. I had a pretty good streak going of finding anyone I looked for up until I tried Stephen Hawking, but he's British so the odds might have not been in my favor.<br />
<br />
Go ahead and try it, see if I'm wrong. * I'll wait here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* I might be wrong</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju571xWn42VNZCacaClFXXjP91dV7ewHPv5XxQXXo_y0OQDikYHAJZB0e73gHW0BxdMDdeDon-uCs-1L_U-8S8CFgNH-GsW-7uFJm3P1Q6PFJerJ6q3eRjIjn5BEIenLQ4qTl1mFPelqOn/s1600/2015-08-17+02_28_46-New+notification.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju571xWn42VNZCacaClFXXjP91dV7ewHPv5XxQXXo_y0OQDikYHAJZB0e73gHW0BxdMDdeDon-uCs-1L_U-8S8CFgNH-GsW-7uFJm3P1Q6PFJerJ6q3eRjIjn5BEIenLQ4qTl1mFPelqOn/s640/2015-08-17+02_28_46-New+notification.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
OK, now. Let's change gears a bit and take a look at another bit of head gear called a "visor". You can find these on Google as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Joh8an7c01wmd3-r3y6Tu8P-12jIEcyBUBmJcRkzwj76l7ATrEcplicZNq0mPJUOsr9IvqaJ-fZbH_ZEs-A7jpTeiiMmoGNYdlJe8wmpNW7q30zeBHgRGvrF4rZyDufNcpzrK3v0Q0t/s1600/2015-08-17+02_46_24-Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Joh8an7c01wmd3-r3y6Tu8P-12jIEcyBUBmJcRkzwj76l7ATrEcplicZNq0mPJUOsr9IvqaJ-fZbH_ZEs-A7jpTeiiMmoGNYdlJe8wmpNW7q30zeBHgRGvrF4rZyDufNcpzrK3v0Q0t/s640/2015-08-17+02_46_24-Start.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Almost IDENTICAL to baseball caps in terms of form and certainly function, they are just missing the top part. What can you see at the top? A person's hair. *<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* Unless they don't have hair, like the angry man on the left.</span><br />
<br />
Now, rerun the same search as you did before subsisting "baseball cap" for "visor" + famous person's name. You'll notice that you have a much harder time finding a match, you'll also find that if you follow the image link for anyone you DO find, it will likely end up being tied to an article that mocks them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7py_jcbXo09q0GH2JoyEbAjeIE7tbcaCWJSe6PJ2hFXl3EJ-5BAEQxgV1_Kr2f80Gyum30z0alK9FmVvy0ywhdLy4wPO-NjVCEoxX9XJqcSfNCh91QSWtIAA_Iqs9jSOXL9DAgYYMUQ2/s1600/j0q76py4b3uaqghghdsw9fgf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7py_jcbXo09q0GH2JoyEbAjeIE7tbcaCWJSe6PJ2hFXl3EJ-5BAEQxgV1_Kr2f80Gyum30z0alK9FmVvy0ywhdLy4wPO-NjVCEoxX9XJqcSfNCh91QSWtIAA_Iqs9jSOXL9DAgYYMUQ2/s640/j0q76py4b3uaqghghdsw9fgf.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKqMBQEnMM6FH9ufvdLZ5BemSZHPjbtX6W5FFrimKfncPnGkkpkAU3lAn-GKJqSdRjoIDTvABQw9iKYAGyJHE0Z1kCoW5hHVHs4e5MICJCuy59N_6La3c0BsQV9lw7qSAeTMlblOgZSVc/s1600/Bradley-Cooper-Wearing-Visor-Pidfdfctures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKqMBQEnMM6FH9ufvdLZ5BemSZHPjbtX6W5FFrimKfncPnGkkpkAU3lAn-GKJqSdRjoIDTvABQw9iKYAGyJHE0Z1kCoW5hHVHs4e5MICJCuy59N_6La3c0BsQV9lw7qSAeTMlblOgZSVc/s640/Bradley-Cooper-Wearing-Visor-Pidfdfctures.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Same celebrities, and as far as I can see basically the same functional baseball cap design only without the top and yet, we see nothing but scorn and ridicule. It's even so notably bad that the stars get called on it later during late night tv.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUylxfSoTVTVP6Clk7zVioQuxujOb6_aZ7m6Vd15-TfroWVBn0U-qmjc9DMb0Ugmu9CGdtgABX_IT3AwY16XbPhqTYSku6VPZ8DZ0KJVaYI8yCj8OAt5cng7kCUPZALW7rENr3kqb0Weo/s1600/2015-08-17+02_40_15-Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUylxfSoTVTVP6Clk7zVioQuxujOb6_aZ7m6Vd15-TfroWVBn0U-qmjc9DMb0Ugmu9CGdtgABX_IT3AwY16XbPhqTYSku6VPZ8DZ0KJVaYI8yCj8OAt5cng7kCUPZALW7rENr3kqb0Weo/s400/2015-08-17+02_40_15-Start.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What were you thinking?!?! HA HA HA!" "I know right? What <b>was </b>I thinking? HA HA HA!?!?!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So..... what's going on? These are people with great hair, but humans seem to react poorly to a head that is encircled halfway horizontally and yet favorably to a head that is fully covered.<br />
<br />
Why? I have no idea. Research is required!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Part II - Flowing faces</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
Let's explore it a bit, shall we? I'm going it has something to do with how important faces are to us in this world. We are VERY sensitive to recognizing faces and we REALLY don't like it when something screws with the story a face has to tell. What kind of story? Well...<br />
<br />
Here we have Tom Cruise and the story of his face is something like this for our brain: Eyes, Nose, Mouth. Glance at the photo and I'm pretty much going to guarantee the first thing you look at on any face are the eyes and then you'll read the rest top to bottom.<br />
<br />
OK, go!:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLJ2bd-_BolvFGYUJvAGF6ZItznyFjtvNuF0CujsXul0IzGHGvj6BcMpRxBAt38DxdfpDzhjCS9egwf_gdlwKZn_ykzES3wBKB0sjslQYlPBpo4xIVRrK9BCgLmt4WdSqCXpOhuGO4GA_/s1600/MTE5NDg0MDU0OTM2NTg1NzQz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLJ2bd-_BolvFGYUJvAGF6ZItznyFjtvNuF0CujsXul0IzGHGvj6BcMpRxBAt38DxdfpDzhjCS9egwf_gdlwKZn_ykzES3wBKB0sjslQYlPBpo4xIVRrK9BCgLmt4WdSqCXpOhuGO4GA_/s1600/MTE5NDg0MDU0OTM2NTg1NzQz.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
Pretty simple story right? Eyes -> Nose -> Mouth. Beginning -> middle -> end.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, our brain is fine with it, if we tell it the beginning and the middle of the story but leave off the end: eyes, nose........</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEMvA3sjB8mWupaU719gHC-Tl7f32oU9kHv1TeO9j-mefY1ApaolgkHWO8ps8IDavuffnZMHBN7L7WnabjPbrq3sLkDYSG-KqFhRVb9uNn645xswFpzCpI2p7pDFU7cUupR9kYzPH_rpz/s1600/2015-08-22+02_04_11-Blogger_+Robert+McGregor+-+Development+Blog+-+Edit+post.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEMvA3sjB8mWupaU719gHC-Tl7f32oU9kHv1TeO9j-mefY1ApaolgkHWO8ps8IDavuffnZMHBN7L7WnabjPbrq3sLkDYSG-KqFhRVb9uNn645xswFpzCpI2p7pDFU7cUupR9kYzPH_rpz/s1600/2015-08-22+02_04_11-Blogger_+Robert+McGregor+-+Development+Blog+-+Edit+post.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If fact, it starts to make up things to end the story like "Oh, Tom looks like he's peeking over a wall!"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our brain also seems to be pretty OKish with this story having a middle and a end as well: ....., nose, mouth. In fact, without the eyes, we seem to go right to the mouth and work backwards. Mouth, eyes. <br />
<br />
We really miss eyes though. Your brain will wander around and keep searching for the beginning of the story. "Where are the eyes.... Where the hell are the eyes?" You brain will keep muttering. "Where ARE they goddamn it??!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihdmwR0jaU8VEN8IHp_cvfJ5h-b5RuRGkrXDB8ltj0UrWVLn1hut8_7vS37FiBO0_m19D0LbPKEpbUttkINgsFJB_qytuVHzJWlMRz9sOjNypa_VxzbmqOWXfLEjJqDgnMIEvA6en_xIp/s1600/2015-08-22+02_04_23-Blogger_+Robert+McGregor+-+Development+Blog+-+Edit+post.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihdmwR0jaU8VEN8IHp_cvfJ5h-b5RuRGkrXDB8ltj0UrWVLn1hut8_7vS37FiBO0_m19D0LbPKEpbUttkINgsFJB_qytuVHzJWlMRz9sOjNypa_VxzbmqOWXfLEjJqDgnMIEvA6en_xIp/s1600/2015-08-22+02_04_23-Blogger_+Robert+McGregor+-+Development+Blog+-+Edit+post.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Want to know what our brains really DON'T like? Having the story interrupted. Eyes, Mouth. Our brain just falls over and curls up at how wrong things have suddenly become with the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AFNm2Jw0XbAVwD0LBebMKjEy5Oq7GVlcdwFOb9-JT3pMR-E0F2AJ28KOW-AMx-LfxKzIPd6MDtpKThhIkvc0I4v03T5QkWdwHv5Z_GXUXqQ39j7zZUVmNEz0Zug6mSXL0Qg4dW0MbUYB/s1600/2015-08-22+02_05_14-tom2.psd+%2540+192%2525+%2528Layer+2%252C+RGB_8%2529+_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AFNm2Jw0XbAVwD0LBebMKjEy5Oq7GVlcdwFOb9-JT3pMR-E0F2AJ28KOW-AMx-LfxKzIPd6MDtpKThhIkvc0I4v03T5QkWdwHv5Z_GXUXqQ39j7zZUVmNEz0Zug6mSXL0Qg4dW0MbUYB/s320/2015-08-22+02_05_14-tom2.psd+%2540+192%2525+%2528Layer+2%252C+RGB_8%2529+_.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
When our brains get irritated by something, the response oddly seems to creep up in the form of "this is silly / funny / weird / odd."<br />
<br />
<br />
Modern fashion seems to recognize this. You can cover up your mouth no problem and your brain does not start to giggle or lash out with mockery.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj_yLQBMLWmf2gZtgsuJOIOSt-KJOBsnmplkVjy4DoUK0IrkPkEZVQAbBZBlV5j6MaVL-eCwF_ZYuMVsZLdJZ3CUL7r9qoTwGROyBdDYhRMcYOOykCYgXOqiuO_EpEr_2VX0yRtn6VfTU/s1600/285x285_slide02_cold-weather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj_yLQBMLWmf2gZtgsuJOIOSt-KJOBsnmplkVjy4DoUK0IrkPkEZVQAbBZBlV5j6MaVL-eCwF_ZYuMVsZLdJZ3CUL7r9qoTwGROyBdDYhRMcYOOykCYgXOqiuO_EpEr_2VX0yRtn6VfTU/s1600/285x285_slide02_cold-weather.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Cover up both eyes and we still seem to have a good grasp of "Everything is OK here"*<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* except I can't find the eyes! Where are the eyes!!?!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTeVEW8VjFbVn8esQJdXemGLbNK3AHkTr7_JrTscFRc3iMn3JhSkNB76rMH5aruyO8SEw8ONtSiKhANdhstDHLWVJRAuAjI-rfPevm46HFJr8O-Y-NmwkBSP_VXQ9sPHjgrxKpu7mLeTr/s1600/Japanese_buddhist_monk_hat_by_Arash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTeVEW8VjFbVn8esQJdXemGLbNK3AHkTr7_JrTscFRc3iMn3JhSkNB76rMH5aruyO8SEw8ONtSiKhANdhstDHLWVJRAuAjI-rfPevm46HFJr8O-Y-NmwkBSP_VXQ9sPHjgrxKpu7mLeTr/s1600/Japanese_buddhist_monk_hat_by_Arash.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
It is HARD however to find images of someone covering up their nose and breaking up the story flow of the face. I had to ride Google all the way to Harajuku, Japan before I found a consistent resource of images that involved of nose covering fashion.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hF9JnXGM0iHQ0SAFRSb4d1Y3JRFJk9Stk1NBVHAQQ_045UP7IdkkvpgQGdw46_SqZyoMAIepKmI_UfqtpUNn0QOkQfqtSSOMHdPx3-H4hN4KlY04jhY9xL4xsYinQAMJ7DhwFP1pUOTs/s1600/DSCN2765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hF9JnXGM0iHQ0SAFRSb4d1Y3JRFJk9Stk1NBVHAQQ_045UP7IdkkvpgQGdw46_SqZyoMAIepKmI_UfqtpUNn0QOkQfqtSSOMHdPx3-H4hN4KlY04jhY9xL4xsYinQAMJ7DhwFP1pUOTs/s320/DSCN2765.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfeUE0zWQneeL75HnZb3Fonm4vyFSBjH0k0GNV2gzBrxlfXDOOOPrWW2aWP2E353gf1KnEl__9VRW6toVVcken7HFNuifS_JwYQ8XA-dKt1hypvPs9bleVYNQMKbvzgHQBs8Qy1bSQ7sJ/s1600/3f244071f2a673278d4b65c7cdd04d781237523350_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfeUE0zWQneeL75HnZb3Fonm4vyFSBjH0k0GNV2gzBrxlfXDOOOPrWW2aWP2E353gf1KnEl__9VRW6toVVcken7HFNuifS_JwYQ8XA-dKt1hypvPs9bleVYNQMKbvzgHQBs8Qy1bSQ7sJ/s320/3f244071f2a673278d4b65c7cdd04d781237523350_full.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzbqVjLjwp_kVfswzKl3jPM1mWwBJGkPDWCi4pWt7B0UAflEFyjSQaW-sFm6b6CdzfePsWwzYSOwxxHtrYPgBpBhJgP53Kwu5iP513AoOSdbYl2oA30IG_GapGVNk1g-NxXeNaAAQZdNv/s1600/harajuku+cosplayers+80018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzbqVjLjwp_kVfswzKl3jPM1mWwBJGkPDWCi4pWt7B0UAflEFyjSQaW-sFm6b6CdzfePsWwzYSOwxxHtrYPgBpBhJgP53Kwu5iP513AoOSdbYl2oA30IG_GapGVNk1g-NxXeNaAAQZdNv/s320/harajuku+cosplayers+80018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>This essentially is cheating as apparently you can find every God damn look you might possibly think of in Harujiku.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKnNc_tu_YtGjCyRxcSErSEU79a3PBS6sJQ5iArn2U9lZmqqHAaFLu4ob4-rJ_Pbee92-5jrPte5OWmOV66oE2a8uEdELtpmXFkVfKXAxsgpwKlhRbqo8RTSiqOA9JK6lTDdKZOgtjmP1/s1600/kyary_pamyu_pamyu_makeup_by_seeseeworld-d5jzcq6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKnNc_tu_YtGjCyRxcSErSEU79a3PBS6sJQ5iArn2U9lZmqqHAaFLu4ob4-rJ_Pbee92-5jrPte5OWmOV66oE2a8uEdELtpmXFkVfKXAxsgpwKlhRbqo8RTSiqOA9JK6lTDdKZOgtjmP1/s320/kyary_pamyu_pamyu_makeup_by_seeseeworld-d5jzcq6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyhooooo....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Popular fashion seems to be related in some what to this concept of NOT breaking up a face horizontally. At least this is what the boys in the lab are telling me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This....is a problem for us.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There has been this hope that as VR progresses, the technology will get far better and far, far smaller. The VR HMD (head mounted displays) of the future will be light and much smaller. No wires, light weight.... So we'd go from THIS:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RrJwKlJz5ao0Hr_TPs-otTcJUnp8POQipyqzCYUJac76yYfM0D72ecCCHWjYPrws0UJfaMnrrGDSgnHhmOT59i1LUicOTzB-4l-diwPVrsuPRL8AyxOaVkhIPgx5Fz3FX2sKw_NxiMlP/s1600/12-oculus-rift-dk2-reactions-gdc-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RrJwKlJz5ao0Hr_TPs-otTcJUnp8POQipyqzCYUJac76yYfM0D72ecCCHWjYPrws0UJfaMnrrGDSgnHhmOT59i1LUicOTzB-4l-diwPVrsuPRL8AyxOaVkhIPgx5Fz3FX2sKw_NxiMlP/s320/12-oculus-rift-dk2-reactions-gdc-2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
To something like.... this?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gzXkdZboVMpfuIyOxCGDUngF4c75LTqWCbuJEH-pqLd7qC85P4j9ZcZr_MKJXBQqkewp5fK6YIkj62LkpX4SJloQOj43kC7Hd26ed5U7z703dRjGbs_KUTKrwdgI_lPLXeI8jiTA4Dit/s1600/P5030143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gzXkdZboVMpfuIyOxCGDUngF4c75LTqWCbuJEH-pqLd7qC85P4j9ZcZr_MKJXBQqkewp5fK6YIkj62LkpX4SJloQOj43kC7Hd26ed5U7z703dRjGbs_KUTKrwdgI_lPLXeI8jiTA4Dit/s320/P5030143.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Or this...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3p3vm_FslHYKD26AWTb8gdwOvbrikruEFLaJakVaB4i4klh98FUwy7LB2wFb7tJTPXjUIp5MHM68mCSrFbEa_EE9KrY93wctLKvU4VMi8KgmZGNBNwxI7AV8JwOWjGH1tF1kI7VV72q4/s1600/1401310849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3p3vm_FslHYKD26AWTb8gdwOvbrikruEFLaJakVaB4i4klh98FUwy7LB2wFb7tJTPXjUIp5MHM68mCSrFbEa_EE9KrY93wctLKvU4VMi8KgmZGNBNwxI7AV8JwOWjGH1tF1kI7VV72q4/s320/1401310849.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Despite the thin size, our brains aren't particularly thrilled with these images. The face flow is interrupted.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You might think it was hopeless, as did I, until I came across the work of Duster132 (<a href="https://duster132.carbonmade.com/">https://duster132.carbonmade.com/</a>). When you get a chance take a look at some of his stuff, he almost exclusively deals with designs that have no visible eyes, yet all of them still have the appearance of being able to see. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBB3MQ7fLegphZbCX2sH4O7LimOlczGsuiTrlxlNQfQDgb_UmqvBKRxex8rqlpyUJIquCy73FZb6TycAuoLoMBd-6GC5AOpwqWI0zfPoZ3cBCYmfbnvXKnteO9Q-Uim4BW9OzpiBMyidF/s1600/babiru__by_duster132-d8jpwx4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBB3MQ7fLegphZbCX2sH4O7LimOlczGsuiTrlxlNQfQDgb_UmqvBKRxex8rqlpyUJIquCy73FZb6TycAuoLoMBd-6GC5AOpwqWI0zfPoZ3cBCYmfbnvXKnteO9Q-Uim4BW9OzpiBMyidF/s640/babiru__by_duster132-d8jpwx4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think we can pull this off. It seems to require molded hmds's that are broken up into uneven surfaces and soft materials intertwined with the hard surfaces. I don't have all the answers but I'm going to recommend the following guidelines:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>If you cover the eyes, you need to cover the head.</li>
<li>The geometry of the HMD can't be a horizontal line, you need to break it up and possibly introduce some kind of vertical drop, possibly a structure that could house stereo mics.</li>
<li>Involve <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hood+scarf&rlz=1C1CHWA_enCA596CA596&es_sm=122&biw=1706&bih=825&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CKACEPwFKAFqFQoTCOfU_Z_FjsgCFc6aiAod29QC8g#tbm=isch&q=hood+scarf+men&imgrc=KCDTj4QpQJE-FM%3A">hood scarfs </a>of some kind.</li>
<li>The surface of the HMD needs to be varied, a flat plane is about the worst design you could come up with. <span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">(which unfortunately is the current design choice for CV1.)</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcyl45hN0oMvWVTgCq0xoAx-kKtShuo7IH8nk3DPj1Zg_oScHAWAGG0ia0cNp0wKF0wLQNiw5xMPB9yh66ykci7J7yzbrIDKSFXmFq82ux-teDbQnaL6O1S7l_qdkKBiCmPyEMSZcQwVM/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcyl45hN0oMvWVTgCq0xoAx-kKtShuo7IH8nk3DPj1Zg_oScHAWAGG0ia0cNp0wKF0wLQNiw5xMPB9yh66ykci7J7yzbrIDKSFXmFq82ux-teDbQnaL6O1S7l_qdkKBiCmPyEMSZcQwVM/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is hope! I hope you enjoyed this look at fashion, I might make it a regular thing! * </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* Once every 20 years sounds about right...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Give me a shout at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a> on twitter or send me an email at <a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-44642321162362466542015-09-21T12:15:00.000-04:002015-09-21T15:44:26.718-04:0070 minutes in heaven with Valve's HTC Vive.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInHVNxIkMmFU5LqBxv4_Rv6hQHKsOsRGrnTpm8g_VHxxqPq9YUYWgjBjMAs3PeOtMhxO4vtDhpPaPcRMeP09456MODj0fPG0-AdOMDaMhA0tu0wWcS2K44DJhrBTLLwHbWtsi0R-vClao/s1600/Graffiti-Art-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInHVNxIkMmFU5LqBxv4_Rv6hQHKsOsRGrnTpm8g_VHxxqPq9YUYWgjBjMAs3PeOtMhxO4vtDhpPaPcRMeP09456MODj0fPG0-AdOMDaMhA0tu0wWcS2K44DJhrBTLLwHbWtsi0R-vClao/s400/Graffiti-Art-street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
You belong to one of two groups. </span></h4>
Either you received a development kit as a developer and you have unlimited access to a HTC Vive or you need to chase HTC's truck around North America for a shot at a 20 minute demo.<br />
<br />
There is currently very little grey area to be found between these two camps.<br />
<br />
<div>
What DOES exist can be found in private invitations from developers to try out the kits they've been given, something I recently had a chance to do. I was able to put on HTC's solution and leave it on for a full 90 minutes. *<br />
<br />
It made for a hell of an introduction...<br />
<br />
<span cccccc="" color:="" font-size:="" style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;" xx-small="">* yes, I said 70 minutes in the title, but I was trying to do a "thing" with the title so....</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Now.. writing this as I am in late September, I need to be careful not to simply repeat what you've already read many times before. There have been dozens of great posts at this point describing the HTC Vive experience and I'm quite sure you don't need another one.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Instead, let's fast forward and talk a bit about where some of this "might" be going.<br />
<br />
In no particular order....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- - -<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>Sudden glowing respect for haptics</u></h3>
<br />
I have a confession to make. I've never given haptics much respect. A controller rumble in my hand never seemed to have much to do with anything I saw on screen, and typically my most commonly felt emotion was annoyance at this crude feedback.<br />
<br />
The Vive manage to change all of that in a few short minutes. A lot of the haptic feedback the controllers seem to give you is in a subtle tap, just a way to let you know that something has touched something else in the world. I'm now burning with curiosity to know more about how much fine tuning can be done here and what plans might exist for the future.<br />
<br />
There's a lot of grumbling about VR and the fact that we can't stop a users from putting their head through a wall and having a look around. <br />
<br />
The world isn't solid. Quite true! But that might not be the end of the story.<br />
<br />
I have a feeling... that through haptics of the kind the Vive has on display... it might be possible to weave together a world that has a subtle resistance to every surface. If you've ever touched a single strand of spider silk with a finger, you can feel it resist against your touch. Yes, you can certainly push through it and break it,<br />
<br />
but the thread is most certainly there and you can run your finger along it. I "think" we can reach a place through haptics where the world actually feels tangible. The resistance might be very slight but as we come to know it may end up feeling perfectly solid<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTaqCEjSqOOxt2cz0JUgfeHhRgvyje9aO_qrNJiN6abtSeDqoBKizorTXNZ7_vFhhULUIYt5ud4n8ZctnlCePbkEMNrZeiWPQJcFT9ytIbJJRlXpg5YCPIz5IoUho4TgaKPc51FKbV9Gk/s1600/Artificial_Spider_Silk_Strand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTaqCEjSqOOxt2cz0JUgfeHhRgvyje9aO_qrNJiN6abtSeDqoBKizorTXNZ7_vFhhULUIYt5ud4n8ZctnlCePbkEMNrZeiWPQJcFT9ytIbJJRlXpg5YCPIz5IoUho4TgaKPc51FKbV9Gk/s320/Artificial_Spider_Silk_Strand.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>"Operators", hands and uncanny scale</u></b><br />
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div>
When running a user through a VR experience, we've traditionally focused on the person wearing the headset, however, inevitably tucked away in a corner, there's a girl or guy running the show in front of a 2D display. This is the person who cues up the next demo or gently guides the user away from a wall that has crept too close. Or maybe simply screams profanity at them:<br />
<br />
"If you bash my controllers one more f***king time into the wall I swear to GOD I'm going to...." *<br />
<br />
<span cccccc="" color:="" font-size:="" style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;" xx-small="">* This actually didn't happen during my session, I was exceedingly careful. It isn't good policy to anger a person while blind and deaf to the world around you.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JbR_JcbhuixU_2paGbJAuwG2vnKr-ONIOTm7aaStMm-jh49xWnHdGInJAuBfCWUKaJTjLIMh0UcWMnS5lSyA5IWddZ0iiQjB3-WclERpgARk1M9IXHYS0U6DYEfMCYEA-dUUKOeaDas1/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JbR_JcbhuixU_2paGbJAuwG2vnKr-ONIOTm7aaStMm-jh49xWnHdGInJAuBfCWUKaJTjLIMh0UcWMnS5lSyA5IWddZ0iiQjB3-WclERpgARk1M9IXHYS0U6DYEfMCYEA-dUUKOeaDas1/s400/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I should mention that some of the most interesting things happened outside of the traditional demo loop. While I was in the Vive, we had a live Unity3D development session runnin and my host was able to add objects and locations to the scene on the fly. <br />
<br />
Without warning I found myself thrown into the middle of a dusty street in a cartoony Western scene with the sun hanging low in the sky.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvrjcOPKw1UdSvuF5X93C7CltFHFJjfid0qOvErMGiFO9Abg0DTrav91xokWnn_WDGKociuZnbaSgtosa5VFHhaHwoSEG9R-qEysPAViKIshLgh6TW0RqzXAVsJwcB5SxqEmXpmSyZvoX/s1600/2015-09-12+15_22_07-Blogger_+Ridley+Software+-+Edit+post.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvrjcOPKw1UdSvuF5X93C7CltFHFJjfid0qOvErMGiFO9Abg0DTrav91xokWnn_WDGKociuZnbaSgtosa5VFHhaHwoSEG9R-qEysPAViKIshLgh6TW0RqzXAVsJwcB5SxqEmXpmSyZvoX/s400/2015-09-12+15_22_07-Blogger_+Ridley+Software+-+Edit+post.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
A few moments later, a revolver appeared in my hand. <br />
<br />
All of this was done at the whim of the operator. If you don't get to wear the headset this turn... maybe you'll be happy to settle for being a God instead.<br />
<br />
Anyone remember this bit from bugs bunny? The one where daffy duck is being toyed with by the bugs bunny the animator?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tJBeih6JZrs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://youtu.be/tJBeih6JZrs?t=32s?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="320"></iframe><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Turns out, you can do the exact same thing in VR with an operator running the show, and it makes for complete insanity for both parties.<br />
<br />
While waving my shiny new gun around, suddenly the revolver barrel was scaled up to the size of small car and...<br />
<br />
....the feeling of power was ridiculous.<br />
<br />
There's an unexpected gift that comes from being given hands in a simulation. You've been given a reference point for scale that you never enjoyed before as a disembodied head. Put your hand next to a lizard, if the lizard is smaller than you thumb... it is small. If it is bigger than your hand... it is a big lizard. If it far, far bigger than your hand... it might be a dinosaur. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh6fsYd3251sVuBjesxV83VNsQjpgyJ-xOb41jUXvFynKM_IkRMDfgNZ4OjEwPxuvD8Nqulf09seIwFlW-cOxEnmeC06Z2Rr4l6JjrPC5xKE87clS1oWSpTPXO-RLIvPJTHLZitIIWxuq/s1600/2015-09-19+18_47_01-holding+lizard+-+Google+Search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh6fsYd3251sVuBjesxV83VNsQjpgyJ-xOb41jUXvFynKM_IkRMDfgNZ4OjEwPxuvD8Nqulf09seIwFlW-cOxEnmeC06Z2Rr4l6JjrPC5xKE87clS1oWSpTPXO-RLIvPJTHLZitIIWxuq/s320/2015-09-19+18_47_01-holding+lizard+-+Google+Search.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Smaller than my hand... small lizard.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSs5QhXiTuaESMVNf4Hf41-pF719OK45_tHKzpTO1lHlohI0nuSWwIMlAt_n30OBgLhph6h1sc4tOnTQi3v2oraoSVt9tDoM4jqfuHuv1RXwMh7-BculXPR_mExoW-yrnWTESz2BG0V5m/s1600/2015-09-19+18_47_34-holding+lizard+-+Google+Search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSs5QhXiTuaESMVNf4Hf41-pF719OK45_tHKzpTO1lHlohI0nuSWwIMlAt_n30OBgLhph6h1sc4tOnTQi3v2oraoSVt9tDoM4jqfuHuv1RXwMh7-BculXPR_mExoW-yrnWTESz2BG0V5m/s320/2015-09-19+18_47_34-holding+lizard+-+Google+Search.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bigger than my hand... big lizard....</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPp6jFKjUCGhuKZB7oclnj5PMzdAa8q3t-_xjxuBcRa_RvjhSENCfEdLmuHX5q2-i7TqnENJYIMM-MkTxGS7SNGbBVkSdv2UM7m7dvDHOOZGNyZ1IgSzhikkiQON2xNka3cjfSyR__REB/s1600/2015-09-19+18_46_25-petting+dinosaur+-+Google+Search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPp6jFKjUCGhuKZB7oclnj5PMzdAa8q3t-_xjxuBcRa_RvjhSENCfEdLmuHX5q2-i7TqnENJYIMM-MkTxGS7SNGbBVkSdv2UM7m7dvDHOOZGNyZ1IgSzhikkiQON2xNka3cjfSyR__REB/s320/2015-09-19+18_46_25-petting+dinosaur+-+Google+Search.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Much bigger than my hand... probable dinosaur warning issued....</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
When your hands are represented in virtual space, you have a new appreciation for how big EVERTHING is due to the relative size. This is especially true for anything that's within arm's length. Virtual hands provide a very strong anchor to the world, not just through interaction but by working as tool to gauge size and distance.<br />
<br />
So.... most importantly - what this means is.... if someone unexpectedly drops a revolver the size Honda civic in your hand, it's going to make an impression....<br />
<br />
Depending on your frame of mind, you might start to cackling madly and try to shoot the sun out of the sky. This I did.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ulBOhI-3ei8HJGaYMQ_txdfZmef-nsSD5V3fF5u367FS4V-e8wJOd2TxxYaIIPwBEvPIM7S3et6Qpc2JqoJgNVSZMkJf62X5piTapCZ9OTICQhXyN1_H3h5eJBNSo93ZWIrtKfCd8f6i/s1600/image.axd_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ulBOhI-3ei8HJGaYMQ_txdfZmef-nsSD5V3fF5u367FS4V-e8wJOd2TxxYaIIPwBEvPIM7S3et6Qpc2JqoJgNVSZMkJf62X5piTapCZ9OTICQhXyN1_H3h5eJBNSo93ZWIrtKfCd8f6i/s400/image.axd_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br />
All the laughing, must have gotten annoying for my operator, as just as quickly, my revolver was shrunk down to the size a pack of matches. Just a tiny, little thing in the palm of my hand, still crisply rendered with the Vive, feeling absolutely real and about as dangerous as a butterfly.<br />
<br />
So, you it appears you can take the same 3D model and convey huge impressions about "power" simply through scale. Pretty damn neat, amazingly effective.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMy211jt7GkV7gymjB9ZA23T3X13qP3yL64FGANxJS54atoQlLQjWJPYJPeYwb9JeVCYUwovNZsGLMn7DrHOIKCVplLD_wVFmXHW6DqltHiX1A8whSe3HBaYGVhG23nFMB8epiSkXJhCJ/s1600/Revolver_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMy211jt7GkV7gymjB9ZA23T3X13qP3yL64FGANxJS54atoQlLQjWJPYJPeYwb9JeVCYUwovNZsGLMn7DrHOIKCVplLD_wVFmXHW6DqltHiX1A8whSe3HBaYGVhG23nFMB8epiSkXJhCJ/s320/Revolver_13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Later, I was thrown into another scene, an endless void of filled with floating cubes. I appeared in mid air, floating above the infinite. As I screeched, cursed and started to reel, the operator scrambled to throw a cube under me to serve as a floor for my feet and sanity. Later, the box was resized and moved around at will by the operator causing me run around the room, desperate to simply stay on it and not to plunge to my death.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is a GREAT deal of fun involving traditional 2D display users interacting with VR users that is waiting to be tapped. Just simple cube manipulation and the prospect of falling is enough to be terribly entertaining for both users.<br />
<br />
I am convinced there is absolutely no need to VR to be isolating to the user, after my experience I firmly believe that some of the greatest experiences will come from collaborative and competitive interaction between VR users and traditional 2D displays. I feel that almost all VR experiences will have SOME kind of 2D interface that allow an audience to peer in on the world and possibly participate.</div>
<br />
<h3>
<b><u>A sudden fetish for objects</u></b></h3>
<br />
Going back to that Western town and the gun I was given. It was a simple revolver, the sort of thing you might get as part of a $5 set of weapons from the Unity Asset store. Nothing terribly special.<br />
<br />
And yet... I was captivated...<br />
<br />
I could turn it over gently and examine it from all sides. Since it moved so naturally in my hands, it felt overwhelmingly real. Pointing it at my face out of curiosity*, I could make out the individual waiting bullets in each chamber. I could not tell you the number of guns I've used in games over the last 20 years, hundreds, but this was the first time I stopped and actually admired the fine details of what I was holding. It had a bit of writing on one side carved into the metal and I could hold it close and peer at the words to make them out exactly as you would do in real life.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;">* ...and this is why I don't own a gun.</span><br />
<br />
I just stood there in the middle of the road, slowly turning the gun over in my hand like a unhinged psychopath or proud gunsmith.<br />
<br />
Later on I had a chance to try Valve's Longbow simulation.<br />
<br />
As I had found with the revolver, I took great pleasure in simply examining the bow in my hands and getting a feel for this "real" thing. There's a much more personal connection to objects when you can see them rendered clearly and can manipulate them with precision.<br />
<br />
Later still, I was standing in the middle of Job Simulator's kitchen, I picked up a knife and wanting to keep it handy, I actually looked for a way to tuck it into my waistband. It was a very strong and unexpected need, a thought process that's never entered my head before despite the thousands of items and inventories I've managed over the years in games.<br />
<br />
I think things are going to go in some unexpected directions.<br />
<br />
Since there is so much connection with the "real" objects in the world, and the controls are so fine, I can easily see a kind of hyper realism coming to market in a big way. Objects will increasingly have all the detail and modeled complexity of their real world counterparts. There will be a delight in watching the components of a mechanism interact as one would expect and we will quickly become spoiled as we expect new levels of realism.<br />
<br />
Some of this will end of being quite fun.<br />
<br />
For example, here's a simple game:<br />
<br />
You appear in a room. Scattered around the floor are the following components:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDoeeWtzdBu2agsLUx9ldNpOc39AuxpW8gZ-SGDxX2eMU0gmJZ09Cfq8zhtAraQzO7Eilzr9ab9sna2oasWIHgwAto6NqsWPB0KQPWBgT5LDQgyr8SONbtQg7vdEkgBrHnCNJXIA7XEgg/s1600/Disassembly-vz-27-Pistol-Exploded.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDoeeWtzdBu2agsLUx9ldNpOc39AuxpW8gZ-SGDxX2eMU0gmJZ09Cfq8zhtAraQzO7Eilzr9ab9sna2oasWIHgwAto6NqsWPB0KQPWBgT5LDQgyr8SONbtQg7vdEkgBrHnCNJXIA7XEgg/s400/Disassembly-vz-27-Pistol-Exploded.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Find them all and put them together before THEY break in. You actually have to put the gun together in correctly. Don't know how this model handgun is assembled? Guess you have a problem...<br />
<br />
You have 5 minutes, good luck....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOshgWFQBEh2Ys9OYFS9FQgmF2Hhiam_fsS8nOrGQzWoAHCl-QcN73RD2PkDbMXEw1l4tx8GyCK3ovfDO6qQH1vjz7ChYb7WxvXHF4RAI3XyCVc6vsoBf6IvVuHeiOxmTCQyy_yeq4UET/s1600/Zombies_attack_door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOshgWFQBEh2Ys9OYFS9FQgmF2Hhiam_fsS8nOrGQzWoAHCl-QcN73RD2PkDbMXEw1l4tx8GyCK3ovfDO6qQH1vjz7ChYb7WxvXHF4RAI3XyCVc6vsoBf6IvVuHeiOxmTCQyy_yeq4UET/s1600/Zombies_attack_door.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I think there could be a whole set of games that evolve out building mechanical devices to solve problems and there's an audience out there that are going to take a special kind of pride out of knowing HOW thing work and are put together. Whole new skill sets are going to be used in VR in the name of fun.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>Body and soul</u></h3>
<br />
<div>
Keep an eye out for full body rendering quite soon, it seems like the next logical and necessary step. You will look down and your body will be very accurately displayed and feel very "there". Odds are quite good that this profound experience exists behind closed doors right now and will be a centerpiece of innovation in the year to come. We've already seen examples, but I'm guessing when it hits, it will be REALLY good.</div>
<br />
Once you have a body, you can have gear and decoration. I expect that we might move away from virtual inventories and you'll be strapping things to your virtual self more and more often.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
<b><u>Valve's Longbow</u></b></h3>
I am going to get specific about a demo for a sec here, and only because in my own reading about Vive experiences it tends not to get mentioned much but for myself it was a really outstanding moment.<br />
<br />
Valve's Longbow demo allows you to wield a bow and arrow and shoot at targets. Now, I've only shot a real bow for an afternoon against paper targets but..... and this is an odd thing to say... I felt that the simulated experience was better. Here are a few reasons why:<br />
<br />
1. You don't have to retrieve your goddamn arrows after shooting 3 times. "Where did that last one go? Over here? Under this? Why am I so bad at this?"<br />
<br />
2. While I enjoy the challenge of target practice quite a bit, a physical bow places demands on certain muscle groups that need to work together and not hopelessly fight each other, this requires training, tone and more time than I can commit.<br />
<br />
3. Real arrows make real holes in real things. If you are learning or have bad aim this is a problem and a danger. Valve's demo has balloons that rise up and present themselves as targets. If I did this in real life, people would likely be punctured and come after me unless I hit them in a vital area.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you a bit about this experience and it might tell you a bit about how engrossing this whole thing is..... when I first picked up the bow... I spent about a full minute just playing with the string... drawing it back and "feeling" the tension. Before this demo, I never gave haptics much attention.... rumble feedback on traditional controllers always felt startling and unnecessary. This single demo changed all of that for me and now I am fascinated. As you draw back the string, you get slight haptic feedback that convincingly feels like you are placing tension on the bow. I just stood there for a long time drawing on the string, back and forth, like some kind of psychopath or enthusiastic bowyer. <br />
<br />
I didn't even consider firing an arrow for the longest time, it was simply fascinating to watch the arrow interact with the bow. Maybe I'm easily amused...<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u><b>Art and Objects</b></u></h3>
<br />
I got down on my hands and knees in Tiltbrush, chose the smallest size brush and scratched on the floor.<br />
<br />
"Rob was here."<br />
<br />
I was immensely satisfied with the results. The writing was very, very small and almost impossible to make out when I stood up. It was this little message that I wrote in my own hand, scratched into the virtual floor in the corner of my virtual space. Something just for me, a little detail that you'd miss unless you looked for it.<br />
<br />
So, in these very early days, we have a tool that has quickly proving that you can make artistic changes to a 3D space as easily and as intuitively as picking up a sharpie and finding a wall. It is very exciting to think of virtual online games / environments / communities being hubs not just for "fun" but as places where art is being created and added to the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIdMsAT9-Sq_85y573f1_8NDuOeUABs_iVj5LEQK-jPEgJk0N5pOTVi8YUnLzfSZiNhW0O-a5W2X-wiJ53yE-OKg8I7o0jgk8HY9HvWqLHshW0dCM7nPVWwIvGs10Sj1OmMDAvVDwWUEr/s1600/beastman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIdMsAT9-Sq_85y573f1_8NDuOeUABs_iVj5LEQK-jPEgJk0N5pOTVi8YUnLzfSZiNhW0O-a5W2X-wiJ53yE-OKg8I7o0jgk8HY9HvWqLHshW0dCM7nPVWwIvGs10Sj1OmMDAvVDwWUEr/s320/beastman3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
There's some fundamental urge in a lot of us to mark up the world around us and it seems like we are just on the verge of tapping into it in a big way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIuvJOrbq9_ZIjJeGsqndmT6qQfUkSx4J0nCu0maCzQfcY3SyBWDnYqicpos_9YK5pjqngxAorhtemAb4NnLp87CFusJU5UKaYky8YrlMSY8LF4P9KFoAMixlQuPFGU-MBfLlCCFKLFGj/s1600/100_5378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIuvJOrbq9_ZIjJeGsqndmT6qQfUkSx4J0nCu0maCzQfcY3SyBWDnYqicpos_9YK5pjqngxAorhtemAb4NnLp87CFusJU5UKaYky8YrlMSY8LF4P9KFoAMixlQuPFGU-MBfLlCCFKLFGj/s320/100_5378.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It seems to follow that tools will rapidly evolve to the point where the act of crafting something in a simulation is just as common as destruction is now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u><b>Closing</b></u></h3>
<div>
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
Hand input is compelling to such an extent that I don't think there is much of a future for any platform that does not make this an absolute priority to "get right". Turns out, humans need to bring our body along in order to be fully present and accept a world as being "real". Hands are the brain's our envoys to the world both real and virtual.<br />
<br />
Give me a shout at <a 16px="" 18.48px="" arial="" color:="" elvetica="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" line-height:="" neue="" none="" outline:="" sans-serif="" text-decoration:="">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span 16px="" 18.48px="" arial="" c0c7="" color:="" elvetica="" font-family:="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" neue="" sans-serif=""> </span>on twitter or send me an email at <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.48px; outline: none;"><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.48px; outline: none;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div>
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div>
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-64738341452188173532015-08-08T17:18:00.001-04:002015-09-02T02:35:38.433-04:00The Myth of Virtual Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i>Let me try to write something here that's been bothering me for a couple of years now. I've attempted to write a post on it a few times but always ended up thinking it was too self indulgent. There's always a danger when you write that you are doing it for the simple pleasure of hearing your own self prattle on. That's probably the case here, but it's a Saturday morning, I just made coffee and you've been warned.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
All due respect and accomplishments aside:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> "Thanks for nothing, Jaron Lanier!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
Jaron Lanier is accredited with coining the term "Virtual Reality" almost 30 years ago, and I believe the name has done the technology a great disservice over the long run. Yes, he gets full marks for finding a term that fires the imagination but... man.... talk about setting a technology up for failure...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5mzXakgkMzhrjT55oVePV-GO_BRqUbiTpgvChNvlzBZ9mb7SgYQhtBlRkVf5OOBK3kSvP_76RBn7a10DIawLFdo_3bP1wVO8pTEUHD9xh_RpHs51iDmUagiGKZmtJR-Hj4b2yw23sYbw/s1600/lanier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5mzXakgkMzhrjT55oVePV-GO_BRqUbiTpgvChNvlzBZ9mb7SgYQhtBlRkVf5OOBK3kSvP_76RBn7a10DIawLFdo_3bP1wVO8pTEUHD9xh_RpHs51iDmUagiGKZmtJR-Hj4b2yw23sYbw/s320/lanier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Damn it Jaron. Why??!?!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Let me give you a few examples of making common technology instantly dissatisfying by renaming it to something that contains lofty promise:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNt9temgA1AU71XsDieR-VAZj5a_NiO5rw6gHlw7vv0I8NIFM4GFZfRFjecxYJY8zu8o-IeWUz0R2MTnU6thV2ie8b7Vkl9cJqARH1og4rDt1SYy8hmPB-4qAC-neIDSpNe14mHgiDG-Q/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNt9temgA1AU71XsDieR-VAZj5a_NiO5rw6gHlw7vv0I8NIFM4GFZfRFjecxYJY8zu8o-IeWUz0R2MTnU6thV2ie8b7Vkl9cJqARH1og4rDt1SYy8hmPB-4qAC-neIDSpNe14mHgiDG-Q/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Hand Twin</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnkR2qoPDH9-R-DMYZpgnxOlu21mf1AsUgzWuygJ2YmN062DoJrLm63hWeK5b0d3meaacFVGUEx0qmXdGgOtvDEFCazc107aV9JAa4af4p211JrlUwIXphsFuNSeCf132LVl6LN4qmjnc/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnkR2qoPDH9-R-DMYZpgnxOlu21mf1AsUgzWuygJ2YmN062DoJrLm63hWeK5b0d3meaacFVGUEx0qmXdGgOtvDEFCazc107aV9JAa4af4p211JrlUwIXphsFuNSeCf132LVl6LN4qmjnc/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Electric Motion Paper</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHnTASirJY21U24vXQi8ov-aCU0nInDOTAmzHY7KZhERnDKlwxIqI49WFNTUuA-5GjiyENGkPH123ZXuWFvbMAL_RA2nYfxhoDSZpBr3AEFV1Ao8-IXMhsfr8pTX4WXI6SjH5fGy098g2/s1600/inddex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHnTASirJY21U24vXQi8ov-aCU0nInDOTAmzHY7KZhERnDKlwxIqI49WFNTUuA-5GjiyENGkPH123ZXuWFvbMAL_RA2nYfxhoDSZpBr3AEFV1Ao8-IXMhsfr8pTX4WXI6SjH5fGy098g2/s1600/inddex.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Mind Expander</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ridiculous right? These would make terrible names for practical devices that help our lives and represent core components in computing. Names like these might set unreasonably high expectations in terms of what they can do. A monitor isn't paper, nor a mouse a hand, but they are all terribly useful devices with their own unique strengths. A mouse is far more precise than your hand for certain tasks, a monitor has infinitely more possibility than a printed page etc.... you get the point...<br />
<br />
Pretty silly right? That's why I'm so glad that we live in a world where we are above such...<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI68GYjhwDRRc2FAyMvRxOQchSvOmXCMVyAoIs_sxBj0KUL2NDyh4d6ffPTt4lWGF5EH8rUPiqUZH1lxfMtFGuAHaIL6oWmYRy9iq_usJ-VpJZGi-7QPf-MLGdxwJWBkBZUGSHu7KGIrUL/s1600/project-morpheus-vs-htc-vive-vs-oculus-rift1-640x381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI68GYjhwDRRc2FAyMvRxOQchSvOmXCMVyAoIs_sxBj0KUL2NDyh4d6ffPTt4lWGF5EH8rUPiqUZH1lxfMtFGuAHaIL6oWmYRy9iq_usJ-VpJZGi-7QPf-MLGdxwJWBkBZUGSHu7KGIrUL/s400/project-morpheus-vs-htc-vive-vs-oculus-rift1-640x381.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>VIRTUAL REALITY</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
...well..... shit.<br />
<br />
<br />
Jaron Lanier, must be a certified genius because he really could not have stacked the deck against VR much worse than choosing this as the name for a fledgling technology. With enough time and energy you might conceivable come up with a device that is even better than print or a manipulator that might give the human hand a run for its money, but here we are faced with reproducing reality as a whole. Brilliantly talented as our hardware and software wizards are, it really doesn't quite seem fair.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<i>What's in a name? </i><br />
<br />
Maybe a great deal.<br />
<br />
<i>Does it really matter?</i><br />
<br />
Yes, I think it just might.<br />
<br />
- - -<br />
<br />
I think this name might just have condemned the whole VR industry to forever carry with it a need to grovel and apologize on some basic level.<br />
<br />
NAMELESS VR CEO - <i>"Yeah, we are pretty happy with this iteration after a billion invested in research, we really nailed the optics and input... of course it isn't as good as reality yet but... maybe some day... um, we'll keep working on it. Next year... " - </i>hangs head and walks off stage.<br />
<br />
<br />
It reminds me a bit of the same kind of problems we face with space travel. Endless dissatisfaction with were we are in our progress. Oh, you landed on the moon, great. What about mars? Made it to mars, fine. Why aren't we living there? Oh, and what are you doing about that asteroid problem I just saw a movie about, are you on top of that?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOpSlWHDLjt5Sd41zGra69QLpJMdMdkY7_L9-mvvg8OQ0VOdYoF4MKim0z0fCUsbg7vOVXI4byjIAXFmYNVmmUjgB5Gf0BS0ETSmpYP_q5f17xbaNAgzlup_BNX1-y6gqq59A6m81Ry1o/s1600/Astronaut-Suicides_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOpSlWHDLjt5Sd41zGra69QLpJMdMdkY7_L9-mvvg8OQ0VOdYoF4MKim0z0fCUsbg7vOVXI4byjIAXFmYNVmmUjgB5Gf0BS0ETSmpYP_q5f17xbaNAgzlup_BNX1-y6gqq59A6m81Ry1o/s400/Astronaut-Suicides_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm such a failure. (image via this odd <a href="http://bit.ly/1KXD9yT">source</a>)<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now, I'm going to point my finger at the name and I am also going to point my finger at the industry as a whole for making things worse by trying to live up to this name. I am also going to hold the name responsible for clouding industry minds and enabling weird stuttering responses to the simple question of:<br />
<br />
<i>"What is this technology going to be used for?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i><br /></i>See, when you've set up this unreasonable expectation that VR will transport you to a different reality, it is then a bit hard to transition to a practical conversation about a business use case in the same breath.<br />
<i><br /></i><i>"You'll feel like you are actually there, you heart will race and you will will forget you are standing in your office............ while you review Q1 projections in VR."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>If you talk about a device having properties to transcend reality and confuse the senses then it gets hard, really hard to talk about it real world terms.<br />
<br />
Let's throw out all the fantasy and take a hard look at what we've built and why it is important.<br />
<br />
I think we all need to stop and take a breath for a moment and reassess where we are trying to go.<br />
<br />
- - -<br />
<br />
If you've been following the industry for the past few years, you'll see a few acronyms being flung around, usually at high speed and with an intent to maim their targets.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #fff; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span><big style="color: #fff; font-family: sans-serif;">• </big>SDE (screen door effect - can you discern pixels in the HMD?)<br />
<big style=" color: #fff; font-family: sans-serif;">• </big>FOV (field of view - how much of the simulation fills your vision.)<br />
<br />
You'll often see comments along these lines:<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"Pretty pronounced SDE with this HMD, I could see the pixels and it really kept reminding me that this wasn't real."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"The FOV must have been around 100 degrees or so, it took me right out of the experience and I could easily tell I wasn't really flying, nor was I an eagle. Disappointing."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"The motion controls perfectly tracked my movement in space, no matter how hard I tried to throw it off, it's exactly like my hands in space, except I don't have fingers? Why don't they give me fingers? I clearly have them on my hands so obviously I need them here too."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
In other words: <blah blah blah> ....Sorry, I could tell it wasn't real.<br />
<br />
This is really just setting us up for nothing but an endless pit of iterative disappointment.<br />
<br />
- - -<br />
<br />
We are stuck with the name though. it's been around for a good long while and won't be going anywhere soon. Unless perhaps.... we can quietly co-opt the VR acronym over time. Run a campaign of guerrilla warfare on nomenclature. I've recently noted that Valve's Alan Yates (the designer behind the HTC Vive's lighthouse system) has been using the term "Volumetric Display" during his more pensive moments:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgQTEunciNSo4Uri4_pRqmD-fJgPEGceYkeg_h1Ix_6uJqeEeERTahFHCJR841JQwUj_nTxif4p8tYFDcn1JpmvUzSqqbT7qaciNOk1ph1YLZ3_8JKoBiPCzbEJ5HL20iqO9doCghu9_B/s1600/2015-08-08+15_44_33-OneNote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgQTEunciNSo4Uri4_pRqmD-fJgPEGceYkeg_h1Ix_6uJqeEeERTahFHCJR841JQwUj_nTxif4p8tYFDcn1JpmvUzSqqbT7qaciNOk1ph1YLZ3_8JKoBiPCzbEJ5HL20iqO9doCghu9_B/s400/2015-08-08+15_44_33-OneNote.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Which is pretty spot on in terms of where we are going if you take a look at the corresponding definition in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volumetric_display">Wikipedia</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcvtv0_eKGRPFFYIWYtcCygHukSIqxzG6ikkEPFHDNgAoVEqmMqxhtxCP5rOlo9prLx0E3IGyZnfPOiuqHwXHdtHZBqst-np-vzXsiALe_xxcqbug8OLDY7sUMqpzK7XotEVsICPvK1ZV/s1600/2015-08-08+15_45_22-Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcvtv0_eKGRPFFYIWYtcCygHukSIqxzG6ikkEPFHDNgAoVEqmMqxhtxCP5rOlo9prLx0E3IGyZnfPOiuqHwXHdtHZBqst-np-vzXsiALe_xxcqbug8OLDY7sUMqpzK7XotEVsICPvK1ZV/s640/2015-08-08+15_45_22-Start.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Tip: Running a google image <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=volumetric+display">search</a> on the term "volumetric display" never disappoints if you are looking for some daily inspiration.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWT4nCeTjBjPMykloJ0CNut3zLbeHhMSII_WFz9zwuD4Bsudp9JFDuygjlNxl9MU3fi3FZjjvLG2i4tux-OGXUxBOZy8o8ib6IV7KDrrPf6pIb0WD1CxDO-HVKCMmh6Bb2SXx_qHIiefbw/s1600/voxiebox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWT4nCeTjBjPMykloJ0CNut3zLbeHhMSII_WFz9zwuD4Bsudp9JFDuygjlNxl9MU3fi3FZjjvLG2i4tux-OGXUxBOZy8o8ib6IV7KDrrPf6pIb0WD1CxDO-HVKCMmh6Bb2SXx_qHIiefbw/s200/voxiebox.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDRRH1kPpeURwGwKVVAEWLTk273OZnMuyxWRxnNDNHlE96Bzd2-CyEcUbzD7HIjoYNcMmcPPYFWiUK4McbZgSkwz6-6NwG_UWcv-wuX9Z4MmbFfRS5hsMIyHvQ6-v6MlD5zQjKSnxwVpj/s1600/usc_3d_display_2008-06-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDRRH1kPpeURwGwKVVAEWLTk273OZnMuyxWRxnNDNHlE96Bzd2-CyEcUbzD7HIjoYNcMmcPPYFWiUK4McbZgSkwz6-6NwG_UWcv-wuX9Z4MmbFfRS5hsMIyHvQ6-v6MlD5zQjKSnxwVpj/s200/usc_3d_display_2008-06-27.jpg" width="161" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, so that might be a good stand in for our "V", what about the "R"? I'm not going to struggle on this too much so I'll put the word "representation" down on the board, using chalk so that it can easily be replaced. I actually like the word representation, as that's what most computing deals with, its just a fancy extrapolation of those cave drawings slapped on the wall by early man.<br />
<br />
Really you want a term that will cover the whole VR ecosystem, from the displays to the various manipulators and control devices. "Volumetric Representation" nice and general and embraces all of these devices:<br />
<br />
Volumetric:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYYL-8KleSiO6xWWq7wlhhqmhwRdbGg2CKFBqhcxACGev3FexaJRh77ai_hUXXs85cna73F-0yuNMXkcs7IjJ0NmS1MKGYYBDUs5zPeW2V6QItQ5drmivrxuH59U1RWjgroazLM4dFFQ7/s1600/2015-08-08+16_07_30-Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYYL-8KleSiO6xWWq7wlhhqmhwRdbGg2CKFBqhcxACGev3FexaJRh77ai_hUXXs85cna73F-0yuNMXkcs7IjJ0NmS1MKGYYBDUs5zPeW2V6QItQ5drmivrxuH59U1RWjgroazLM4dFFQ7/s640/2015-08-08+16_07_30-Start.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Representation:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTwzNeuv8HHHdiDSbMNmdSlDlYK7Ytrls2FX7aJcGqB792m9UR_MfepBIVJ4bSwSPzZX0q9RkTGmlQy2IPBm1OuNYnbWmi5aEyZszgbIZ677muani-6K5S9Qpn8EM1Tqbyl7Xmpih62Dv/s1600/2015-08-08+16_14_31-Start.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTwzNeuv8HHHdiDSbMNmdSlDlYK7Ytrls2FX7aJcGqB792m9UR_MfepBIVJ4bSwSPzZX0q9RkTGmlQy2IPBm1OuNYnbWmi5aEyZszgbIZ677muani-6K5S9Qpn8EM1Tqbyl7Xmpih62Dv/s400/2015-08-08+16_14_31-Start.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, let's pretend now, on this quiet Saturday morning, that we want to redefine VR as not standing for "Virtual Reality" but rather for "Volumetric Representation". (I realize this is all very indulgent, but I did warn you to be fair.)<br />
<br />
Let's compare how this feels now with a pop quiz:<br />
<br />
1) My HTC Vive wand is a:<br />
<br />
A. Virtual reality hand.<br />
B. A volumetric representation of my hand.<br />
C. This blog post is too long.<br />
<br />
2) When I use Oculus Touch to manipulate my company data, I think I am...<br />
<br />
A. Losing myself in a new reality that is virtual.<br />
B. Working with data represented volumetrically.<br />
C. I hate spreadsheets and would never do this.<br />
<br />
3) When I play games, I am looking for:<br />
<br />
A. A new reality to in place of the one I was born into.<br />
B. The most immersive experience I can get.<br />
C. I don't play games and prefer spreadsheets.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I can't speak for everyone out there, but I've never looked to VR as something that would one day effectively replace my reality. I've already got enough reality to last me a lifetime.<br />
<br />
Rather, I see VR as the ultimate tool for surrounding myself with what I have always loved. I want VR to give me more time by connecting me immediately to the things I care about most. Let me work with representations of things rather than cluttering up my home with physical objects. Let me keep track of the people in my life and connect with them in a shared computing space. Let me wander through data and media with the same fascination I might have picking my way through Tokyo or New Delhi.<br />
<br />
This isn't a new reality, this is simply the next extension of the treasured experience computers have already been providing us for years. Let's embrace it for the wonder that it is rather than disparage it for what isn't.<br />
<br />
My coffee has run out so I'll leave off here. Lucky you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #26C0C7; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Give me a shout at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="color: #26C0C7; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on Twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style=" color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com or leave a comment below</a><span style="color: #26C0C7; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-89294183401301521352015-07-16T21:43:00.001-04:002015-07-16T22:12:39.619-04:00AKIRA in VR. (aka, working with large illustrated novels in VR.)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey folks,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spent a little time on working with a large collection of comics / illustrations in VR and this was the results. My primary interest is working with large bodies of materials and quickly being able to find a particular point of interest by visually looking for it in a 3D space. VR obviously helps with this immensely. It also allows you to fluidly get very close to each work in a way that isn't very natural when dealing with the images in a traditional 2D desktop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most importantly, it's pretty cool to be able to surf a few thousand pages of illustration like a sparrow hawk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">[note: works best if you play it back full screen, to get a tiny sense of what it's like in VR.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/abpWyo9XbaM" width="560"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">You can find me </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com.</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-27681037102509991622015-04-10T03:21:00.002-04:002015-04-10T10:54:31.511-04:00Marketing VR in the year 2016 - Beyond Imagination<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXxnRjncT0H8PbgWqgrR6rOAr2jweK6cma-R8ewicwRY6Y4HaYvfEv1jaJLJy23cILpIyHYHWkhH7UpuV2nFH1XxtFrJSlQq2W5MkvNC4Fm-arTk9Z9hfBEHXnAkq5OyTv5PI9mcCHQUD/s1600/the+future.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXxnRjncT0H8PbgWqgrR6rOAr2jweK6cma-R8ewicwRY6Y4HaYvfEv1jaJLJy23cILpIyHYHWkhH7UpuV2nFH1XxtFrJSlQq2W5MkvNC4Fm-arTk9Z9hfBEHXnAkq5OyTv5PI9mcCHQUD/s1600/the+future.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's travel to the future friends, take my hand and let's go visit the year:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><<< 2016 >>></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-05caa8ad-990e-2566-2588-42f0316d7303" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The sights and sounds in this time may be loud and confusing to you, do try to stay calm and not give yourself away as a visitor from such a deprived and backwards time as 2015.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">---</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">I've been thinking about VR's commercial launch. </span></b><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"> Not cardboard. </span><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"> Not a developer kit, no. I mean the honest to God, real deal, commercial release. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">A real box sitting on a shelf at a real store that you can exchange money for and they let you take home. The kind of release that might involve line ups at midnight around the block, five minute rambles on the local news and hopeful, happy children eyeing large packages under the tree on Christmas day. *</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The Gear VR should not be used by children
under the age of 13. Adults should monitor children (age 13
and older) who are using or have used the Gear VR for any of the
symptoms described below, and should limit the time children spend
using the Gear VR and ensure they take breaks during use. Prolonged
use should be avoided, as this could negatively impact hand-eye
coordination, balance, and multi-tasking ability. Adults should monitor
children closely during and after use of the Gear VR for any decrease in
these abilities. We think its actually probably fine and there's research that points to this being safe but God, what if we were to actually maim someone young? Young people live for a long time, so if you need to compensate them for lost potential salary over a lifetime, geez, that's bloody expensive. If the product just kill people outright, like say, a bicycle, we probably would not need to include this message on everything we touch.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">To glimpse what that this strange, alien world might look like, we might start by taking a look at the closest thing we have to retail VR today, Samsung / Oculus's Gear VR.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4l6iZsm6ES-zdPi4dm83yh7lB_Lw0M_NMis8hEUy8yPblASiNWIM8cxcYJffTb1q02XVkYhNnD4ttjsYra0J0nst6ktpTIlXH0DiZpAFnvBde68pj2XkBXq7ipgHSe_SyAopl827Ckbk/s1600/bb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4l6iZsm6ES-zdPi4dm83yh7lB_Lw0M_NMis8hEUy8yPblASiNWIM8cxcYJffTb1q02XVkYhNnD4ttjsYra0J0nst6ktpTIlXH0DiZpAFnvBde68pj2XkBXq7ipgHSe_SyAopl827Ckbk/s1600/bb.JPG" height="258" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">There it is, sitting at Best Buy right now. You can go buy it. Now. You can buy VR right now!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right from the start I want to give Samsung and Oculus a giant amount of credit for getting this far. They've not only succeeded in making this happen, but they've been handed the enormously delicate task of selling retail VR to the general public, something that's never really been tackled so far at this level. Ever.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to talk about just that, that alien, new task of pitching VR to consumers. In 2016, when someone climbs into their car to go "buy VR" what do we want them to be thinking?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's start by taking a close look at the message that Samsung's / Oculus has out there today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you sit down and type in "Gear VR" into Google, the first or second link will take you to a <a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/gearvr/gearvr_features.html">Gear VR page</a> hosted by Samsung. Excellent SEO, great positioning!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKUPKnbhyeNnvH1por9JN-_pB4zD1JoRStggUzvhRD6oL88dzy1nqtBN1kHMJNgeJlmSv7NNRXfyPaZRzI-OFFtpGBuZMvCkrhvCJCUuieWOsauIrkJlmAyvqNmsVk57Irf9SgQWgPXWk/s1600/sam9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKUPKnbhyeNnvH1por9JN-_pB4zD1JoRStggUzvhRD6oL88dzy1nqtBN1kHMJNgeJlmSv7NNRXfyPaZRzI-OFFtpGBuZMvCkrhvCJCUuieWOsauIrkJlmAyvqNmsVk57Irf9SgQWgPXWk/s1600/sam9.JPG" height="313" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/gearvr/gearvr_features.html</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I.... I have so many questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off, let me be clear that I suspect that a lot of what is written here is by a non-native English speaker. If you have command of a second or third language, I commend you and applaud you and I don't want to poke at work done under this context. These bits of text would have been challenge to nail properly in using a first language, I would hate to attempt it in a second or third. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if pokes at being made, they are being made at Samsung and its vast array of resources failing to properly be brought to bear on these thirty six words that greet each visitor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a line by line break down, because - hey why not?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Beyond Imagination"</span></b> - this is the title, written in large font, so it must be pretty important. As a consumer, this is a bit of a throw away line and I roughly interpret it to mean that "You there, should be excited about this thing and this thing is even better than you expect it will be because you can't even begin to imagine how great it really is."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It gets applied to a great deal of products out there quite liberally:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziMke_3lux8VyIUrdsWXTdok6ftaXxxi_u6linyAYSByA8UkYiwq2KzG7H7ydB9r5i_V9x8QoVMuF4q0mYoagz5cLNTAD7TryTVaFyvXHcC-V5bsYUGY4Lbz9UlmveZZ4en3q0ZWcEr7_/s1600/DBI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziMke_3lux8VyIUrdsWXTdok6ftaXxxi_u6linyAYSByA8UkYiwq2KzG7H7ydB9r5i_V9x8QoVMuF4q0mYoagz5cLNTAD7TryTVaFyvXHcC-V5bsYUGY4Lbz9UlmveZZ4en3q0ZWcEr7_/s1600/DBI.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a number of years of being targeted as a consumer from every conceivable angle, I think most of us swim along through text and such hyperbole like this just flows past us without even really registering. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or maybe it's great marketing. I don't know. Kind of feels like an apple picked off the ground. <shrug></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Simpler way to enjoy immersive experience"</span></b> - Many questions about this line. What are the other immersive experiences and how is this simpler? Why is it simpler? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going out on a limb and guessing that traditional movies and games are the "less simple" immersive experiences that are being compared here. Maybe? Or maybe, I could get on a plane and travel to Africa and immerse myself in a lion safari, deal with bot flies, and THAT would be less simple than using Gear VR. This line leaves a whole lot of guess work up to the consumer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've given it some thought and the most favorable interpretation that I can think of might be to say: "Hey folks, wearing this thing is like being in a movie theater, but instead of driving to the movie theater, sitting down with strangers and waiting for the movie to start, you just put it on and press a button. Much Simpler". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've heard the phrase "A movie theater in your pocket." tossed around and I think it's great. Everyone gets it immediately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Find your look with the shiver colored frames"</span></b> - Oh the third line. Boy. Are we only on the third line? It's a doozy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the third line, we are making a direct appeal to fashion, which would be way, way, way, way, way, way, way down on my list of key points when trying to market the current crop of HMDs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I don't know what a "shiver colored" anything actually is, which I suspect might be failing on my part, as fashion has never been my forte. This might well be a valiant attempt at the word "silver" by some Korean writer or (based on some laborious and painstaking research I just did), might be referring to a glossy look that's common in the world of women's nail polish. Or maybe shampoo, or maybe anything from L'Oreal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I... I'm trying to play along here as best I can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1QP5jRYBgx3fRMg89W0210kTFmJeXtumwRiPLcQpgQtWB6yJKyu13qY7O2qB3GiUfg_5J6PYL1v30yiFLhzqqEYjUMWTep5fXDQ58a3i4shvjIcjxEa0AZ9t-ndocRFfFL7eWfI5nQI9/s1600/LOr%C3%A9al-Hair-Expertise-Nutri-Shimmer-Crystal-5-1024x678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1QP5jRYBgx3fRMg89W0210kTFmJeXtumwRiPLcQpgQtWB6yJKyu13qY7O2qB3GiUfg_5J6PYL1v30yiFLhzqqEYjUMWTep5fXDQ58a3i4shvjIcjxEa0AZ9t-ndocRFfFL7eWfI5nQI9/s1600/LOr%C3%A9al-Hair-Expertise-Nutri-Shimmer-Crystal-5-1024x678.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nutri-Shimmer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkk3TIWC5kIcLqmyr5GqHsiNNG3X_nZea2IDdt_KHTBoU5EQBIw_Cpnv5IFjXdH038htaZIJ8zz6bVLRq8mfGWl6-dMN6wPj6O56Cnqq7wnVpgg5c3KwRaCuXA4Q4bkJKEt-cEWQegl6Z/s1600/nourish-and-shimmer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkk3TIWC5kIcLqmyr5GqHsiNNG3X_nZea2IDdt_KHTBoU5EQBIw_Cpnv5IFjXdH038htaZIJ8zz6bVLRq8mfGWl6-dMN6wPj6O56Cnqq7wnVpgg5c3KwRaCuXA4Q4bkJKEt-cEWQegl6Z/s1600/nourish-and-shimmer1.jpg" height="297" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elvive Nourish & Shimmer (Hey, Vive!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g_lk0M50l1-3Lt0NQv2kECMVl9mFZaMOBXfNZvXuvUp6LzUx4zAHmqOFVj6lAHkzujM9gMne1bGlRBue9AdFi1aaMw-SvTyRwxUcS1nD9fY9D7aQo24n4IuRPqv-qZw50V_tS7AgMB-x/s1600/Review-Swatch-LOreal-Miss-Pop-Color-Riche-Nail-in-Lemon-Shiver-Helen-Helz-Nguyen-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g_lk0M50l1-3Lt0NQv2kECMVl9mFZaMOBXfNZvXuvUp6LzUx4zAHmqOFVj6lAHkzujM9gMne1bGlRBue9AdFi1aaMw-SvTyRwxUcS1nD9fY9D7aQo24n4IuRPqv-qZw50V_tS7AgMB-x/s1600/Review-Swatch-LOreal-Miss-Pop-Color-Riche-Nail-in-Lemon-Shiver-Helen-Helz-Nguyen-1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shimmer is a big thing apparently</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DUoqR3xQHwB6sr1cuXQgb9iHbCU_8Uu4QEb39I28cYWmzdRLvWGjku1whlTfoCvGe-o9y1w6NpWsD1EjQhR6ErWqVMy5UR_FjyVXwb9T_luAMoFc8Of5K6gphnbQGv7rlRploxZ5jRY6/s1600/vr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DUoqR3xQHwB6sr1cuXQgb9iHbCU_8Uu4QEb39I28cYWmzdRLvWGjku1whlTfoCvGe-o9y1w6NpWsD1EjQhR6ErWqVMy5UR_FjyVXwb9T_luAMoFc8Of5K6gphnbQGv7rlRploxZ5jRY6/s1600/vr.jpg" height="216" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It actually does kind of shimmer so.. maybe...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Find your look"</span></b> makes me think that I can customize the experience in some way, it is something I'd expect to find attached to branding surrounding Apple's current watch campaign and the different watch straps, faces etc. As far as I know, when you are wearing Gear VR, there really is only two looks you can possibly get.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a model, with good lighting, you get this look:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepXIh1tOusLLrEuxaiju7M9NxHXMpXE1C5WtlSq_KPeFYbzrC2cg5mlRyJKYTEwAmOdeNBQ6NnqVI82MqT5PSthpHIQh0P4FoH3ub4VmfPmitMFLhN4VLbvDTnMWhRGiT15taCFBY9y4U/s1600/gaervr-hero-image-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepXIh1tOusLLrEuxaiju7M9NxHXMpXE1C5WtlSq_KPeFYbzrC2cg5mlRyJKYTEwAmOdeNBQ6NnqVI82MqT5PSthpHIQh0P4FoH3ub4VmfPmitMFLhN4VLbvDTnMWhRGiT15taCFBY9y4U/s1600/gaervr-hero-image-v1.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone else gets this look:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-fJn8rAKa4bTeXY53XwA0ZoRIbE7VGL-oOkcX7sTTneMyT-0i2xuQtZbb5csiyFFTatZNHoqTAP444kq2O6pJSIKtCvzc-f4NYQNMKpeNoeHc6B_Z0TxyP_tnaJhyphenhyphentFJwZq27MTAoooB/s1600/tumblr_nlc922VYcI1uqwxlqo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-fJn8rAKa4bTeXY53XwA0ZoRIbE7VGL-oOkcX7sTTneMyT-0i2xuQtZbb5csiyFFTatZNHoqTAP444kq2O6pJSIKtCvzc-f4NYQNMKpeNoeHc6B_Z0TxyP_tnaJhyphenhyphentFJwZq27MTAoooB/s1600/tumblr_nlc922VYcI1uqwxlqo1_1280.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The "look" might not be the primary motivator to use in encouraging people to buy. Again though, I'm still learning about fashion though, so don't take my word for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Experience the virtual reality with Gear VR's ergonomic design."</span> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">This product allows me to experience "the" virtual reality and it is ergonomic, OK, good! Fine! That's fine! Great!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Everyone likes ergonomic design, it's never, um, the most exciting bullet point on a list..</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">... but it's always welcome and without it, I always assume that the product will be </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">unergonomic which I certainly can't get behind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Too bad there's nothing in that sentence that's terribly exciting... Oh WAIT, what's this virtual reality thing? Can you tell me more about that? I saw this great movie once about this blond guy who liked comic books and it had Pierce Brosnan... and oh... no? We are moving on? No time? Oh. OK, then. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"VR incorporates soft and flexible cushioning for the ultimate comfort design."</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">It is comfortable and soft. Can't go wrong with that! Very exciting! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">Wait.... hold on...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><b>VR</b> is soft and flexible? I'm confused. VR stands for... um.... virtual reality, right? I just really want to know a bit more about this "virtual reality" that my son Billy was talking about the other day and .... oh.... moving on again? oh......</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">---</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So. I'm nitpicking. I know, but I feel that all of this is actually terribly important to get right, especially when a company is taking a swing at a whole new market for the first time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">None of these lines educate me on what this product actually does. Or if you can't manage that, at least hint at how it might make me feel and don't tell me it's COMFORTABLE, I'm already comfortable, let's aim a little higher, shall we?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After reading it, as a consumer I might walk away, thinking this is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Something that I can't imagine, that is simpler than other immersive experiences that aren't mentioned. It is comfortable and ergonomic and, oh, it also let's me experience something called virtual reality..... whatever that is."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's break away for a moment and look at another retail product that is looking to cash in on the valuable real estate of your face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like to ski and have $649.95 dollars, Oakley has a par of sky goggles for you. Here is how they present them:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVk15ZEbJPxIsxpEIMdSJdTr-maHOGuApVLHKUeVoFemDiDgZ3z8OqOOlPEkLqiAqNMoUa5Xt80Yb8Z3NubXZOXxNNsgqxrxVNaMuMgEzmHbFnd2I_BmayyaBSpW11DTMFd7zVGk9E2IM/s1600/aw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVk15ZEbJPxIsxpEIMdSJdTr-maHOGuApVLHKUeVoFemDiDgZ3z8OqOOlPEkLqiAqNMoUa5Xt80Yb8Z3NubXZOXxNNsgqxrxVNaMuMgEzmHbFnd2I_BmayyaBSpW11DTMFd7zVGk9E2IM/s1600/aw.jpg" height="517" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Now, Oakley makes it's living on trying to project an image of "cool". Image is terribly important to this brand, they live and die by it, so I'm not sure if this is a fair fight BUT I think we can learn something from this example.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">First off "AIRWAVE" is pretty cool. You've your air and you got your waves, both of which are.... pretty unassailable, elemental forces. This is up against Samsung's Gear line, which at best conjures a mechanical gear in my mind:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-YaJ1CQ9-Q0gPUVFeRUeqt0bN1vPoSBOk2xRPr7mbUDR8a2EFdJrBYbV3zGSgdNUMAdKmXZ_Ffu_hVCSBtZ5dlt3A4_C9VU8xACv7r8yot4EEYtt3rvmlRgvywuNWqa1viQwYYE10zZj/s1600/damen_schelde_gears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-YaJ1CQ9-Q0gPUVFeRUeqt0bN1vPoSBOk2xRPr7mbUDR8a2EFdJrBYbV3zGSgdNUMAdKmXZ_Ffu_hVCSBtZ5dlt3A4_C9VU8xACv7r8yot4EEYtt3rvmlRgvywuNWqa1viQwYYE10zZj/s1600/damen_schelde_gears.jpg" height="158" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone loves gears. (just watch your fingers... I mean arm... I mean... head... I mean God, just take a big step back man!!!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Or at worst camping:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAFUAWgbs4m5QHIOGWXxGK4CVUQmtWJD8pa2h4ebKp_hfgQ-IYjc1oW_OAov_qBnVklXb5zaKskQNBwb3LYHI5eYr2-OB0suwJ7s-t9wDIGuwyCLICMV4PHa6Roik5sA99mFVygeZ1kgH/s1600/gear.JPG" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeay! Camping! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAFUAWgbs4m5QHIOGWXxGK4CVUQmtWJD8pa2h4ebKp_hfgQ-IYjc1oW_OAov_qBnVklXb5zaKskQNBwb3LYHI5eYr2-OB0suwJ7s-t9wDIGuwyCLICMV4PHa6Roik5sA99mFVygeZ1kgH/s1600/gear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
Neither camping or mechanical gears really spark my imagination when it comes to a device that is supposed to spark my imagination. Don't even get me started on "Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, Powered by Oculus" or SGVRIEPBO.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>"Technology that Delivers the Goods, Straight to Your Brain."</b>. Jesus, that's pretty good. It's high tech, the word "Goods" nicely skips around the problem that we don't know quite exactly know what VR is going to be used for and "Straight to your Brain" well, that's... that's just like heroine! Everyone can appreciate that kind of intensity. Right?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN37CPNfzBLqKEcvAExx78CQd9sevngvGCLDpJFyFapiJzJy_9p9FB67Lk2evmvRf59Ms3FpbG5JKTVkiv4U_w0U7sFgZ-ASDVoiCwFDYwTngcAjHAEPGJ2yarhH1gUfhzc2MmVYABlvEc/s1600/trainspotting-ewan-drugged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN37CPNfzBLqKEcvAExx78CQd9sevngvGCLDpJFyFapiJzJy_9p9FB67Lk2evmvRf59Ms3FpbG5JKTVkiv4U_w0U7sFgZ-ASDVoiCwFDYwTngcAjHAEPGJ2yarhH1gUfhzc2MmVYABlvEc/s1600/trainspotting-ewan-drugged.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">And then the best part, the best part is the smaller, descriptive text that lays out the following proposition:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i>You are a person that does awesome and interesting things that you enjoy. Here is something that will make it even more awesome and enjoyable.</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">And you know what? That's pretty damn unassailable too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">What a great approach for a company that wants to introduce and sell a product to a market in a safe way. Here's what Samsung could have written:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">"Hey you. We hear you like to play games, we hear you like to watch movies, we hear you like to carry a mobile phone. We hear you like to do ALL of these things and still be able to walk around town and be social. Welp, good news people. If you've got a phone*, legs and $200 dollars, we can make all of these experiences a thousand times better."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 20px;">*Galaxy Note 4 required, we dearly hope this is what you have, otherwise, you've screwed all of this up for yourself. SCREWED it ALL up!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">DONE. That's the message, that's something that everyone will get and understand. Here are the things you like and we can make them all better.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">For the rest of it, I'd keep it concrete and again, simple:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Watch a movie, just like being at a movie theater.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Go on Safari, and feel like the lions are about to kill you and your guide during the aggressive and territorial mating season.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Don't settle playing games on a lousy </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">5.7 inch (143.9mm) Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560×1440) display, actually step into the games and look around.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">Etc, etc, etc.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">You can excite the reader about what the product can do and you can start to educate them on what this whole virtual reality thing is about at the same time.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">But then you say...."Wait! Hold on! Shut up! </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">Stop focusing on this narrow example."</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">OK. Let's look at some videos.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Samsung did a bang up job a few years back with their video campaign aimed at switching entrenched Apple users over to Galaxy phones. It went over so well that they must have some pretty top minds working in their video marketing wing and they undoubtedly do. Let's take a look.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They say that video is one of the most effective marketing tools currently available and Samsung has two videos that focus on Gear VR that I know of. If I've missed one, please lemme know.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #222222; display: table-cell; margin: 0px 0px 13px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: 1250px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Gear VR Demonstration"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">Video One: </span><b>Gear VR -- First Look</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">"The world of virtual reality is finally here. The Samsung Gear VR Innovator edition. Powered by Oculus and the Galaxy Note 4."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-gnvQS2xhRg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-gnvQS2xhRg?feature=player_embedded" width="720"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">I'm pretty happy with a lot of what is said in this video. They talk about games and movies being experienced in new ways. That's great.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The video is intended to demonstrate what using the Gear VR is like. They've gone to a lot of trouble to drop the user and host into a room where the background neatly fades out and is replaced by what the user is seeing in VR through the Gear. It is slick and well produced and I watched it and then rewatched it, and watched it again and again and again because troubled by something and too dumb to pick up on it right away.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">It's completely backwards.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The backdrop is supposed to show us what the user is seeing, but...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The user is facing away from what they are supposed to be seeing. Yes, this is done so that we can see their reactions but, no, it sets up a horrible disconnect between their body and their vision and our response to looking at both.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">The image, kinda, sorta, moves as they do...kinda approximately, but in the movements are reflected in the wrong axis. (user looks left, image moves right). Turn him around and this would look AOKish.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vU4RCwr0gLylGxMiSdwqLTKmeOmuN9eSf73fitNxPtBq_HrYvRb5YF_i7UE73J5_6UtJUP3WtwEdiqeydE22aHc2DQ0oBQb_3-t5gPD_ZwkOciBFC_9G1-Wzeo43JCbgqQAJyzOZI9C4/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vU4RCwr0gLylGxMiSdwqLTKmeOmuN9eSf73fitNxPtBq_HrYvRb5YF_i7UE73J5_6UtJUP3WtwEdiqeydE22aHc2DQ0oBQb_3-t5gPD_ZwkOciBFC_9G1-Wzeo43JCbgqQAJyzOZI9C4/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_3.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">Sometimes the background image does NOT move at all with the user, which is a real shame since that seems to be rather central to the presentation. I mean... isn't that why you brought us to this fancy room in the first place? This man sees another world through this device, come see what he sees, this is the whole point, right? Right?</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzj2oBkWOaD5cGqsDEBksOYprGC5hCh5rYMdQqAJe2ZMhvXrg6ySgJPggjLjKMt_ayTmTQOmMWlPU2wfRj5bTWiw0JLWhO1zGUyrBn_7GSgq9AhTJtZMbcbApDmGmylcZiHU4B_Jn3VQh/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow...... this is neato... wait, what's going on?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">Remember, the whole idea here is to demonstrate that this puts you in the middle of the action and that everywhere you look you vision is filled with a different reality. Really important to follow through with this central point consistently.</span></li>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn-OZx0nwEWK1826Jjf2HpCtyYhsgzTV_xtjoeXvUSQ6z_HqTP44FGG53gQSkD1E7It9BsZsQDluaueHtxrX2xjy-3H53ZRMdVgA6ierYn2XZyUt6Voz5Gw1eY_I6N6kdh4-LtH9gRY3O/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_4.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can HEAR people having fun....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn-OZx0nwEWK1826Jjf2HpCtyYhsgzTV_xtjoeXvUSQ6z_HqTP44FGG53gQSkD1E7It9BsZsQDluaueHtxrX2xjy-3H53ZRMdVgA6ierYn2XZyUt6Voz5Gw1eY_I6N6kdh4-LtH9gRY3O/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">At worst, it looks like our poor central guy is confused, sad and missing the show completely...</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Video Two: </span><b>Gear VR Demonstration</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
I feel like Samsung brought out the big guns for this video. It's a prime time quality spot filled with fun people in fun settings but it's also REAL people and that's what consumers want to see these days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZMtsopQ6kZ0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMtsopQ6kZ0?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="720"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to say then, that I was more than a little surprised when the the title shot of the video opens on this:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6v2j2ksbAkJFSk6B1QyNMUVJt1-kKD92Ts4f_ZYHuTPLDTxqVciC8S6nqujoSKBuL_wjcocTJK7DIrK0iGXyLk7-CePx08-JXfPhbmJ06aqFNJQ_edLuosx-p-8OcwGnLsmxN7kbDGqg/s1600/sam2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6v2j2ksbAkJFSk6B1QyNMUVJt1-kKD92Ts4f_ZYHuTPLDTxqVciC8S6nqujoSKBuL_wjcocTJK7DIrK0iGXyLk7-CePx08-JXfPhbmJ06aqFNJQ_edLuosx-p-8OcwGnLsmxN7kbDGqg/s1600/sam2.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU4Cz8Iy8gjF3wxOlponEujhTXoGfr5AI0_sIroqMGZfdkJNULe8A5RULs_vK8AnNgwcMcgfp8tdbgjcVZ88OmM_SCJ2_xaKfXD9mDVErr0JmJKmYWwkOErrj3U0wWRYa56ocCzRmDP7M/s1600/sam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU4Cz8Iy8gjF3wxOlponEujhTXoGfr5AI0_sIroqMGZfdkJNULe8A5RULs_vK8AnNgwcMcgfp8tdbgjcVZ88OmM_SCJ2_xaKfXD9mDVErr0JmJKmYWwkOErrj3U0wWRYa56ocCzRmDP7M/s1600/sam.JPG" height="356" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our spokesman has the Gear VR against his face and has not bothered with the straps, in fact they are sorta crammed against his face as well. For an advert for a head MOUNTED display, I find this a curious choice. He isn't alone either as the same thing happens again a little later on in the video.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyRnbiTBPyhXNaXmZO5TsqKCnqrvhpuGnzJHYAByWaQPhgX4EKgBfaCKWWr1bJoAFQki-_U20Bhza97ARwJLmnC_YfthZ38VUO5Ewg3srkMD7czOGFGocjz6ketyfuvhCWMA1zGUsV7l0/s1600/sam5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyRnbiTBPyhXNaXmZO5TsqKCnqrvhpuGnzJHYAByWaQPhgX4EKgBfaCKWWr1bJoAFQki-_U20Bhza97ARwJLmnC_YfthZ38VUO5Ewg3srkMD7czOGFGocjz6ketyfuvhCWMA1zGUsV7l0/s1600/sam5.JPG" height="350" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe this isn't a big deal. Maybe this is how "the kids are wearin it" these days. I dunno. I'm not sure if it exactly screams " ergonomic comfort" to me, which is apparently one of their important bullet points they want to impress upon you. When you take away the straps too, you start to get into real shaky ground as to what this product is all about.. we start to get dangerously close to.... this is a VERY expensive and unwieldy case territory.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somebody at least took the time to make the VR view look better in these shots, which is nice, can you feel the difference?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Virtual Reality:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8d3-HMlnJT0fJvUGQNYGwJ7uMoK7K29o5K1IB8hDIXDYsja0wKCetoICg1WNxrd7Cn2W2AyUZE8YVplVBkNZ3dSGY_umtV-SSLK1OyKuyN4XuZv0maUfy86pyspEci7Ctjz9xIrB7rnMJ/s1600/Gear-VR----First-Look.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8d3-HMlnJT0fJvUGQNYGwJ7uMoK7K29o5K1IB8hDIXDYsja0wKCetoICg1WNxrd7Cn2W2AyUZE8YVplVBkNZ3dSGY_umtV-SSLK1OyKuyN4XuZv0maUfy86pyspEci7Ctjz9xIrB7rnMJ/s1600/Gear-VR----First-Look.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lonely, blind, sadness:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn-OZx0nwEWK1826Jjf2HpCtyYhsgzTV_xtjoeXvUSQ6z_HqTP44FGG53gQSkD1E7It9BsZsQDluaueHtxrX2xjy-3H53ZRMdVgA6ierYn2XZyUt6Voz5Gw1eY_I6N6kdh4-LtH9gRY3O/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn-OZx0nwEWK1826Jjf2HpCtyYhsgzTV_xtjoeXvUSQ6z_HqTP44FGG53gQSkD1E7It9BsZsQDluaueHtxrX2xjy-3H53ZRMdVgA6ierYn2XZyUt6Voz5Gw1eY_I6N6kdh4-LtH9gRY3O/s1600/Gear-VR-Demonstration_4.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rest of the video is great, it has the upbeat tune in the background, everyone is happy and amazed, the host has a great smile. Everyone is very self assured and well adjusted. What's not to like?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYywfsnVsbFdmmB-SmCkeTf_8fGe39p8Byq6rSTBwvF4H7j8gwOAaufuiY4hEGNg1ZQqhX2Ug84XQRoZgrkvXw0jh3JeapyY63Liiz25xaAhnxgsxVwWO1-IBgzq7PP4txUaLUkql_VKB8/s1600/blip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYywfsnVsbFdmmB-SmCkeTf_8fGe39p8Byq6rSTBwvF4H7j8gwOAaufuiY4hEGNg1ZQqhX2Ug84XQRoZgrkvXw0jh3JeapyY63Liiz25xaAhnxgsxVwWO1-IBgzq7PP4txUaLUkql_VKB8/s1600/blip.JPG" height="355" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My only other gripe would be this shot [below]. The lady ends up wanting to talk to the host and takes off the headset to make eye contact. Horrors. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu0Ii166b8WwLjKltlzFhJTFCBWAeLD1sQJc7yKz699lnfdffxX1yC3KD90s1JmuQyv2dpAscmq3NBnZ4vCRHQoFAD_J2Vjb8_rvKBlquVrgdVRxY7owgrKHSWyV2ZIItwEOeO76YTnND/s1600/Gear-VR----First-Look_2%5D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu0Ii166b8WwLjKltlzFhJTFCBWAeLD1sQJc7yKz699lnfdffxX1yC3KD90s1JmuQyv2dpAscmq3NBnZ4vCRHQoFAD_J2Vjb8_rvKBlquVrgdVRxY7owgrKHSWyV2ZIItwEOeO76YTnND/s1600/Gear-VR----First-Look_2%5D.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two problems.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Problem one:</b> Gear VR needs to be portrayed as GREAT in social situations. There is no need to take off the Gear VR to talk to someone*, keep it on your head and enjoy yourself. Look at this man below and the eight girls that are sitting with him. Having a great time here, no need for eye contact with these ladies.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* except for thousands of years of social conditioning</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr4yd1qDu0MXYjzebz0KxF8z5rpIlBq5EmauGtkLIJkOxXdRImhw0F-ZaI5UIVvBUBUgMXoFyg3moFQXpUyWSzdTaW4ASK1DY5E6DA2VzyKb9m1k0IXj8dAY54QgqxZLtEJJ4Ix_zJAOq/s1600/blop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr4yd1qDu0MXYjzebz0KxF8z5rpIlBq5EmauGtkLIJkOxXdRImhw0F-ZaI5UIVvBUBUgMXoFyg3moFQXpUyWSzdTaW4ASK1DY5E6DA2VzyKb9m1k0IXj8dAY54QgqxZLtEJJ4Ix_zJAOq/s1600/blop.JPG" height="355" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Problem two:</b> I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever show someone taking off the headset, it's like showing someone get OUT of the car in a car commercial. You go IN, you NEVER ever get out.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only exception to this rule would be this guy who simply could not be more satisfied with everything he just experienced. If there's a "satiated" look for VR, this would be it:</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy9pbLWVjqage3HiZJkThAe_nfKtac8FZ4v8aFgEcrnwX5tmkPhfNM95T6ORvZeoI-ZhWoe7Y3mV5lyRAlyz_0dCeGZ_b-VTyiG8ARc4CmwBALyyWZHjGXgg8yuQx1Tj1tA0UZAHpg88V/s1600/that_guy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy9pbLWVjqage3HiZJkThAe_nfKtac8FZ4v8aFgEcrnwX5tmkPhfNM95T6ORvZeoI-ZhWoe7Y3mV5lyRAlyz_0dCeGZ_b-VTyiG8ARc4CmwBALyyWZHjGXgg8yuQx1Tj1tA0UZAHpg88V/s1600/that_guy.gif" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I wonder how many takes it took to get this shot?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave you with this. It's the most compelling video that I've come across that makes me want to run out and buy a Gear VR. It's shot with a handy cam, does not talk about Quad HD Super AMOLED, does not show any of the features or screens. It just sits back and shows you real reactions to amazing technology. In the age of Youtube and reality TV this is there nerve that you need to strike, the product is amazing, let it do its work on the people and don't get in the way of it. If there's anything that IS really needed, it is in educating the consumer what all of this is about and how it can improve their lives, the rest will sell itself.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(While you watch this video, as a class exercise, recall the original Gear First Look video and compare your gut response.)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFJbH8RnFcZv5amIOU-7kxF9Pi-knoZg31GodAjE-9I-RA6nIlkEBTdBhfTXE0NkY-S1L9rZLVAl0-EX9_646nH42pIFo51Ntq8vzHyKuQb6DCrjRhmMOCFjHWw4_rMqdeJauGSd0UDT2/s1600/sam_10.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFJbH8RnFcZv5amIOU-7kxF9Pi-knoZg31GodAjE-9I-RA6nIlkEBTdBhfTXE0NkY-S1L9rZLVAl0-EX9_646nH42pIFo51Ntq8vzHyKuQb6DCrjRhmMOCFjHWw4_rMqdeJauGSd0UDT2/s1600/sam_10.gif" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, this one.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k5p5aekH5-8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/k5p5aekH5-8?t=30s feature=player_embedded" width="720"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Note: If it turns out that Samsung actually funded this video, I'd be the first to give them a standing ovation on clever and effective marketing.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Give me a shout at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-44976145466860044032015-03-30T14:07:00.000-04:002015-03-30T17:01:21.555-04:00Ballroom Dancing<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYjx9QxQ5fPeici7hy1r9ecsXNhZnBxJ-3b1n4NUE_i5xcQMhZhLLb5otDtBErK1GDgCpx7x8GJV2a3VLiwhMY9dIvnKh214a_54All695WdIdr0k-PV84qPG6BxBKSPfWkpr5DSwLSBQ/s1600/charleston-dance-1920s3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYjx9QxQ5fPeici7hy1r9ecsXNhZnBxJ-3b1n4NUE_i5xcQMhZhLLb5otDtBErK1GDgCpx7x8GJV2a3VLiwhMY9dIvnKh214a_54All695WdIdr0k-PV84qPG6BxBKSPfWkpr5DSwLSBQ/s1600/charleston-dance-1920s3.jpg" height="485" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sometimes imagine a group of Facebook employees sitting around a table and asking themselves: "What exactly do a billion people do in VR?". They are idly twirling an Oculus Rift headset on their polished conference table, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">looking back and forth between it and an open Facebook page, trying to plan their next move.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are experts in human communication and behavior. They have a pretty damn good handle on how their Facebook application is used and under what context. Now what of VR?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not Facebook, but if I were, I would be thinking about how to properly leverage <b>time </b>in VR.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, lets run through the problem:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You build a beautiful VR ballroom and invite everyone to come. Everyone does, they wander around the ballroom, dance a few waltzes and exclaim that "Why, this is simply splendid! Isn't it dear?"</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgmXcV9YWF6DP3QCCk4r_sDcKISgDF3h6ihyphenhyphen_1RiCneSTHjAfVusRHcJBGgD9pBDbd5CNGY6xzwQ_Fno2tgIlubtBvb2uFjx6dB4DQrGoZ2scnpIiNUljeGvJQHVAD-93gfICfq0bc49E/s1600/2126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgmXcV9YWF6DP3QCCk4r_sDcKISgDF3h6ihyphenhyphen_1RiCneSTHjAfVusRHcJBGgD9pBDbd5CNGY6xzwQ_Fno2tgIlubtBvb2uFjx6dB4DQrGoZ2scnpIiNUljeGvJQHVAD-93gfICfq0bc49E/s1600/2126.jpg" height="435" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evening gives way to night, night gives way to morning and eventually it comes to pass that everyone logs out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As short time after, a college student in Osaka learns about the ballroom and logs in only to find </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">everyone gone. They look around briefly at the pretty environment and log out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, a past user in California wakes up and say to themselves, "That was a swell evening last night, I'd simply love to return once more." </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They log in, find themselves in an empty ballroom, sigh and promptly log out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Log in, empty room, log out. Repeat.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dancing stops, the music dies, worlds crumble. End scene.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Jf_fr9YE39lpJl-QN_IykQDZT9JJy9a-P9_frpOfR6LOZLgLMEY1ALPc-ulhhcBH8m0Ikw52N79vspw7YCQj_wiznzd25VMEOauMnosi6e0vL9mQSux4cV8mKT7nMXv3GrSPeP8odXKF/s1600/abandoned-detroit-ballroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Jf_fr9YE39lpJl-QN_IykQDZT9JJy9a-P9_frpOfR6LOZLgLMEY1ALPc-ulhhcBH8m0Ikw52N79vspw7YCQj_wiznzd25VMEOauMnosi6e0vL9mQSux4cV8mKT7nMXv3GrSPeP8odXKF/s1600/abandoned-detroit-ballroom.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you know what might sell social VR?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's call it "The Murmur".</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Murmur is the sound and motion of interaction between by people doing interesting things in the Metaverse. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the stands in stark contrast to the deafening silence that permeates our traditional web. It is the underlying reason why people eat at restaurants, drink at bars and watch movies together; and it may just be the key reason why people will be willing to tolerate the cumbersome trappings of modern VR.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VR will be attractive to the masses if it comes with the promise that the murmur will be waiting for them.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What if the ballroom never stopped? What if the conversations and the dancers simply kept going.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfced7iJu4ugWlYBktrFt4mvKMbqbAmtDU-S9hFGY0SefnzF17CPstZQ30hRKqA9OBjssCoXRvBj9LMcJz0qDMVAUKTYSjJN1qsew7R-ONh0uE8QqqheS8hMSsH_cF5dhyphenhyphenR7UtI0mGm5_e/s1600/1de637977211f4f4d05726c4084e2693_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfced7iJu4ugWlYBktrFt4mvKMbqbAmtDU-S9hFGY0SefnzF17CPstZQ30hRKqA9OBjssCoXRvBj9LMcJz0qDMVAUKTYSjJN1qsew7R-ONh0uE8QqqheS8hMSsH_cF5dhyphenhyphenR7UtI0mGm5_e/s1600/1de637977211f4f4d05726c4084e2693_6.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of depending entirely on live performances, VR worlds must transcend time and contain the essence and interactions of previous users. The ballroom MUST always be filled with interesting people, even if they are long departed. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine if your Twitter timeline only showed tweets that were being posted now and nothing previous. T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his is the current model for social VR.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine if Bill Murray showed up in the ballroom for a couple of minutes and served a few drinks. What if you could keep him on perpetually on a loop in the environment perpetually? What if Bill could log back in later, say a few more quips and extend his loop? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s7ICqeNMp0T7Nt7NFCp17yijmK-kUTfZHbZy26BLnXRlVJP-x_jBJZbqU4Tu9txIw8EucM1UXmNPj2lkuEGgG6itQpczi4gXuG32nnGDoZffpdBqHlL9b893JKtENQcnz_wIYpQqtydz/s1600/70dd4f03e29c24cb85fa5164bc2b4508.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s7ICqeNMp0T7Nt7NFCp17yijmK-kUTfZHbZy26BLnXRlVJP-x_jBJZbqU4Tu9txIw8EucM1UXmNPj2lkuEGgG6itQpczi4gXuG32nnGDoZffpdBqHlL9b893JKtENQcnz_wIYpQqtydz/s1600/70dd4f03e29c24cb85fa5164bc2b4508.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just because you missed Bill last night, it doesn't mean you you can't see him the next day and just because he isn't logged in anymore, doesn't mean you can't try to interact with him.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might think it would feel very wooden, but then you start to wonder what it might be like if Bill Murray's loop could also make eye contact with you at times and never quite looped the same way twice. These aren't just recordings, these are self governing representations of self, designed to be consistently interesting and fresh. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These aren't avatars as we know them today, but representations rendered with facial features and articulation that are very true to their host. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There's also good chance that Bill might also be appearing the shape of a walking narwhal or Kali. Certain rules do not apply to where we are going.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNQUPQSMzR1L28WUpP7IRZG9Zbfrdm1EFTqzNq0zjryRYQSDdykOESm3J8I_H_jfQOexZrA_6HhLexVUc6UAJlKBp6uhf6fBiSD2jtoxN6pxJZhtrt2EUC-W0yn23B5e8i2QFWGC6u52v/s1600/HI_232813_Paul_Nicklen_National_Geographic_Stock_WWF_Canada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNQUPQSMzR1L28WUpP7IRZG9Zbfrdm1EFTqzNq0zjryRYQSDdykOESm3J8I_H_jfQOexZrA_6HhLexVUc6UAJlKBp6uhf6fBiSD2jtoxN6pxJZhtrt2EUC-W0yn23B5e8i2QFWGC6u52v/s1600/HI_232813_Paul_Nicklen_National_Geographic_Stock_WWF_Canada.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">"Don't think about your errors or failures; otherwise, you'll never do a thing." - Bill Murray</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fq2svOAM06sqxJnWd7nFSDOeHgFUZA-AW9SBPrMtYnC_4s3XeuqZ3ULJBP55y370manmYPOfu1wG81CPe72X4VP8s0R0JVblvaScRBykI8GcpuXNAF0zyZLbGz0Xq_bsKBVqRLvSDj2N/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fq2svOAM06sqxJnWd7nFSDOeHgFUZA-AW9SBPrMtYnC_4s3XeuqZ3ULJBP55y370manmYPOfu1wG81CPe72X4VP8s0R0JVblvaScRBykI8GcpuXNAF0zyZLbGz0Xq_bsKBVqRLvSDj2N/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">"Everyone loves Cinnebons." - Bill Murray</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's likely a bit confusing so let me walk you through an example:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You log out for the night.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few minutes Bill logs in for 20 minutes, says a few clever things and serves a few drinks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day you log in and Bill, despite being long gone, is looped at the bar serving drinks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a big fan, you walk up to his avatar and tell him "Hi Bill, I'm a big fan."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months later, Bill logs in and visits again, while he's there, at a given time, your avatar will walk up to him and deliver your previous interaction "Hi Bill, I'm a big fan." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If he responds, you'll see it happen the next time you log in.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The software layer, using cues from visitor interaction and opinion will automatically orchestrate a flow of recorded avatars and mix them in with the real visitors. The longer other users gaze upon a recorded avatar, or stay within earshot, the more likely it will hang around and keep entertaining later visitors. Literal "views" as a world governing metric.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A careful ballet of people and conversation needs to be orchestrated through software and the company that can pull it off with finesse stands to gain everything.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy to do? Nope. God no. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it will be an iterative process with lots of sample data to help designers along the way.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-- </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you missed your friends while you were logged out, no worries. They walked up to your highly entertaining recording while you were gone and said a few choice things to you. Now that you've logged in, their avatar will casually sidle up to you up and deliver those messages now. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can do the same for them.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Note: Expect a lot of advertisement delivered via this route as well, just thought I'd warn you now. On the upside some of it will be fantastically entertaining.)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Note 2: </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of what I've written above might sound unwieldy, but I strongly believe that we are moving into a time where all of our online personalities are </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">intertwined</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> with a guiding AI that helps smooth things along. Think how much smarter you seem to be with Google. Why not enhance yourself in terms of being funny, clever and witty as well via a service?)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might log in and have a number of avatars approach you over time, some will be real time users, many will be recordings of people you missed or people you don't know have on your friends list trying to reach you. The best software services will be the ones that blend real time and past recordings into a logical mesh that "works". </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The murmur never stops. The dance is without end. You need never be alone again.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Give me a shout at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-91000204125043375842015-03-29T15:36:00.000-04:002015-03-30T00:17:22.258-04:00Concave Dragons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqPpif0xnM0_I44fsaR6FGTHq4SoN3gfftT01mu1sP5Sdr4DDjybTR-RZTxk75WesF_3obOH22_I8cNbnsCzIDe3ReMQAOOjdtuuGjCCU7V-84BlGY4KfmKluN8zo1N7rY6-mArto7yNw/s1600/dra6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqPpif0xnM0_I44fsaR6FGTHq4SoN3gfftT01mu1sP5Sdr4DDjybTR-RZTxk75WesF_3obOH22_I8cNbnsCzIDe3ReMQAOOjdtuuGjCCU7V-84BlGY4KfmKluN8zo1N7rY6-mArto7yNw/s1600/dra6.JPG" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
The hollow face illusion in VR.</h3>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Michael Abrash has now given two very public presentations on VR that have focused on covering the brain's ability to process input and how misinterpretations happen along the way. If you've not yet seen these talks, I strongly urge you to give them a look. <br />
<br />
Time well spent.<br />
<br />
<br />
Facebook's F8 Conference (March 2015):<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UDu-cnXI8E8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UDu-cnXI8E8?t=1h36sfeature=player_embedded" width="720"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br />
Oculus Connect (September 2014):<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/knQSRTApNcs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/knQSRTApNcs?feature=player_embedded" width="720"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the examples he recently gave as at F8 was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-Face_illusion">hollow face illusion</a> based off of a pretty well known paper dragon cutout. If you take a look around the <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=dragon+illusion+print+out&espv=2&biw=1902&bih=1057&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=pxwYVaraNLeBsQT6w4KIAw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#q=dragon+illusion+print+out&tbm=isch&tbas=0&imgdii=_">web</a>, you'll find a number of different papercraft examples to let you print out and make your own. Well worth the 20 minutes or so it takes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Inspired, I wanted to see if this illusion translated into VR. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Detailed Scientific Answer: Yep. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ES6n475i7vs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ES6n475i7vs?feature=player_embedded" width="720"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Four takeaways:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. VR strongly supports the exact same visual illusions that trick us in the real world. So, it is well worth studying these types of phenomena and seeing where they might be leveraged in VR.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
2. The effect is quite strong even in the absence of facial features (see last few moments of thevideo)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4EcD8L6eGhcO4HvIi53JaDKM68cq8GwvvModKrLKBH8jRwY0_mz-2a0ggGEhS0sO_ENKfkvYdhK9Y2wU9Hnv0Te_0zd46_B9y_skifO0C_hGUoe1JMnXxDy1J0n1BwGB3RcS2ZlRw90G/s1600/dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4EcD8L6eGhcO4HvIi53JaDKM68cq8GwvvModKrLKBH8jRwY0_mz-2a0ggGEhS0sO_ENKfkvYdhK9Y2wU9Hnv0Te_0zd46_B9y_skifO0C_hGUoe1JMnXxDy1J0n1BwGB3RcS2ZlRw90G/s1600/dragon.JPG" height="149" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3. VR makes for the perfect place to experiment with these kinds of visual tricks. While working with paper models requires a bunch of fiddly scissor, tab, fold, refold, mountain fold, VALLEY FOLD, work you can duplicate and alter VR models in a few moments to try out different effects and theories. Using this environment as a test bed, I imagine we are going to see a real a bunch of great new tricks and illusions whipped up over the next few years, discovered and refined in VR- then reproduced in the real world to devastating effect.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
4. If you are working on a model, aligning edges and the model that you are working on deliberately plays with your ability to perceive concave / convex shapes, you will feel like you are losing your mind.<br />
<br />
<b>Edit:</b><br />
<br />
I've had a number of requests for the source files for this project. You can grab them here: <a href="https://mega.co.nz/#!WZ5zVRBD!3EX-DESLRzIHU6nKnmEqqizcCBhXjeUkSazIVeTrcdQ"> Unity 5 Scene</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Give me a shout at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-30928309104702285432015-03-23T17:47:00.003-04:002015-03-24T08:45:18.769-04:0015 feet of fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_T51HgYo4nvV0ftdOuTK8Kqweyq6cclURpSeBes9glflsNeTMxrzVhqq45_wJxa21j4CaluaHXCJ9aztS5XdaGZbQaM2J65xe2SoeGqsHWCeBICvQVcRkhBw94JaS5XllQ6Y12J24YaI/s1600/white-room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_T51HgYo4nvV0ftdOuTK8Kqweyq6cclURpSeBes9glflsNeTMxrzVhqq45_wJxa21j4CaluaHXCJ9aztS5XdaGZbQaM2J65xe2SoeGqsHWCeBICvQVcRkhBw94JaS5XllQ6Y12J24YaI/s1600/white-room.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's look together at some things we might be able to do in a 15 x 15 foot space using Valve / HTC's Vive solution virtual reality gear. This is pretty exciting stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
So here's what we've got to play with:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
1 Room with dimensions of 15 x 15 feet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 lighthouse base stations (HTC / Valve)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 headset (HTC / Valve)2 handheld controllers (HTC / Valve)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 test subject</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Noghi-SfCMKPuJt8sEcfWuQMASBsYVk42ugM_zZnUkMgs85-eLBKUUQh7B5zEL9TDon4u_53S75O6qj487yk6Jq-Xein6upbZeH2AGNiA9UtJySzg4XcMSoSbC_QGrM-bVgq37GchE7-/s1600/test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Noghi-SfCMKPuJt8sEcfWuQMASBsYVk42ugM_zZnUkMgs85-eLBKUUQh7B5zEL9TDon4u_53S75O6qj487yk6Jq-Xein6upbZeH2AGNiA9UtJySzg4XcMSoSbC_QGrM-bVgq37GchE7-/s1600/test.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><"I didn't agree to any of this." - </i>Test Subject<i>></i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
[Disclaimer: "I don't actually have any of this equipment on hand, except for the room and I, ha ha, certainly am not keeping anyone in it and if I were, ha, ha, they'd be free to leave any time they wanted."]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />------- Let's begin ----------------</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've ever watched Little House on the Prairie, the show's credits roll with Laura happily running down a flower filled hill with their dog as the theme music plays. Haven't seen it? No matter, I've linked it here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/k93427YbmsY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/k93427YbmsY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />Now imagine that we wanted to experience this ourselves using the latest VR technology. We could actually get to be Laura running after Jack. Finally.</span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><"That's a pretty goddamn weird example you've chosen, I'm going home." - </i>Test Subject <i>> </i></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Right off the bat, there are a few problems. The flower filled hill is very big and the path that Laura takes is longer than 15 feet. Let's ballpark her target travel distance at say 150 feet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />
</span><br />
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Target Simulation:</span></b></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSFPKcnNYhFZa8RGO5mkBvB0citM6n6NAzMyzag45zHkZm6Y_v9zUqZ48LtLuY3KPruIXUKCl-0jYyscUNNAGIVGNnU0AIxA6L3GUfVv6fdLIoiexdG0QyBpC6ajW7A2PCx4rx4MZsMzj/s1600/laura1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSFPKcnNYhFZa8RGO5mkBvB0citM6n6NAzMyzag45zHkZm6Y_v9zUqZ48LtLuY3KPruIXUKCl-0jYyscUNNAGIVGNnU0AIxA6L3GUfVv6fdLIoiexdG0QyBpC6ajW7A2PCx4rx4MZsMzj/s1600/laura1.png" height="400" width="392" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"You screwed up your diagram, Jasper was the name of the Raccoon, not the dog." - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject </span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">> </i></span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />In the real world, our test subject occupies a 15 x 15 foot room made of concrete. These dimensions are fixed and constant, we can't make holes in these walls despite our test subject's best efforts to do so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VR Room + Target Simulation:</span></b></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVUX0ZBrBXd4FWxMYV0J3_POVR2RP4W9WeB_Op0g6c8vtqinjQXvCx7hzssKTZCMR6KECuc0xt7HhkSRZrJv790hxaS3kmbDI4B__CYhhyphenhyphenFMNjz53vJkrNmY_sojMWaCBtcCv230exExv/s1600/laura2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVUX0ZBrBXd4FWxMYV0J3_POVR2RP4W9WeB_Op0g6c8vtqinjQXvCx7hzssKTZCMR6KECuc0xt7HhkSRZrJv790hxaS3kmbDI4B__CYhhyphenhyphenFMNjz53vJkrNmY_sojMWaCBtcCv230exExv/s1600/laura2.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />Starting at the edge of the room, if our VR test subject were to attempt Laura's run down the hill at speed, it would make it (at most) 15 feet before suddenly (and blindly) encountering the real world concrete wall.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"Wait, why are you referring to me as 'it' "? - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">> </i></span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZAuEYpE36I7_I2Y3UZUhUQY0dNbf-kfuwK2rlk0H_aNxA59V8nloLoTlmp3pkDOUAj_54otcCvh9CYqtNPj-LCSp8tHBdPovIp9albgCVKI_hoSMxRSf05dVZz5I18igLQPyNzRni2aI/s1600/laura3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZAuEYpE36I7_I2Y3UZUhUQY0dNbf-kfuwK2rlk0H_aNxA59V8nloLoTlmp3pkDOUAj_54otcCvh9CYqtNPj-LCSp8tHBdPovIp9albgCVKI_hoSMxRSf05dVZz5I18igLQPyNzRni2aI/s1600/laura3.png" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
Boy, we've covered a lot of important ground. Let's sum up our scientific findings so far:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;">"If you try to run in a straight line for 150 feet from within a 15x15 foot room, you are going to run into a wall."</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"I'm actually quite badly hurt." - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
So, do we need to give up on the dream?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i><"Yes, give it up, please, Jeez, I'm bleeding a lot." - </i>Test Subject<i>> </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"> </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></i>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1I2kQBMIjkDZ8PwEgOgN9NIzL4kcUu5zk0SjFPE0owLDhwKwu17L9fW9HuYtdZf9WcMjRgErLGkUpzJJlOi4mGCXmjIQ6ijAaiy-mR8WMWgRiCKiouFoQOrRo8Bm_80i2vLHhF6pZQKx/s1600/eb8dabbf5814c36025d8e40e21b8caad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1I2kQBMIjkDZ8PwEgOgN9NIzL4kcUu5zk0SjFPE0owLDhwKwu17L9fW9HuYtdZf9WcMjRgErLGkUpzJJlOi4mGCXmjIQ6ijAaiy-mR8WMWgRiCKiouFoQOrRo8Bm_80i2vLHhF6pZQKx/s1600/eb8dabbf5814c36025d8e40e21b8caad.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can't give up on VR, I won't let you. Ever.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Well, let's simplify our goals and write down a list of wants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Here are things that people want out of VR and VR Rooms. This list is terribly important, so read the following with zest:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. People don't want to get sick when they move in VR.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">2. People quite unreasonably want to freely wander around for miles in virtual space while hardly going anywhere in the real world.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Huh. I only had two points, maybe this list isn't so important after all? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Anyways, there have been some very clever and very determined attempts at solving these two "wants". Here are some of them:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just use your mo</span><span style="font-size: large;">use, stupid.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
The mouse was originally designed up as a tool to navigate business applications in the 1980s. By all the accounts that I have read thus far, the folks at Xerox and then Apple were not trying to design a tool that was great at shooting people. Yet, this is exactly what they did and what people started to do with it around 1992.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19KCZb3KYA9silkHx6rKYM9AkrP5lV09DvFC2g8bsu6B32wTVcbo4LemZm2Y3rb_hoFtRl3n_DsZVTo8RBCfQKf26cxDVyor7sT4oXFka7mV6vEUIzrVF3N31jeuKY3-4IZwDfIB96dv_/s1600/xerox-star-interface2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19KCZb3KYA9silkHx6rKYM9AkrP5lV09DvFC2g8bsu6B32wTVcbo4LemZm2Y3rb_hoFtRl3n_DsZVTo8RBCfQKf26cxDVyor7sT4oXFka7mV6vEUIzrVF3N31jeuKY3-4IZwDfIB96dv_/s1600/xerox-star-interface2.jpg" height="278" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pew, pew, pew.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, twenty three years later, the mouse is still, STILL the goto method for 3D world navigation. Yes, yes, game pads have evolved considerably and now offer an absolutely amazing alternative*, but there's no denying that keyboard /
mouse input does the heavy lifting. Would you doubt these guys?:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: xx-small;">* no they don't.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkw8HI16YeNPyGoJ-HdcSHdcEcdVvYts8pQCP1_4Rk96FFoYghtm6XIVhN_bED0-oou4WxOd4uV8_b05OqbXhJRMLTUnHXFuLl5BQAklgcNZbwRxC9P3DB0Vrvxu13GNolmPDE8n6WGOc/s1600/cebit-gaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkw8HI16YeNPyGoJ-HdcSHdcEcdVvYts8pQCP1_4Rk96FFoYghtm6XIVhN_bED0-oou4WxOd4uV8_b05OqbXhJRMLTUnHXFuLl5BQAklgcNZbwRxC9P3DB0Vrvxu13GNolmPDE8n6WGOc/s1600/cebit-gaming.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVpwWqNvLme-gYiCvUBs3cX4cJ1cnAdpYS3ixTTFnRNKYpHkcJHgCGIhRZ9lf5hVITErdpm2lg86UELdz_EPe_k9dFyu2x1LjjzIg9jcA-nQW1s7ocdj4ausv5DdPycw6GdnDRfr_Y2lV/s1600/romero.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVpwWqNvLme-gYiCvUBs3cX4cJ1cnAdpYS3ixTTFnRNKYpHkcJHgCGIhRZ9lf5hVITErdpm2lg86UELdz_EPe_k9dFyu2x1LjjzIg9jcA-nQW1s7ocdj4ausv5DdPycw6GdnDRfr_Y2lV/s1600/romero.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
This is wandering off topic, I know, I'm sorry, but it's absolutely baffling to me that we managed to arrive at such an ideal first person navigation tool while trying to make VisiCalc easier to use; and then what makes even less sense, is that we managed to do such a profoundly good job at it that we've not done much better in two decades of effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
God knows we've tried to change the form factor and failed, again and again and again:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTrdxkivxFa5JP9Iax85BtQLEnFIKPo6fPoZITwV0sdDtIxQTdd80coLdypefYoo6BkmApDGyhoLmP-3ztDG1UjbB54gEc-1pKbtnCtHH1efWtjoIAmtCJQDzrZcbQ7oLin7fs55h2rzq/s1600/httpatomoreillycomsourceoreillyimages185555.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTrdxkivxFa5JP9Iax85BtQLEnFIKPo6fPoZITwV0sdDtIxQTdd80coLdypefYoo6BkmApDGyhoLmP-3ztDG1UjbB54gEc-1pKbtnCtHH1efWtjoIAmtCJQDzrZcbQ7oLin7fs55h2rzq/s1600/httpatomoreillycomsourceoreillyimages185555.png.jpg" height="190" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too Gun.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRYDI_xixSAloWR14nfpVMx_pD8DG3XwVtoBbKtqjSPmF-_EC9u9maBz6GgjJPqxTTm1Mq3Op0vB40oqCEChQQ0iuik3cdRVZOMuYiQNyZEcfjP4qXUvmcf0ZXDkyWluzYcrgu-MkmxDS/s1600/JS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRYDI_xixSAloWR14nfpVMx_pD8DG3XwVtoBbKtqjSPmF-_EC9u9maBz6GgjJPqxTTm1Mq3Op0vB40oqCEChQQ0iuik3cdRVZOMuYiQNyZEcfjP4qXUvmcf0ZXDkyWluzYcrgu-MkmxDS/s1600/JS1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not Gun enough.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bzUfa9VPbyCD9SLMszPE0rkzFxPl_xmtkVyFcHrEA2K1QRKQAWJ5YEz5XFKHT-BBL14XpKpgAQiAedYPChU4yjmtoYbc72uYhA9heOh116GziQw8_n1MAhLgwAML7IXJMtRI4qbADJ8B/s1600/Z0065068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bzUfa9VPbyCD9SLMszPE0rkzFxPl_xmtkVyFcHrEA2K1QRKQAWJ5YEz5XFKHT-BBL14XpKpgAQiAedYPChU4yjmtoYbc72uYhA9heOh116GziQw8_n1MAhLgwAML7IXJMtRI4qbADJ8B/s1600/Z0065068.jpg" height="164" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too Microsoft. (<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">♥ you Microsoft, but Jesus, sometimes...)</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-xu4eKF261sih6wqbn_dXxQBUq_xhSjQX8q1rU503H3lmGfNP7gJx2uAXwO6JoEEGeZeFGlmmBLgbg_DGI_6Rt92JKS0W2wsTFcYoTA6TLwUn1Ev4Miwl4lFvbOTlDmUyXlXX78FjrzH/s1600/F486LPWFEKDNZKO.LARGE.jpg" height="265" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually have a lot of grudging respect for this.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />Unfortunately, using a mouse breaks the first "want" on our list (remember our important list?), our desire to not throw up while enjoying ourselves. Yep, that's what we want. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Wikipedia does a bang up job telling us why we have this problem with getting sick in VR:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMOhHtcvC3EbFxyeQLZ5-6E4ZKTt03rbeptpjDUPYjQjFNNtqyCWIYsllFhSvBu5VfwNnJF0AMjf95ShY8tF7HZg5_xc2y8INFvvyGFCoH4BMDOIv9Cygab4OWrM4hNEHG848jz2PS2R8/s1600/sick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMOhHtcvC3EbFxyeQLZ5-6E4ZKTt03rbeptpjDUPYjQjFNNtqyCWIYsllFhSvBu5VfwNnJF0AMjf95ShY8tF7HZg5_xc2y8INFvvyGFCoH4BMDOIv9Cygab4OWrM4hNEHG848jz2PS2R8/s1600/sick.JPG" height="134" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words....<span style="font-size: x-small;">...</span> if your eyes tell you that you are moving (something that, wow, VR is really, explicitly designed to do...) but your body's movement/balance sensory system reports that you are actually NOT moving, or worse, moving in a different direction - some very old reptilian defense mechanisms kick in and conclude that you are likely hallucinating and have also likely been horribly poisoned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix12t0FXvc2t_LXd249XKvI-tbaLVizzn9NwwRVn-6ELQmy2kmTKC52vBHHmcGJ4mRpvi7mfghkKWCzTBu-XR3_8SVrlWr6MzJGGhIkjYOvLcmz9PMmuS2JjamCkUnZB5uLLDuhB_xMSXI/s1600/wiki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix12t0FXvc2t_LXd249XKvI-tbaLVizzn9NwwRVn-6ELQmy2kmTKC52vBHHmcGJ4mRpvi7mfghkKWCzTBu-XR3_8SVrlWr6MzJGGhIkjYOvLcmz9PMmuS2JjamCkUnZB5uLLDuhB_xMSXI/s1600/wiki.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> <</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">"Wait, you said I did a bang up job explaining! Are you... are you... actually... paraphrasing me?? Screw you!"</i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> - Wikipedia></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Your body then arms the torpedoes and makes ready to violently bring up anything you might have eaten and likely over your keyboard and your mouse that is so good at 2D, fantastic for 3D and absolutely crippling for VR.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Teleportation</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Instead of walking around, let's teleport everywhere in VR space and dispense with all the problems involved with walking. Let's just side step around the whole goddamn problem and enjoy ourselves for once. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
This is something that <a href="http://altvr.com/">AltspaceVR </a>pulls off rather well, take a peek at the video below if you'd like to see it in action.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/9GpLMIRjQp4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9GpLMIRjQp4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This neatly solves the VR sickness issue since you are instantly jumping between points rather than smoothly translating between them. This unfortunately does not even being to address our second "want", the desire to wander on our own two feet, so I'm going to simply have to disqualify on the grounds that it threatens to invalidate what I'm writing. NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Running in place</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.virtuix.com/">Virtuix Omni</a> offers a platform (shown below) that allows a user use the sliding motion of their feet and directional facing of their body to navigate a VR world. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_igr2f0AJrVSy40toZ60ih8cAWmC2CEbNgmWxmJ2AjXHbIyHYN1E61YPAY2fMm_nWYTQnsC7WNrXNIcPpAAGxCW9fSxJaQ6dGQEVWSymMEwuD8i1MdEUhllGmK8GMfjdykgMHJTRhExs/s1600/virtuix-omni-gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_igr2f0AJrVSy40toZ60ih8cAWmC2CEbNgmWxmJ2AjXHbIyHYN1E61YPAY2fMm_nWYTQnsC7WNrXNIcPpAAGxCW9fSxJaQ6dGQEVWSymMEwuD8i1MdEUhllGmK8GMfjdykgMHJTRhExs/s1600/virtuix-omni-gif.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a very bold product that tackles need desire to walk in VR head on. I have tremendous respect for the audacity of launching such a solution. From what I have read, it does a very good job at translating your movements into VR space and is a quality product.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Alas, I have also read that it does not entirely provide for our first "want", the need to not get horribly sick sometimes. I haven't tried it yet to be sure, but some have reported issues. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqyTMy2Fuwo7ufCl8Mu-aCTP432iCEL2tlbDLgPezqLgSyTO6evk5AgVJ9u61TJ1kRkVYFcdK5yH7y620NUO44K7jGG_O4JEYqNu9DWJFuCwrSgH0ge9HhRugFxEqCMTZar_Aac-KgChU/s1600/virtu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqyTMy2Fuwo7ufCl8Mu-aCTP432iCEL2tlbDLgPezqLgSyTO6evk5AgVJ9u61TJ1kRkVYFcdK5yH7y620NUO44K7jGG_O4JEYqNu9DWJFuCwrSgH0ge9HhRugFxEqCMTZar_Aac-KgChU/s1600/virtu.JPG" height="121" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Via <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/8/5289186/the-virtuix-omni-is-full-body-virtual-reality-but-try-not-to-puke">The Verge</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
I imagine that the full body motion does help to alleviate motion sickness for some, but we really do want to push for as close to 0% nausea as possible. I don't think this is too much to ask from a fun experience, except for maybe the Gravatron.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRrvQSJhz4iAInKf8ye75mrO1WQ3yezUMhu6AlDITpbi8CimkRSuMM7fSnYjHUr8qf9UIrBLSsGPHOY-oxylDXKOkfiZZ1s_mZU-ul1Fvqh2HdCnr_GFX3S7n3cabFT89j8hACS2L5GgJ/s1600/Gravitron.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRrvQSJhz4iAInKf8ye75mrO1WQ3yezUMhu6AlDITpbi8CimkRSuMM7fSnYjHUr8qf9UIrBLSsGPHOY-oxylDXKOkfiZZ1s_mZU-ul1Fvqh2HdCnr_GFX3S7n3cabFT89j8hACS2L5GgJ/s1600/Gravitron.gif" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyways...</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to our 15 x 15 room. In the basement...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i><"Oh God no..... I'm still here....what day is it?".. indiscernible muttering - </i>Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i>
Reportedly the HTC / Valve Vive Lighthouse tracking system gives us an effective way of accurately tracking your body in a 15 x 15 foot room. So, far I've not come across any reports of the the device causing motion sickness. This is very promising! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
All changes to perception in the hmd are as a direct 1:1 result of your body moving in space. It might well be possible to wander around all day in VR space with one of these and not feel the least bit sick. Fingers crossed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Let's look about our small room and think about how we might escape these confines in VR.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"Please, somebody, please send help. I don't know where I am or how I got here. I can hear passing cars and... maybe birds... sparrows... was that a robin?" - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></i>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's run the Laura test again and see how far we get down the hill.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"You can't be serious. Oh God, you ARE serious. Didn't you write the results down the first time??? Nooooo!" - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6dGDLqDJhrBQrlnbapOgLP13Qn90n_8q5q6UZ6KAFgUjPvwjAc7vA_gimeuabPis-yFbxVsidT400DW8QaCG3Mk8rpJG-t-Ndazd_K5IjgkW70c4VNuX91oEOTFsgFJxYKIi8OoUJbUb/s1600/laura4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6dGDLqDJhrBQrlnbapOgLP13Qn90n_8q5q6UZ6KAFgUjPvwjAc7vA_gimeuabPis-yFbxVsidT400DW8QaCG3Mk8rpJG-t-Ndazd_K5IjgkW70c4VNuX91oEOTFsgFJxYKIi8OoUJbUb/s1600/laura4.png" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not even close. Impact at 15 feet. Yep, checks out with earlier findings. Good to be sure.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well.....um.. let's think hard now... what if.... instead of walking in a straight line, we had the test subject walk around the perimeter of the room after we throw some water on it to wake it back up?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoZtfsdD8QtfAoaULX87BvKdj0HKRregm8gOhqdR3nATsjlb0cV0YJxb8P8PspGYFHNZ6wior9doKGl-MmTbQubNdeTzzj5afqbGzP8WlYAV5hNbOXuTa3QCXpXAuiFGE5rhbuFgEDyH4/s1600/walking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoZtfsdD8QtfAoaULX87BvKdj0HKRregm8gOhqdR3nATsjlb0cV0YJxb8P8PspGYFHNZ6wior9doKGl-MmTbQubNdeTzzj5afqbGzP8WlYAV5hNbOXuTa3QCXpXAuiFGE5rhbuFgEDyH4/s1600/walking.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Not only do we end up 90 feet short of our target distance, our test subject needs to make 3 90 degree turns in a simulation that is SUPPOSEDLY about running in a straight line.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"That wasn't so bad." - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
What if we had it walk in a circle instead?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"I am not an "it" Goddamn it. I'm a person just like you. I have a family." - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvojYh0ehazQOK1Xy6pjUuYS3N1FLdA9J4Ig_SUzVb4F7Jxzvd3GgNl9-rbnvgjaLjgL7CbCP4S9zHlTGiEFnS8oXnAhV0z0tzJV5rSfMhFsU1MuVwLb2jcQoBcwjDHQ3YeOx2EUzKkHp/s1600/Untitled-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvojYh0ehazQOK1Xy6pjUuYS3N1FLdA9J4Ig_SUzVb4F7Jxzvd3GgNl9-rbnvgjaLjgL7CbCP4S9zHlTGiEFnS8oXnAhV0z0tzJV5rSfMhFsU1MuVwLb2jcQoBcwjDHQ3YeOx2EUzKkHp/s1600/Untitled-16.png" height="313" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvojYh0ehazQOK1Xy6pjUuYS3N1FLdA9J4Ig_SUzVb4F7Jxzvd3GgNl9-rbnvgjaLjgL7CbCP4S9zHlTGiEFnS8oXnAhV0z0tzJV5rSfMhFsU1MuVwLb2jcQoBcwjDHQ3YeOx2EUzKkHp/s1600/Untitled-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"At least I wasn't constantly making left turns, and the bleeding seems to have stopped." - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So despite our very thorough and very scientific investigation of BOTH squares and circles, both paths fall far short of our target distance and this is an obviously an unsolvable problem. I must conclude then, that VR is a bust and everyone is wasting their time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Thanks for reading!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"What if I just, um, I could just .... walk around the circle again?" - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
Wait, Hold on... What if the test subject did multiple loops of the same path in order to cover the distance? The pretty trees and flowers are an attempt to show a transition from one area to another. You don't like my diagrams?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"Your diagrams leave a lot to be desired, as do you." - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS2ZGtjMjXDVuDdJ-KlvV_nxDfcZqUieOw-o6GVVdWCORwIHMG_Yk3RemfU75Y_ddBY_El-TB7aPjVm_JdZ3qV4wpTJvp5IGEriyeA7qeT216ujoarFEGPQahkOSteynkNMAGULE5E2Dk/s1600/walking3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS2ZGtjMjXDVuDdJ-KlvV_nxDfcZqUieOw-o6GVVdWCORwIHMG_Yk3RemfU75Y_ddBY_El-TB7aPjVm_JdZ3qV4wpTJvp5IGEriyeA7qeT216ujoarFEGPQahkOSteynkNMAGULE5E2Dk/s1600/walking3.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
Ok... so as the test subject moves around the circle we update its perceived surroundings with new content. So the trees give way to pretty flowers. You can think of this kind of like a path winding up a mountain like a corkscrew, except there's no change in elevation, just scenery. Maybe it isn't like a corkscrew. I don't know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Here's a diagram anyways in case it is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJyGgfd4IbGOhni5t1FWpaF3H-fLzEklGOOi7LWIv9Eq5Zqt1Kz5QJUIUcp3owmAfF_OXnqTuhTNmtTdJnEw8J9ZErueN_9n9WF0nn0Kvn_rfM4Zt-idEjO1_vmPaEuTevK5E_n3rtFRb/s1600/spiral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJyGgfd4IbGOhni5t1FWpaF3H-fLzEklGOOi7LWIv9Eq5Zqt1Kz5QJUIUcp3owmAfF_OXnqTuhTNmtTdJnEw8J9ZErueN_9n9WF0nn0Kvn_rfM4Zt-idEjO1_vmPaEuTevK5E_n3rtFRb/s1600/spiral.JPG" height="184" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: Non-Euclidean Geometry could suddenly be a staple in the next few years.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"Well done, you've created an infinite circular flower / tree path generator, great job! [slow clap]" - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Growing rapidly tired of circles and sarcasm, I've gone hunting for geometry that might help us out to start thinking about designing interesting levels. Surprisingly my cultural ancestry came into play here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
If you start to look into "infinite paths", you'll soon come across Celtic designs such as the ones below. These are knots of different kinds, lots of them bearing the name "eternity" or "trinity" or "endless".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_56sbMvrjGP7RW-Ng49jyh6Jfgl2-RuaoVVHZolCi3ZAvhbvTUDXS4tKRvnCTKLyYVzcY3_mkE9ch3ELvrcnacPgWCZbHmKpIS2skozOaJ2mppma6u_YtovLq86qIhrHeONBYkn8-djxF/s1600/eternity-knot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_56sbMvrjGP7RW-Ng49jyh6Jfgl2-RuaoVVHZolCi3ZAvhbvTUDXS4tKRvnCTKLyYVzcY3_mkE9ch3ELvrcnacPgWCZbHmKpIS2skozOaJ2mppma6u_YtovLq86qIhrHeONBYkn8-djxF/s1600/eternity-knot.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />So, you start to paw through these types of designs and start imagining them superimposed on the floor of your VR room as a paths to take that won't send you flying to walls.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"Here. here." - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><br /></i>
<i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><br /></i>
<br />
The best of them in my opinion contain gentle curves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnpGWxdMF3Bezh14NZxTMSMSixRZFcPT9g5C55eWWEzgIc9ijJ5l71xiTIEaVdDseMWMsQPY_apy6ivVXDRJWMgUL7NfJy_RybZSfLaHP-zOR2HP1BHw4_sbQFZuvBEpL4-fyr-xxwyKH/s1600/696px-Figure8knot-rose-limacon-curve.svg+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnpGWxdMF3Bezh14NZxTMSMSixRZFcPT9g5C55eWWEzgIc9ijJ5l71xiTIEaVdDseMWMsQPY_apy6ivVXDRJWMgUL7NfJy_RybZSfLaHP-zOR2HP1BHw4_sbQFZuvBEpL4-fyr-xxwyKH/s1600/696px-Figure8knot-rose-limacon-curve.svg+(1).png" height="171" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we need quite a few more curves to make things interesting, and unfortunately a lot of the Celtic stuff gets a bit too dense and artsy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx1dTcUFtIeaID6dM8qpVX82CWeuvF86PhDzjoGWH7Qcvyd51ipTHmdiYsnLwYIvDldQ1jaGA808TC8ckVz_rro_EF53KWwxhbSjCjZ3P2I8f7-PoSxOIrc562iRP5SIQ63dBhXR_Zqg1/s1600/celticknotone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx1dTcUFtIeaID6dM8qpVX82CWeuvF86PhDzjoGWH7Qcvyd51ipTHmdiYsnLwYIvDldQ1jaGA808TC8ckVz_rro_EF53KWwxhbSjCjZ3P2I8f7-PoSxOIrc562iRP5SIQ63dBhXR_Zqg1/s1600/celticknotone.jpg" height="182" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtHRQD3DVG0pJWsKs2muvbNF5gKovDQIoHpmX6yUmnlBESsSwPFnGWcUmG8gtIj7H0W6e4o2IjvyoPrTR0u23jJFK-PHIfgwzWKPfsF5qbKhAumYznTndnUJIgGuED572CUKWx8WUfSJ5/s1600/Graphic1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtHRQD3DVG0pJWsKs2muvbNF5gKovDQIoHpmX6yUmnlBESsSwPFnGWcUmG8gtIj7H0W6e4o2IjvyoPrTR0u23jJFK-PHIfgwzWKPfsF5qbKhAumYznTndnUJIgGuED572CUKWx8WUfSJ5/s1600/Graphic1+(1).jpg" height="200" width="185" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrkk0kddmePLsj50GdaCNC3h9guNONN5UWRZXzGSqU9caTjhHK0RnWLjBkriRFN61801MCQjjAetZGk2tSZrcOrczyV9O_DiAyQDQuDKQ9q0I6HYzliCm5hANWw-roPjXCVjUH4nItXIQ/s1600/celtic_tree_of_life_by_natnie-d6rpxvd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrkk0kddmePLsj50GdaCNC3h9guNONN5UWRZXzGSqU9caTjhHK0RnWLjBkriRFN61801MCQjjAetZGk2tSZrcOrczyV9O_DiAyQDQuDKQ9q0I6HYzliCm5hANWw-roPjXCVjUH4nItXIQ/s1600/celtic_tree_of_life_by_natnie-d6rpxvd.png" height="200" width="199" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best stuff I've found, the good stuff, seems to dwell in what's known as "religious or sacred geometry". I unfortunately don't have a background in it, but I can tell you about the symbolism but I CAN tell you that most of the designs are circular and a great many of them look like a good start when I think about using them as the basis of navigational guides for VR.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Here's a common motif that you'll find, albeit somewhat modified to my whims. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDUUIJqLHjZfAB6lWRDcmySUjivJzMu3T8NqPIevCYvE_hqVHXnJnS13tKMRVSUJrr3Anyjsm0maFI36N7QqJMKHa6zGtS6pI90aMBW3weB1Ne3uECpiHv1tF0CD-iaT9BIFjs7Vgstxt/s1600/knotwork.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDUUIJqLHjZfAB6lWRDcmySUjivJzMu3T8NqPIevCYvE_hqVHXnJnS13tKMRVSUJrr3Anyjsm0maFI36N7QqJMKHa6zGtS6pI90aMBW3weB1Ne3uECpiHv1tF0CD-iaT9BIFjs7Vgstxt/s1600/knotwork.png" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Imagine this took up the floor of a 15 x 15 space. Now imagine yourself walking along its lines and the path you might take. Just hover your finger over the lines and consider the routes available to you.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkAN0W6kbDfuVBCPcp-Qu9Yr6cPXkRmUwiLJijcsJsbz3LR1pJj58NvSIYsyzQT6PdlCa3RV5wOriKdDJCYGzqixZKzknOIzVZNKWQeQoGpgy4msq_6YwGwXOTlDDM0An0Wsj6rFJBq3P/s1600/geo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkAN0W6kbDfuVBCPcp-Qu9Yr6cPXkRmUwiLJijcsJsbz3LR1pJj58NvSIYsyzQT6PdlCa3RV5wOriKdDJCYGzqixZKzknOIzVZNKWQeQoGpgy4msq_6YwGwXOTlDDM0An0Wsj6rFJBq3P/s1600/geo.png" height="400" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
You can travel this shape in a winding path, sometimes veering left, sometime veering right, sometime traveling straight only to branch off into another curve. You could spend a long. long time navigating through this geometry while being gently steered clear of the walls.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><"I'm not getting up. I'm too tired. Find someone else. I'm done." - </i><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><i style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><br /></i>
<i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><br /></i>
Level design for walk-able VR in a limited space is going to be challenging, kind of like authoring a geometric haiku. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Here's my suggestion as we start to work on the problem: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Turn off the scenery and embrace the void.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Even though it's a great film, I hesitate to invoke the Matrix here because you might die of cliche, but I do so only to mention that I think they actually gotten a fundamental right. The sequences that take place in a formless white void ring true. I believe we could find a shapeless void endlessly entertaining.... because um... we could put anything we want in it on a whim.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxEC6C-fgGLbDGA09HlFNzWu6gqnDzEsDKEU_H13OLLnolLowmyv3Fgssi_sqgjqOEPukZFDYq8aCZ6sziITYB-wnwjJLZzBJiGKc-6ZcBMyuUhIMmpt-qxu8VP7pe9sfNwFXziqMsA3W/s1600/matrix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxEC6C-fgGLbDGA09HlFNzWu6gqnDzEsDKEU_H13OLLnolLowmyv3Fgssi_sqgjqOEPukZFDYq8aCZ6sziITYB-wnwjJLZzBJiGKc-6ZcBMyuUhIMmpt-qxu8VP7pe9sfNwFXziqMsA3W/s1600/matrix.png" height="353" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br /><br /><br /><br />
A void would allow us to explore some of the path finding trickery our geometric pathways offer. We'd not need to worry quite yet about bending the world around us to fit the dimensions of our physical space as we simply remove all points of reference. Besides, our processing power is better spent working on the few objects or people that have our immediate attention in VR.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
You could wander in an endless sea of white, following faint geometric guides on the floor, or a floating way-point on the non-existent horizon. Despite the lack of surroundings, you would always have a sense of where to go thanks to faint guiding paths on the floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Humans love paths, we do a really good job at following them, even at high speed on our daily commute to work. Lay down a path for a user in VR and you immediately give them something they intrinsically understand. Watch young kids in a room with lines on the floor, they are magnetic and there is fun to be had in following them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Give the user a path to follow, steer them away from the walls and provide interesting things along the way for them to find in the void. Maybe we can start there.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX0lqERyPj3A5PFlKNC0ipDxZPLpNR30rMLQfGBpodv50eauhllqxhAUqGrbVqAtvzQwiUMWO0hw8EqdBDSy5OeDp6nbUf6l_mfV0m2G9xF7xbuci9Cgr9lp2sMi_a1b8siqktvcp84_V/s1600/ts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><"Little help with this door?" - </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Test Subject</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Give me a shout at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> on twitter, or send me an email at </span><a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-kLfPdNS6dtg%2FVQCel2d6HbI%2FAAAAAAAAAgA%2Fezq8q55sQuk%2Fs1600%2FUntitled-16.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvojYh0ehazQOK1Xy6pjUuYS3N1FLdA9J4Ig_SUzVb4F7Jxzvd3GgNl9-rbnvgjaLjgL7CbCP4S9zHlTGiEFnS8oXnAhV0z0tzJV5rSfMhFsU1MuVwLb2jcQoBcwjDHQ3YeOx2EUzKkHp/s1600/Untitled-16.png" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-75009899805480859762015-02-26T01:17:00.000-05:002015-11-13T13:40:30.275-05:00The Oculus Rift and Swimming Pools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjOI026kJoV23yn9THj7IrZFz6YlraOs-LHc3lN0xhiLIZDCwzJ0FI-ErdqymbVb9NslXZ7qMJMsOFsEAbfV0cWj2pw-xxY27BmH1iWzYeiBxPVaIQU0CQFbxg_HxIy4Y82LXWx7DG8hG/s1600/davidhallamltd5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjOI026kJoV23yn9THj7IrZFz6YlraOs-LHc3lN0xhiLIZDCwzJ0FI-ErdqymbVb9NslXZ7qMJMsOFsEAbfV0cWj2pw-xxY27BmH1iWzYeiBxPVaIQU0CQFbxg_HxIy4Y82LXWx7DG8hG/s1600/davidhallamltd5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"If I were working in Oculus's marketing department, I'd be looking into these issues and likely staying up long into the night drinking coffee and pacing nervously."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You may have heard that during Oculus connect last September, there was a funny bit of incongruity on display. All of the speakers who took the stage made a real point of identifying the Oculus Rift as a "seated experience" and we were told that "Swivel Chairs" were to be an integral part what we had to look forward to while using the Rift.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sk7xKlyqPV8J5-wspYCZbvjjxvvahL5zpQIcla189B88TwwOVBAlT2DLfJGz4vZ8VPSsc1E9jnha5J34-YhFVioN4HsBw0CMl-Y1R45dLwW344cu_mjD1bF9mgTC2XU3jrm43a0NHPsc/s1600/swivel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sk7xKlyqPV8J5-wspYCZbvjjxvvahL5zpQIcla189B88TwwOVBAlT2DLfJGz4vZ8VPSsc1E9jnha5J34-YhFVioN4HsBw0CMl-Y1R45dLwW344cu_mjD1bF9mgTC2XU3jrm43a0NHPsc/s1600/swivel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yet, it was widely noted that when it came time for the private Crescent Bay demos, these were all setup as standing experiences. In fact chairs of any kind weren't available in the demo booths.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0lJQ-fSnIB_QcTfIvm5vYW_M_QaF0Fe3Xc9sZuUO4-FfHMNkIffOSVQDw61jG11Q0xrof0h2EgZOWuXxPWj17ACoBOcjKoyXPme6BAzHosFlwNOUgrGmjQjoOV92_ApafAt9a6HrteYh/s1600/oculus-rift-crescent-bay-demo_w_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0lJQ-fSnIB_QcTfIvm5vYW_M_QaF0Fe3Xc9sZuUO4-FfHMNkIffOSVQDw61jG11Q0xrof0h2EgZOWuXxPWj17ACoBOcjKoyXPme6BAzHosFlwNOUgrGmjQjoOV92_ApafAt9a6HrteYh/s1600/oculus-rift-crescent-bay-demo_w_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Huh.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The common thinking is that Oculus has a team of lawyers that have put the brakes to any kind of standing experience for reasons of liability. Oculus clearly knows that a standing experience is superior in terms of immersion, but presently can't acknowledge or market the device this way.<br />
<br />
I might suggest however that this is an indication of a larger problem. Something that Oculus will need to wrestle with and overcome as they attempt to bring the rift to market.<br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I believe that VR won't play nice with our existing entertainment, it is a ravenous platform that will consume and utterly replace huge chunks of our current media and technology."</span><br />
<br />
To illustrate some of the issues they face, I recently came across this post by a user in r/oculus on the topic of a recent <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/534971/magic-leap/">article </a>about Magic Leap.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.42857142857143em; margin-top: 0.357142857142857em; padding: 0px;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"As much as I'm looking forward to rift cv1 I can't help but think that augmented reality headsets like this and microsofts will be the more socially acceptable and quicker to be adopted by the General public. In the same way the wii was popular as it was marketed as a family/group activity, theses augmented headsets will no doubt be advertised as something which can be used as a family where you can all play games on your coffee table and see what the other can see. I could see some parents preferring their kids to still being able to view them and their surroundings whilst the headset is on and being able to join in with them. It does feel like cv1 of the rift is more a solitary device that would temporarily close you off from friends and family (might not be such a bad thing in some cases....) and that might ultimately split the devices into two distinct markets and affect profits and the way the media view them.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>On top of this there's also the entry cost. If both devices are similar in price ~£300-400, the rift is going to need a fast expensive PC whereas the magic leap type device will likely have its own processor is its rendering far less. Not sure how many regular families can afford both the new pc and the rift, maybe buy 2 or 3 magic leap sets for the same price or cheaper so that most of the family can join in.<br />Personally, I'll probably get both as I love what both are offering but I think the rift might be stuck in the 'hardcore gamer/enthusiast' retail market for a while longer than many hope if these augmented reality headsets deliver."</i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/Plainchipbeep">Plainchipbeep </a>via r/oculus </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I picked out this quote among many because it touches on a number commonly echoed concerns that the Oculus Rift is:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<ul>
<li>An expensive device that will require expensive computer hardware to run.</li>
<li>A device that shares the social awkwardness common to all technology that is "face mounted"<span 16px="" 19.2000007629395px="" arial="" color:="" font-family:="" font-size:="" line-height:="" sans-serif="">â„¢</span>.</li>
<li>Suffers from the perception that it isolates the user and cuts them off from friends and family.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"To pull off consumer VR's introduction properly will require a really open minded, audacious company"</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If I were working in Oculus's marketing department, I'd be looking into these issues and likely staying up long into the night drinking coffee and pacing nervously.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
One of the issues here, is that this technology is poised to operate on a disruptive scale that we don't very often see. We've gotten used to a new device coming along and having it neatly take its place alongside the many other devices that we have in our world. Something that sits nicely on the shelf between the PlayStation and slightly below the Chromecast. We want to pigeonhole VR and are rapidly discovering that it simply will not gently slide into our current framework.<br />
<br />
I believe that VR won't play nice with our existing entertainment, it is a ravenous platform that will consume and utterly replace huge chunks of our current media and technology.<br />
<br />
To pull off consumer VR's introduction properly will require a really open minded, audacious company that fully embrace the magnitude of what lies ahead and properly position themselves in the market for it.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"How can I try this at home???"</span></div>
<br />
So here's a theory for this evening:<br />
<br />
As a consumer product, Oculus might not be selling the next game console, Oculus might actually be selling the next swimming pool.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Let's imagine for a moment that swimming pools simply were "not a thing" and you had the job to bring them to market and sell them worldwide. You might setup a booth at an expo somewhere and let people try out your "swimming pool". This would be very awkward at first because one of the first things you'd need to do is get these people strip out of their clothes. (this makes the bother of selling face mounted hardware seem positively tame in comparison.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ158YSnI6b_mwnsDtg_nMvYmAFKMPfKxdKB4nRYtFjAYTXBHb2CAp8ebDaC4q8lMlVEzZ96eAUIs9QrrFmC8aZajx56xwegwfiaQ5Jl-21-wbx7j42OPvjGKSAfjrNg-Z4J4RiYVBpUWr/s1600/VINTAGE-SWIMWEAR-SPREAD6FF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ158YSnI6b_mwnsDtg_nMvYmAFKMPfKxdKB4nRYtFjAYTXBHb2CAp8ebDaC4q8lMlVEzZ96eAUIs9QrrFmC8aZajx56xwegwfiaQ5Jl-21-wbx7j42OPvjGKSAfjrNg-Z4J4RiYVBpUWr/s1600/VINTAGE-SWIMWEAR-SPREAD6FF.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
They would try your "pool" and likely be amazed. It would be unlike any dry land fun they'd ever had, and despite being half naked among strangers, they would think that swimming is absolutely mind blowing. Quickly they would want to tell their friends and family about this experience.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
"I went to GDC and tried "Pool", it was unbelievably immersive! You gotta try it!"<br />
<br />
Very soon they would be asking "How can I try this at home???"<br />
<br />
Well....<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUYwFfo5Jo5GhGtBTjuDOIzx8AlmWesWzDAUa4WgxlTHAFO0nBQICz8VMaMrdA1BtUdx7bLF7-BztUzaWQBHBHmsN_l-QTsJm5uoDLZOi0GaqrjePLM8wlaXxfUdTADTT4T4bvwtrtKuN/s1600/dsc_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUYwFfo5Jo5GhGtBTjuDOIzx8AlmWesWzDAUa4WgxlTHAFO0nBQICz8VMaMrdA1BtUdx7bLF7-BztUzaWQBHBHmsN_l-QTsJm5uoDLZOi0GaqrjePLM8wlaXxfUdTADTT4T4bvwtrtKuN/s1600/dsc_0004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><i>More bad news for the marketing department...</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You see.... swimming pools make rather large, outrageous demands on the consumer.<br />
<br />
For starters, you are required to both have a nice large property and also be willing to dig a giant hole smack in the middle of it for your new hobby. How much does this cost? Expect to pay somewhere around $25,000 for a modest in-ground pool and very easily much higher. <br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> "Psst... we want to sell a billion of these things."</span><br />
<br />
So, imagine that you get over the space requirements and the cost requirements and have your client sold on this "pool" concept. Before you closed the deal you might feel morally compelled to mention that, um, well... pools claim the lives of around 400 people a year in North America, most of them young kids.<br />
<br />
So let's run down the problems with marketing swimming pools:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Very expensive.</li>
<li>Requires permanent giant hole in property.</li>
<li>Sometimes kill people.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
At this point, someone from Facebook's financial department leans over and reminds us that "Psst... we want to sell a billion of these things."<br />
<br />
Well... that's understandable. But let's push the comparison dangerously a bit further and take a look at a pool that:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Does not cost much.</li>
<li>Does not need much space.</li>
<li>Is safe.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Here's what you get:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhist7Pc6Oam6rUFAFcdajQDReVy_lQqheWPGTQXR6btDBXytek48VLEjweU0OQYXSsQxwWqc_ssswzCgs8InbRa2j_DVjp032uXEkzQO4gWT-Vd11w3STEWdXg3VkR8lN6DyWVbT3O7m4r/s1600/Mr+Turtle+Pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhist7Pc6Oam6rUFAFcdajQDReVy_lQqheWPGTQXR6btDBXytek48VLEjweU0OQYXSsQxwWqc_ssswzCgs8InbRa2j_DVjp032uXEkzQO4gWT-Vd11w3STEWdXg3VkR8lN6DyWVbT3O7m4r/s1600/Mr+Turtle+Pool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Mr. Turtle Pool isn't going to set the world on fire. Mr. Turtle pool is going to get forgotten and fill up with leaves and dead bugs. Trust me, I know.<br />
<br />
Oculus doesn't want to be a Mr. Turtle pool.<br />
<br />
This and more is what Oculus wants to bring to market:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFOUeImz2kERlnT4-6c5nNBfvg3qb1bbKFJDdQVgCvV0sw7HdJfU0cgnXgv8yZIsYQvmLuce-gTcHqflf_rS4tW8sMS5vRTuXhTkoOZwZZjX05UJ8EO0ZUGZ4oCfkL6szOHPXDHR963no/s1600/exotic+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFOUeImz2kERlnT4-6c5nNBfvg3qb1bbKFJDdQVgCvV0sw7HdJfU0cgnXgv8yZIsYQvmLuce-gTcHqflf_rS4tW8sMS5vRTuXhTkoOZwZZjX05UJ8EO0ZUGZ4oCfkL6szOHPXDHR963no/s1600/exotic+pool.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I know, I know, I'm long belaboring the analogy at this point, but let's just paddle a bit longer. <br />
<br />
If you want a nice pool in the comfort of your own home you will need to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>dedicate some space for it.</li>
<li>pay good money to install it</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
There is simply no way around these two points. No shortcuts. None. <br />
<br />
A pool is a luxury product and demands certain investments and you don't hear anyone complaining about it, it is simply taken as fact.<br />
<br />
All of this is trying to make a point, and here it comes: Oculus is offering up humanity a true wonder of our time. Genuine, pure, uncut wonder: on tap. Something far more profound than an over-sized splishy, splash puddle in your backyard. So why don't we stop apologizing for what it does best and instead embrace it for what it is?<br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"To get the most out of VR, we are simply going to need to make some real world considerations and preparations for the experience."</span><br />
<br />
This is a device that aims to completely replace your sensory input with heavy streams of simulacra and simulation. The better it does its job, the more removed you will be from your present reality. Therefore - To get the most out of VR, we are simply going to need to make some real world considerations and preparations for the experience. <br />
<br />
Rejoice, these are great problems to have!<br />
<br />
When Valve developed its original inside out tracking solution, almost immediately I overheard someone say "of course a solution must be found that avoids having to place QR code-like images around your room." and I remember thinking:<br />
<br />
"Why? Why is this the priority?"<br />
<br />
Here is a technology that offers to transport you to new worlds and let you experience things beyond what your mortal life is likely serve up, yet we begrudge the need to tape up a few pieces of paper on our walls?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcTVUE56KABj7bZzhNMmxtm47EurdlHRsWs1MmbWh1sRpOl2XVp6SeoghEe4ATeMbwQ7_Fnmfali9tj6lebFJRHG5PKOkM_qwTAFp5muVi_nmdpyr_L9Po9PxWXse_9Qe_FNBrG9RQWlu/s1600/steam-dev-days-vrroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcTVUE56KABj7bZzhNMmxtm47EurdlHRsWs1MmbWh1sRpOl2XVp6SeoghEe4ATeMbwQ7_Fnmfali9tj6lebFJRHG5PKOkM_qwTAFp5muVi_nmdpyr_L9Po9PxWXse_9Qe_FNBrG9RQWlu/s1600/steam-dev-days-vrroom.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
If I want to play pool (.. no, the other kind of pool, the one with the green felt and a cue ball) in my house, I would need to be prepared to give up at least a 13 x 16 foot space. Pool tables are heavy bloody things, so this is a profound and permanent commitment to hitting colored spheres with sticks. Everyone who visits my home from that point forward could not miss the fact that I have a pool table, it quickly becomes the defining feature of almost any room its placed in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiZwTUW1aVm5jvOCGu2UrNiKDwROSgyoj0F0l6KYOGJZuzcBCGj7zq4T06muLa1WkVs4r5Qal2RgrsV8Mmgb3R9aS8MjUlV4MMHCG2wrzeQ9J1Eeu6jCpmqgvaRxZ4wbT5-lfovnHMJnH/s1600/Inspirations-Billiar-Room-Decorations-For-Your-Home-Design-Ideas-Small-Yet-Beautiful-Basement-Game-Room-In-Green-Billiard-Table-And-Two-Tones-On-The-Wall-With-Perfect-Lighting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiZwTUW1aVm5jvOCGu2UrNiKDwROSgyoj0F0l6KYOGJZuzcBCGj7zq4T06muLa1WkVs4r5Qal2RgrsV8Mmgb3R9aS8MjUlV4MMHCG2wrzeQ9J1Eeu6jCpmqgvaRxZ4wbT5-lfovnHMJnH/s1600/Inspirations-Billiar-Room-Decorations-For-Your-Home-Design-Ideas-Small-Yet-Beautiful-Basement-Game-Room-In-Green-Billiard-Table-And-Two-Tones-On-The-Wall-With-Perfect-Lighting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7bxSNcMJuO27nj5SgaQnIBsMGbhuQDskOtqkJ1yZ6DEa4GCPT2XhdZBbvBSw_-q4h3MTkjKi-7GJCGJZ_JzrzjYesaZpLPDLecFpaai1fi3o6KPQQjt_2HipVyabdzpOfe6dyyfCY5YF/s1600/pool_table.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7bxSNcMJuO27nj5SgaQnIBsMGbhuQDskOtqkJ1yZ6DEa4GCPT2XhdZBbvBSw_-q4h3MTkjKi-7GJCGJZ_JzrzjYesaZpLPDLecFpaai1fi3o6KPQQjt_2HipVyabdzpOfe6dyyfCY5YF/s1600/pool_table.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Is VR unworthy of the same kind of treatment? Do we place it below these traditional parlor games in terms of its importance? Is VR something we put on when we are alone and hunch awkwardly over our laptops, hoping we won't knock anything over?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNhdYTWkeTQlSI4cCYVtS3s7GJL_GJkMLMxPBDn3SzAE8g5KK3oFKqnWU9wvQ2vYgEckrYuI_9V3irfCf3owtCm1FAFu_rE8ozPJ9vlTR3LgfY6K4gleABirbYpGc7yxAGVf_OjH1dlBC/s1600/6a00d8341bf74053ef01a5118f6860970c-500wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNhdYTWkeTQlSI4cCYVtS3s7GJL_GJkMLMxPBDn3SzAE8g5KK3oFKqnWU9wvQ2vYgEckrYuI_9V3irfCf3owtCm1FAFu_rE8ozPJ9vlTR3LgfY6K4gleABirbYpGc7yxAGVf_OjH1dlBC/s1600/6a00d8341bf74053ef01a5118f6860970c-500wi.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Is this the ideal setting for VR? Really?</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hsfvnr36S7itCNu3v_7lsn2Skp7MJmfCNjaOP-JzhidNDgwbc16KTCKR5JeNDYQeHizM7G3ZKwPQCdI_-4LcxRkusJKDBuSlVd0AzQM7qNsPvYpwZkqLHFcuOEVQbbCUsSV72bvC_ZvV/s1600/KX5ek7i.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hsfvnr36S7itCNu3v_7lsn2Skp7MJmfCNjaOP-JzhidNDgwbc16KTCKR5JeNDYQeHizM7G3ZKwPQCdI_-4LcxRkusJKDBuSlVd0AzQM7qNsPvYpwZkqLHFcuOEVQbbCUsSV72bvC_ZvV/s1600/KX5ek7i.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this the next generation of excitement and exploration?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Let's run with a scenario and see where it takes us.<br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Let's close our eyes for a moment and imagine that VR might actually be more important than swimming pools."</span><br />
<br />
Having been fortunate enough to have tried Crescent Bay a couple of times now, I can most assuredly assure you that something tremendous is coming our way. The world is standing on the shores of a great sea teeming with change. Let's close our eyes for a moment and imagine that VR might actually be more important than swimming pools and try to think what that might mean for our homes. If we carved out a 16 X 16 foot space and dedicated it to VR, what might our goal be?<br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Real care and protection for our bodies while our minds are occupied beyond ourselves."</span><br />
<br />
What if I said that the purpose of this space might be to provide dedicated care for the VR user? I use the word "care" here, because I suspect that the immersive road we are on will take us to the point where we really do need just that: Real care and protection for our bodies while our minds are occupied beyond ourselves.<br />
<br />
<b>Basic User care, Part I:</b><br />
<br />
The Crescent Bay demos have so far been held in small rooms, and place the user on a central, raised mat. This simple mat was a very clever idea, if the user could feel the mat under their feet it was a communicated to them that they were no where near the walls and would not strike them by accident. It also meant that if they happened to fall while on the mat they were in a clear, safe space with nothing to fear but the floor and maybe an inattentive Oculus employee.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-EEVX_u2vnTyn5XKOL9l-b2ggEwldCVv_oG9I2yzdo_o-YsKssk-XTMbrysempzuHsW8Ev-7iJ9TWyaEDDYqg0xExZnof1KcUVNEgdBOZd3vj60vV7VLs5XMNKRVeixIfuSaxIyvHH0L/s1600/oculus-rift-crescent-bay-demo_w_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-EEVX_u2vnTyn5XKOL9l-b2ggEwldCVv_oG9I2yzdo_o-YsKssk-XTMbrysempzuHsW8Ev-7iJ9TWyaEDDYqg0xExZnof1KcUVNEgdBOZd3vj60vV7VLs5XMNKRVeixIfuSaxIyvHH0L/s1600/oculus-rift-crescent-bay-demo_w_600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-s74ZkTunrXt2BU-yjxP_MdRdXlA_gm1-Xsm6CyK2HyvcpjyZUMsj7Iu9XZJuxGXVJpGuiI2UjDDdBCfTZem4YKINBARHG2nP6QdkYfWxH_JIZ0LIs9dWy7NbqRnjzpPyOzuN7mbpVn9j/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-s74ZkTunrXt2BU-yjxP_MdRdXlA_gm1-Xsm6CyK2HyvcpjyZUMsj7Iu9XZJuxGXVJpGuiI2UjDDdBCfTZem4YKINBARHG2nP6QdkYfWxH_JIZ0LIs9dWy7NbqRnjzpPyOzuN7mbpVn9j/s1600/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
There is a lot to be said in favor of this simple human mouse pad approach. It would be easy enough to provide some texturing to the mat to give the user real world orientation as to their current direction. A subtle stucco texture on a single quarter might do wonders for orientation.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"There's a rather talented group that have been working on the problem for hundreds of years."</span><br />
<br />
If you want to learn about how to deal with the human form in conjunction with technology - there's a rather talented group that have been working on the problem for hundreds of years: surgeons.<br />
<br />
I believe we could learn a great deal about setting up a dedicated VR space from study of the layout of a modern operating theater:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VSK5rIMS_NR_nWfLNNOAlARxBAQVxYsjovOEIkIfHBRb7e5dDX6nMbnawJov_jZ4xvwQ6AyCA8q87OYqSZg0Gkm_RvU9FztPpwqMEqy3sVoqJC14zliXxUNsVfpPDoUVNt8ubyGu850X/s1600/Hybrid+OR+-+Skytron+&+Philips,+Holy+Cross+NY+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VSK5rIMS_NR_nWfLNNOAlARxBAQVxYsjovOEIkIfHBRb7e5dDX6nMbnawJov_jZ4xvwQ6AyCA8q87OYqSZg0Gkm_RvU9FztPpwqMEqy3sVoqJC14zliXxUNsVfpPDoUVNt8ubyGu850X/s1600/Hybrid+OR+-+Skytron+&+Philips,+Holy+Cross+NY+3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
These are spaces where computers and implements need to be on hand but at the same time they must never get in the way or trip up the operator. No cables or sharp edges, nothing that won't gracefully move away or towards you with some subtle force.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcOY2NaynEW3YQM97IeR1x6lzkKFzhRNOY-gGHI3rT6tyiyHrUHi4IqQCEsPzIu4F4wp8QLFQPApz2CAu4REKTptf_E_rNdGkuRK-uENMKIwwYvm-1n3CBFvpGyUuaFTVGYdvorG4QVs2/s1600/Hybrid-OR-Operating-Room-Philips-FlexMove-Xper-C-Arm-Angiography-Skytron-LED-Surgical-Lights-Skytron-Equipment-Booms-Holy-Cross-NY-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcOY2NaynEW3YQM97IeR1x6lzkKFzhRNOY-gGHI3rT6tyiyHrUHi4IqQCEsPzIu4F4wp8QLFQPApz2CAu4REKTptf_E_rNdGkuRK-uENMKIwwYvm-1n3CBFvpGyUuaFTVGYdvorG4QVs2/s1600/Hybrid-OR-Operating-Room-Philips-FlexMove-Xper-C-Arm-Angiography-Skytron-LED-Surgical-Lights-Skytron-Equipment-Booms-Holy-Cross-NY-1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Current consumer monitors and keyboards can be adapted to pneumatic arms to fit the needs of the VR user until better solutions can be found.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRqvTBUUBA2WjdaLR45QNmhzSJSpjR7k7-xC05RHw-padnxZD13UJEdRbDQSt-jQ3DoZ_3ajJSlmlvpLK4nj7e-BcelUUmoUPmZW7lfI39vJ3_fj-AlXcnRCBdQd8jkAxZtQsTnjtdcdx/s1600/F_12376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRqvTBUUBA2WjdaLR45QNmhzSJSpjR7k7-xC05RHw-padnxZD13UJEdRbDQSt-jQ3DoZ_3ajJSlmlvpLK4nj7e-BcelUUmoUPmZW7lfI39vJ3_fj-AlXcnRCBdQd8jkAxZtQsTnjtdcdx/s1600/F_12376.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
HMD cables can descend from above to prevent the user from becoming tangled. Some users are already experimenting with these suspended solutions.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oHmdApY9WMbj0KKU5fQcXOZJFo1KB3qE-10Djx0shbzQqTmuP_ciZ8oUZ2fFSL5UcOAMNkVNUDr0Glt15AqCLTvpC0XjBjwCOntOeAD47PhGuycb8Csn5d5rhLXJE6Xhd2dTMvMN6u7q/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oHmdApY9WMbj0KKU5fQcXOZJFo1KB3qE-10Djx0shbzQqTmuP_ciZ8oUZ2fFSL5UcOAMNkVNUDr0Glt15AqCLTvpC0XjBjwCOntOeAD47PhGuycb8Csn5d5rhLXJE6Xhd2dTMvMN6u7q/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">via </span><a href="https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1243" style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1243</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I would go further and insist that any object that a user brings into the VR space (this includes keyboards, chairs and coffee mugs) should be tracked and modeled in the virtual space.<br />
<br />
I can envision a day when you can come home with a new chair and can print out a corresponding VR tracking marker sticker set. After fastening them to your new purchase the virtual system pick them up on camera and download the correct chair model and represent your chair accurately within your space.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHlAeDpRvGdbO5f0jPr8SxPn1bjb3veMSIhMaEyhVVk_oQhyjEeV-67vTEnC8UVKOLBFkgAyG1r2IHMB7kN9nOIKEYJ_3XlHffJ2rX3XyiQaSj0ICYbEZ_kRAR-VBFXo7s8ZxVe95SrIW/s1600/printed-augmented-reality-markers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHlAeDpRvGdbO5f0jPr8SxPn1bjb3veMSIhMaEyhVVk_oQhyjEeV-67vTEnC8UVKOLBFkgAyG1r2IHMB7kN9nOIKEYJ_3XlHffJ2rX3XyiQaSj0ICYbEZ_kRAR-VBFXo7s8ZxVe95SrIW/s1600/printed-augmented-reality-markers.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We may find that we end up operating on a mix of three levels:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The real world space.</li>
<li>The virtual representation of real world space.</li>
<li>The running target VR simulation with access to overlays to levels one and two, depending on preference and immediate need.</li>
</ol>
<div>
The first tenet of VR user care is that we are responsible for allocating a safe, padded space for VR and make allowances within the simulation for ALL real world objects that we bring with us. Humans taking basic care and helping to keep things simple for the machine.</div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Basic User care, Part II:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"What if a VR user was not cut off from the outside world at all, but actually had an enhanced awareness of the real world while in VR?"</span><br />
<b><br /></b>
The second part of user care involves monitoring both the user and the VR space. What if a VR user was not cut off from the outside world at all, but actually had an enhanced awareness of the real world while in VR? They could choose to look through a pass through camera mounted on the HMD as well as flit between externally mounted room cameras that would allow them to view their surroundings, possibly their entire home. These cameras could also be set strategically positioned on room entrances and respond to motion, alerting the user if anyone was approaching.<br />
<br />
<span style=" font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"There must always be an extendable bridge between the virtual world and the real"</span><br />
<br />
While a user was in VR, they might converse with the real world via their currently donned avatar, displayed nearby display panel. Think of it as a Skype session from the virtual world to the real world. Social etiquette won't allow us to maintain conversations while wearing HMD gear, we need to see each other's eyes. If eye tracking becomes a reality, these type of conversations might be strikingly engaging. By displaying a window into the virtual world a visitor could interact with the VR user and and peek into the simulation without breaking the narrative of the VR experience. There must always be an extendable bridge between the virtual world and the real that can be accessed by non HMD wearing visitors. This will make all the difference in how rapidly this technology is accepted within a home or office.<br />
<br />
It is critical that we need the ability to fluidly interact with the real world without feeling the need to remove the HMD to perform basic tasks.<br />
<br />
The second tenet of VR user care is that the machine provides an over watch for a VR user to the best of its ability in the form of alerts and extending sensory perception. This is a responsibility that I expect to see grow immensely in the years to come and become an end unto itself.<br />
<br />
<b>So here are a few tentative guidelines for what might be involved in the creation of a dedicated VR area in ones home:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>A designated floor space that gives the user feedback in terms of both their boundaries and orientation.</li>
<li>Sufficient clearance around the VR space that precludes the user from striking a wall or object.</li>
<li>Ideally, all hardware is ceiling mounted for cable management and safety.</li>
<li>The VR user should NOT feel cut off from the outside world, they should have the ability to comfortably view their surroundings from within the VR experience. Heightened awareness,</li>
<li>The VR user should always be made aware if another human is present.</li>
<li>The VR user should be able to fluidly interact with the real world without feeling the need to decouple from it the HMD at every turn.</li>
<li>Any object or furniture that enters the VR area needs to also have a simulated counterpart in the virtual world.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Give me a shout at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a> on twitter, or send me an email at <a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-11330223037622367152014-10-15T02:34:00.000-04:002015-03-01T02:35:55.577-05:00Momentum<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJAH5SCt8bdhg0rryCrpltHZ8lpCPqyIHy1INbKDTpzHmrfi2amMsxL1IvddyIlOJi3YEOWjinDKu7R1G3VwoLcG_QjMBuzKG6fk0cRtP3RohLhysVDPhJhEugaiiWp-X6G9c2OBc0laC/s1600/Oculus-Connect-Conference-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJAH5SCt8bdhg0rryCrpltHZ8lpCPqyIHy1INbKDTpzHmrfi2amMsxL1IvddyIlOJi3YEOWjinDKu7R1G3VwoLcG_QjMBuzKG6fk0cRtP3RohLhysVDPhJhEugaiiWp-X6G9c2OBc0laC/s1600/Oculus-Connect-Conference-logo.jpg" height="318" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I almost didn't go to Oculus Connect. It was a busy time for me and I was undecided right up until just about the last minute. Leading up to the show I was having some low level worries about VR's current implementation that had me in a bit of a crisis.<br />
<br />
Part of these worries concerned Oculus as a company. They've grown so big, so fast. How could a group as small as the original core Oculus team possibly survive the ministrations of Facebook and Samsung? I also wasn't convinced that the show would be terribly successful. It was the first time that Oculus was hosting something along those lines. I met up with Blair Renaud (<a href="https://twitter.com/Anticleric">@anticleric</a>) at the airport by chance and grumbled a bit to him about how I wasn't sure how well the developer demos would be run. Part of me was worried we'd be thrown into a room with some power outlets and told "Great to see you! Thanks for coming. Go to it!! We'll be back at 8pm to see you out."<br />
<br />
Gear VR looked like a tough promise to deliver on. DK2 has had issues right out of the gate and it seemed pretty tough for Oculus to pull off something halfway decent out of the gate on mobile.<br />
<br />
What made me decide to go despite these concerns was a need to see for myself what was what. The internet can be a great source for opinion and a terrible source for information,<br />
<br />
You absolutely need to leave your office sometimes and reassess. So I did.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrop7TWKS-jpUy4fQGqWIg65Zx7Q6U7jR0_qrw_lGW0In-ckV3VeGJid70SBLio-xcF2iGkVwCKKREOlWokL1lhpXcmGDI9R82Aap6LgFKAoBzTIBPQpBJ5NxBZLEmbmoUylGXSkiX9DKU/s1600/oculus-ceo-well-be-remembered-as-the-dorky-looking-goggles-141158370958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrop7TWKS-jpUy4fQGqWIg65Zx7Q6U7jR0_qrw_lGW0In-ckV3VeGJid70SBLio-xcF2iGkVwCKKREOlWokL1lhpXcmGDI9R82Aap6LgFKAoBzTIBPQpBJ5NxBZLEmbmoUylGXSkiX9DKU/s1600/oculus-ceo-well-be-remembered-as-the-dorky-looking-goggles-141158370958.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here are some brief thoughts:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Oculus Connect was a tremendous success. Very tightly run. Not only was it a chance to rub shoulders with people across a wide set of industries, the crew at Oculus made themselves extremely accessible. If you wanted to talk to Brenden Iribe, John Carmack or Michael Abrash to get a question answered you simply needed to walk over to them and introduce yourself. I know this was greatly appreciated by the developers on hand.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Gear VR exceeded expectations. I learned going into the show that my worries about Gear VR were shared by a number of developers. It was easy to get a chance to try Gear VR at the show and everyone that I spoke to had nothing but extremely positive things to say about it.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>The event is aptly named, it is rare to see such a broad range of interests and talents come together in a single place. Everyone was very friendly and eager to talk about VR and their own projects. If you want to network and be on the bleeding edge of the current state of the industry, you need to be there.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>There are a lot of great write ups out there describing the event if you want to learn more, I recommend you head over to Anarchist VR and read Bobby Boyd's <a href="https://anarchist.com/blog/the-juggle-test/">post</a> on the event. I had the good fortune of sharing a drink or two with the crew from Anarchist VR, they are right in the thick of it and full of some very interesting ideas about practical applications for VR.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Give me a shout at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a> on twitter, or send me an email at <a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-54195360289550845422014-09-09T19:56:00.002-04:002014-09-11T11:44:27.927-04:00Running Oculus and possibly losing your mind in the process.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurqW7VX4OydKMAu8q8Sp4Tjg2pzOP6LP8-RZjGXQikw7YOGPRGXDF3EaDsI0ml5egdpJB6T0Ms8GCe9-aQeHGd2WzS-Ec79EOM9KyICSlTdqcFWDhByVUfAAKA7wzmvDuE7gs_umwG-gJ/s1600/iLU6B2HTYXqs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurqW7VX4OydKMAu8q8Sp4Tjg2pzOP6LP8-RZjGXQikw7YOGPRGXDF3EaDsI0ml5egdpJB6T0Ms8GCe9-aQeHGd2WzS-Ec79EOM9KyICSlTdqcFWDhByVUfAAKA7wzmvDuE7gs_umwG-gJ/s1600/iLU6B2HTYXqs.jpg" height="499" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I imagine that those who find themselves at the top of the chain at Oculus have their good days and their bad days.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On a good day, it is easy to think that they must live a pretty thrilling existence. They are leading a team and running a company that is currently in a dazzling spotlight, working on technology that hold the promise to change a great deal in the way we interact with computers and the world itself. Sitting down to be interviewed by Wired, you must undoubtedly know that you've "arrived". There must be joy in that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That would be on a good day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The good days are likely accompanied by some rather bad days. Sleepless mornings at 3AM, unable to sleep and filled with worry.<br />
<br />
Since 2007 and Apple's yearly hardware refresh cycle, a new expectation has been created of hardware companies. You aren't just expected to incrementally improve anymore, there is an expectation that a "hot" hardware company can deliver earth shattering innovation like clockwork. You aren't just expected to improve. You need to surprise and delight. Over and over again.<br />
<br />
How often? Once a year, at the very least. If you are Samsung, you're pushing for a 6 month cycle. Sustainable? No. Not a chance in hell, but that's where we are at right now in the industry.<br />
<br />
So again, back to bed and imagine you are running Oculus and wake up one day to find yourself bound to this heavy train of expectation. Hurtling down the track as your "year of innovation grace period" speeds on by. You look over your prototypes, all very reasonable devices made of glass, plastic, code sweat and ingenuity. Is it enough?<br />
<br />
Of course not. It never will.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7h9IXv-clYxeJnRigEGQZf6IQSqyXZeRfJfFM3gfBIr0uOwBBUHJWFYbxbQgYSgEGnplOGn2qx4r97hyEvizn9yBGGjw3EEeKc3RCAAJO61UNP8suH6TEcgEE5pPEcSEu3xgVhDOWhaD/s1600/oculus-plamer-luckey-280px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7h9IXv-clYxeJnRigEGQZf6IQSqyXZeRfJfFM3gfBIr0uOwBBUHJWFYbxbQgYSgEGnplOGn2qx4r97hyEvizn9yBGGjw3EEeKc3RCAAJO61UNP8suH6TEcgEE5pPEcSEu3xgVhDOWhaD/s1600/oculus-plamer-luckey-280px.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Somehow, God help you, you need to give the public what they've been told to expect from virtual reality. I'd use Snowcrash, Star Trek and the Matrix as the low hanging, popular culture examples. All of them offer a VR experience that is every bit as good as reality in terms of fidelity and freedom. No matter what Oculus comes up with, there will always be a long list of gotcha's surrounding each iteration:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I can look around but it doesn't look real</li>
<li>Ok, it looks real but I can't touch anything</li>
<li>Ok, I can touch thing but everything feels the same</li>
<li>Ok, things feel real but nothing can touch me</li>
<li>Ok, things look real, I can touch things fine and be touched which is great, but what about smell and taste? When's the update?</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
I imagine over time and trial, Oculus will be less and less likely to say very much about anything out of fear of fueling expectations. Who could blame them for trying to protect their sanity?<br />
<br />
VR development shares a resemblance to the exploration of outer space. A challenge that threatens to humble even the most formidable minds among us. You are faced with a task of unlimited scope and as much complexity as you are willing to bite off and chew.<br />
<br />
So how do you fall back asleep? How do you rest comfortably when burdened by such an undertaking?<br />
<br />
Perhaps it could be in the thought that this is a long, immense and shared journey that we've embarked on. One that will certainly be filled with a litter of failed experiments, dead ends and endless delay. It also will be filled with some exceedingly beautiful, awe filled moments that will constantly remind us all of why we are doing this despite the struggle and stress.<br />
<br />
If God built the earth in 7 days, can we not afford to give Oculus a few years to build a universe?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL3f6LqlbDg9qpdmPHAkMrkvCyHL5IJb78ZlXweTchoq01UBGq5fLp7hf8GksQWsyzCH0ALO63g0PMHv6cwvQbNA3E5GQYzizJ7n7Y_F4bWdw1Qive0srmhjMOO1jzrWw9mJH1WGqjXlD/s1600/God-creating-creatures-by-R.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL3f6LqlbDg9qpdmPHAkMrkvCyHL5IJb78ZlXweTchoq01UBGq5fLp7hf8GksQWsyzCH0ALO63g0PMHv6cwvQbNA3E5GQYzizJ7n7Y_F4bWdw1Qive0srmhjMOO1jzrWw9mJH1WGqjXlD/s1600/God-creating-creatures-by-R.png" height="444" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: start;">If anyone wants to say hi, I can been reached on Twitter at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">, or you link to me via Google+.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">If you are heading to Oculus Connect, I want to meet you! Drop me a line here or Twitter! Email also works: <a href="mailto:id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com">id.r.mcgregor@gmail.com</a>.</span></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-49434658695746389042014-09-08T22:22:00.002-04:002014-09-08T22:22:39.377-04:00Lunch at the bottom of the sea.<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSIzJ9uR6lLKhRpuyc0QDMo5KhO8-B2VOR-1oNCKn2GiCgrp-vV1mZ3B0A2akZlRbdRbN6RMqapfbB591VqVIUWVXzhDk7VSHvwMTAZMrKtjsiOC9Wr2qfD8m9XUqeBba7lBez_ca-WMa/s1600/goltzius_450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSIzJ9uR6lLKhRpuyc0QDMo5KhO8-B2VOR-1oNCKn2GiCgrp-vV1mZ3B0A2akZlRbdRbN6RMqapfbB591VqVIUWVXzhDk7VSHvwMTAZMrKtjsiOC9Wr2qfD8m9XUqeBba7lBez_ca-WMa/s1600/goltzius_450.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"If your simulation is trying to deal with an unrestrained, tracked humanoid you are going to lose, each and every time."</span></h3>
<br />
When I was very young, I read a story by Willard Price that featured a scene in which the main characters try to eat lunch while sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. They learn how difficult even simple tasks are to perform when your operating in an alien environment:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Hal and Skink followed his example, and the process was repeated until all the sausages were gone. But there still remained the puzzling problem of how to drink a bottle of Coca-Cola ten fathoms beneath the sea.</span></h3>
</blockquote>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When Dr Bake prised off the cap of his bottle a strange thing happened. Since the pressure outside was so much greater than that inside the bottle, sea water immediately entered and compressed the contents. But a little sea water did no harm, and Dr Blake pressed the mouth of the bottle to his lips.</span></h3>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">By breathing out into the bottle he displaced the contents which thereupon flowed into his mouth. He drained the bottle. When he took it from his lips the sea water filled it with a sudden thud. Hal and Skink faithfully followed the same procedure."</span></h3>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I am often reminded of this recently when reviewing the current state of VR development. What a tremendous challenge we've chosen to pursue . It makes an underwater meal look very easy in comparison.<br />
<br />
Thanks to John Carmack,. Michel Abrash, Palmer Luckey, Valve, Oculus and a great many others, I feel that we are well on our way at this point at getting where we need to go on the visual side of the equation. We've gathered the steel and forged a sword that cuts - now all that remains is to sharpen the blade.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile many are turning their attention to attempting to give us our hands and feet in the virtual space. I'm a little less optimistic on this side of things at the moment.<br />
<br />
Here's the simple problem: If you developed an excellent 1:1, low latency tracking system for hands, imagine how potentially unsatisfying it would be to interact with a 1x1 foot virtual cube. Your real hands, unrestrained by the rules of the virtual world cannot be kept one foot apart stay apart while clutching the sides of the box. This means that your simulated hands will:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pass through the box. Unpleasant.</li>
<li>Stop being simulated and appear to stop while your real hand moves. Most unpleasant.</li>
<li>Be subjected to some kind of trickery perhaps, you could attempt to simulate the offending hand passing over or under the box as a compromise between the virtual world simulation violation and the real world movement. Perhaps borrowing an idea or two from <a href="http://goo.gl/yPEb1b">here</a>, but on a such smaller scale.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't feel that any of these options hold a lot of promise, nothing that would feel particularly satisfying at any rate. You also need to resign yourself to the knowledge that the end user will purposely try to poke holes in your simulation, they won't work with you, they will pick your world apart given the chance. <br />
<br />
If your simulation is trying to deal with an unrestrained, tracked humanoid you are going to lose, each and every time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, what to do?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's go back to the example of having lunch under the sea for a moment. Humans underwater face a number of challenges:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>They must carry and use breathing apparatus to stay underwater. Heavy compressed tanks on their back and a regulator in their mouth. This means they cannot talk.</li>
<li>Human eyes see poorly when exposed directly to water. They must wear a face mask at all times in order to focus on the world around them. They view the world through glass.</li>
<li>The human body is buoyant in the water, they feel like they weigh less than we do on land. They cannot readily stand without a weighted belt, They cannot readily walk due to the water surrounding them. They use flippers to help them move at a decent pace from place to place. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
and so on...<br />
<br />
Each one of these tools represent a compromise that we've made when operating underwater, we accept that you can't take a stroll underwater, so we adapted, learned from the fish and adopted fins. Fins are great, they make a lot of sense underwater and allow us to move in a way that works with, not against, our surroundings.<br />
<br />
I think, for the present, a similar tact needs to be considered for VR. Lean heavily on its strengths (of which there are many...) and choose your battles wisely in terms of what aspects of reality you are trying to simulate.<br />
<br />
As the DK2 have rolled in, we've seen a wave of users equipping their workstations with flight sticks and steering wheels. This is interesting. Last time I saw joysticks this popular was about 20 years ago.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDr6P4s0Td5MHWGmwd_FyrlwkT4YF61qkYhd4sFRYOzFml7Oi9J1QDPmi1aPFFPkOYaEYZU1bJS5GoHAb2omE9tmQVRyXpKIqEkjIAGYqZknWPkK0JrM91yXkjmpfEkoCS_CTLTlxe-xZI/s1600/luftwaffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDr6P4s0Td5MHWGmwd_FyrlwkT4YF61qkYhd4sFRYOzFml7Oi9J1QDPmi1aPFFPkOYaEYZU1bJS5GoHAb2omE9tmQVRyXpKIqEkjIAGYqZknWPkK0JrM91yXkjmpfEkoCS_CTLTlxe-xZI/s1600/luftwaffe.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There's a good reason for this though, these devices can be represented 1:1 in the VR world. You turn the wheel, the wheel in VR moves, you pull back on the throttle, your virtual throttle responds in kind and so much the better if these virtual controls are attached to your virtual hands. There's no cheating here, the wheel feels solid in you hands and it moves as it should in VR. This is inherently very satisfying to the user. </div>
<div>
<br />
Which of course, very quickly brings me to this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnSx7_3w_aqSCGTglJUeidkg5AUf0q5xbp5bB8TmGEgQkKB_u1hYFnP3qlbHcHMqNHZh4Mp5ebTg6EevZodC_7YneNhGO4eDJpq_8VyRzGcLB9YFI4H8IRkj-72k04RRCsBlf9HC3-IHn/s1600/AliensPowerloader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnSx7_3w_aqSCGTglJUeidkg5AUf0q5xbp5bB8TmGEgQkKB_u1hYFnP3qlbHcHMqNHZh4Mp5ebTg6EevZodC_7YneNhGO4eDJpq_8VyRzGcLB9YFI4H8IRkj-72k04RRCsBlf9HC3-IHn/s1600/AliensPowerloader.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
This is the Powerloader from Aliens as I expect any visitor to the blog to know, and I think it makes a very good target for a credible VR experience if you absolutely insist on attempting to track limbs. Use 3-axis motion sensing to track arm and leg movement but DON'T attempt to simulate the user's limbs directly interacting with the environment. You need a layer of abstraction between your world and the user's movements. <br />
<br />
If they try to move their arm through the floor, they are met with a solid CLANG of the metal arm colliding with the floor. The user will understand and they won't feel cheated, it will feel very real. They are retrained by the limits of the device they are simulated as controlling. You could still feel VERY free as a user while using this simulation, but the designer has a "sanity check" when trying to constrain the limits of what the user can do with their limbs.<br />
<br />
The user can still work out plenty of ways to attempt to violate the position of their arms with the what they are seeing in the simulation, but in the user's mind, the reason why it does not work is because of a limit of the machine they are controlling rather than a fault in the reality of the simulated world that the are trying to believe in. You might want to reread that last awkwardly written sentence, because it really sums up what I'm trying to get across here:<br />
<br />
<h3>
As a developer, give yourself a break and build in some constraints into your world that fit with the narrative of the environment. One of the last things you want to try to do is simulate unbridled reality. Aim to simulate a tiny slice and then do it very, very well.</h3>
<br />
VR users always need a layer of abstraction between them and the environment. Allow them to manipulate a mechanism, be it a car, tank or exoskeleton but don't dare let them actually try to interact with the world 1:1 with their own limbs without some kind mechanism between them and the world.<br />
<br />
You are no longer developers, you are magicians, you need to get your audience to suspend their disbelief and like any good magician, you do this by carefully limiting what they can see and do at all times.</div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">If anyone wants to say hi, I can been reached on Twitter at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">@ID_R_McGregor</a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">, or you link to me in Google+ if you happen to actually have a Google+ account that you </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">surprisingly</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> use for Google+ things.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-56977937001181755602014-07-30T04:21:00.000-04:002014-08-02T13:33:05.498-04:00DK2 CONFIGURATION DEMO: Now with a splash of color.<span style="color: red;">[ Note: Had an issue with the original texture file being altered by Blogger (should have seen that coming!) New link to full file available below.)</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<i><a href="https://mega.co.nz/#!a5QnATYS!CR1J-2MYeYmQdnzwaruaIwRtW5I0V5vC17iBcdlSLjA">https://mega.co.nz/#!a5QnATYS!CR1J-2MYeYmQdnzwaruaIwRtW5I0V5vC17iBcdlSLjA</a></i></h3>
<br />
Great week so far. DK2 is better than anticipated in many ways. I would expect that the average VR immersion time per session will be going sharply up over the next short while. The device works and it works very well. Great work by Oculus on the engineering and on the current (very smooth) roll out.<br />
<br />
I've been quite engaged by the included demo scene with the Oculus Configuration Utility. It works well as a demonstration of positional tracking and I enjoy the concept of a virtual desk. I spend most of my reality sitting at a desk, I might as well spend my virtual time at one as well.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, I was somewhat surprised at how bare a desk we've been given to stare at, so I took it upon myself take it a bit further this evening. I'm very pleased by how well the DK2 handles text!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[ UPDATE: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6IyTNi03SA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6IyTNi03SA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/5esse">5ess </a>was kind enough to create a video this morning, to show this in action. Thank you 5ess! (Spanish) ]<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/G6IyTNi03SA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Here are a few awkwardly taken pictures to give you an idea:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV67zXQ9nc9v3ZOpVwcPGbL3dXvsBNGgIiiWQxcWEnHrly5VCNwKR6oIgX6ovQQksiBM2Pa7mUMHmurXYMtK4HaCQpF6o1f0rj680-RsiYYCVCpyU899_jVP7ta3yjAMr_JT3CvX8pL2V/s1600/P1060506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV67zXQ9nc9v3ZOpVwcPGbL3dXvsBNGgIiiWQxcWEnHrly5VCNwKR6oIgX6ovQQksiBM2Pa7mUMHmurXYMtK4HaCQpF6o1f0rj680-RsiYYCVCpyU899_jVP7ta3yjAMr_JT3CvX8pL2V/s1600/P1060506.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jlsE-OPOV9eSX0vCNmCNSWlC02QM7lP642Er6qs1PtQenPwDhVXhlyZJ0rUWq4jaXoc-AMHIcI0NtzRteiIWvnxwrrqZgtdl9tTsdwnWj0_aA0awTJyMlYEjQj31QB17pNu-ai4WDDnk/s1600/IMG_8211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jlsE-OPOV9eSX0vCNmCNSWlC02QM7lP642Er6qs1PtQenPwDhVXhlyZJ0rUWq4jaXoc-AMHIcI0NtzRteiIWvnxwrrqZgtdl9tTsdwnWj0_aA0awTJyMlYEjQj31QB17pNu-ai4WDDnk/s1600/IMG_8211.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXqThFbLl7bnznnXy3wWKnonzeFejU5JTMi3mhgPmLP1pYYF29ovqsqZSljc-AlsXLeUe2sE1mSkUa7aJhnvLSqVRYlsoaiD007DaENYPgJ8OovGW1x-6PoBmCXTPt3tpNp7m0ytFCWLz/s1600/IMG_8214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXqThFbLl7bnznnXy3wWKnonzeFejU5JTMi3mhgPmLP1pYYF29ovqsqZSljc-AlsXLeUe2sE1mSkUa7aJhnvLSqVRYlsoaiD007DaENYPgJ8OovGW1x-6PoBmCXTPt3tpNp7m0ytFCWLz/s1600/IMG_8214.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlH9E58iq37Sx90OKtSS-hgAh3K488nU7TnRC5vHioHVXByDwCK2TIa-_SaKazmQFBO16k2BBGT6WWAZqhRx55SfQ-lDxel3cvFDLVXYWFtXdXgypkLXqfhHcehNPqmpMo_QZEImWMBMR/s1600/IMG_8210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlH9E58iq37Sx90OKtSS-hgAh3K488nU7TnRC5vHioHVXByDwCK2TIa-_SaKazmQFBO16k2BBGT6WWAZqhRx55SfQ-lDxel3cvFDLVXYWFtXdXgypkLXqfhHcehNPqmpMo_QZEImWMBMR/s1600/IMG_8210.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<br />If you want to try this out on your own machine, it will take you about only a minute to get setup. Here are the steps:</h2>
<br />
<br />
1. Download the modified texture file (please the the end of this post. 18mb!)<br />
<br />
2. Change the write permissions on the following folder:<br />
<b><i> </i>C://Program Files (x86)/Oculus/Tools/Resources/DeskScene</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>This folder should be read only, you must set it to WRITE (right click it and view properties. You will want to use the Security tab to change permissions. You may need to be running Windows explorer as Administrator in order to make this change. [right click windows explorer, choose "Run as Administrator.")</b><br />
<br />
3. Make a backup of "ConfigUtilDeskScene.png" so that you can restore it later.<br />
<br />
4. Overwrite "ConfigUtilDeskScene.png" with the new texture file you downloaded in step one.<br />
<br />
5. Run the demo! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
( I hope you like xkcd. Keep a sharp look out and use the positional tracking to your advantage: there are a number of hidden things in the scene to be found! )<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
(if you have any problems getting this to work, please let me know in the comments below and I will try to help you out. I can also be reached on Twitter at most hours of the day and night at: <a class="DashboardProfileCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex u-linkClean" href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #66757f; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding-right: 5px; text-decoration: none !important;"><span style="color: #66757f; font-family: Gotham Narrow SSm, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding-right: 5px;">@</span></span><span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #66757f; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding-right: 5px; text-decoration: none !important;">ID_R_McGregor</span></a>)</h3>
<br />
<i>All images and photos used here are for entertainment purposes only and belong to their respective and highly talented creators - of which there are many.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Texture file link:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h2>
<i><a href="https://mega.co.nz/#!a5QnATYS!CR1J-2MYeYmQdnzwaruaIwRtW5I0V5vC17iBcdlSLjA">https://mega.co.nz/#!a5QnATYS!CR1J-2MYeYmQdnzwaruaIwRtW5I0V5vC17iBcdlSLjA</a></i></h2>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-729749306229441392014-03-26T08:29:00.000-04:002014-03-26T09:24:27.666-04:00VR is a concept that exists independently of the efforts or controls of any one company.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the first decade of the 20th century. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Orville </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">and </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Wilbur head out to Kitty Hawk and fly over one hundred feet. The flight is filmed that day and the footage is widely distributed. Shortly after, Orville and Wilbur are tragically struck down and die from the flu. Newspapers run the story: "First men to fly, die of flu." and are terrifically proud of their cleverness.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBKsYFiFzzOjP2LzmnYVwRqOINepAj5GOv2gQu3XsZgPfDGWYlIlcv53nLi19nZ6yCLX0wlKv1O700WY-LMPhfN6-Rh9XKuc90RUKIGKMN-gjGHlswXDr9hDpwCIvCP6h3nXLwssosQ4O/s1600/vinfiz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBKsYFiFzzOjP2LzmnYVwRqOINepAj5GOv2gQu3XsZgPfDGWYlIlcv53nLi19nZ6yCLX0wlKv1O700WY-LMPhfN6-Rh9XKuc90RUKIGKMN-gjGHlswXDr9hDpwCIvCP6h3nXLwssosQ4O/s1600/vinfiz.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Now, let me ask you: Given that the Kitty Hawk footage had been released to the world, proving that manned, powered flight was possible and with the original inventors dead, would mankind have still flown?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">I expect that anyone reading this post would instantly answer: "Yes, of course."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Mankind, has a funny quirk. If we are shown that something can be done, we will expend boundless energy and time towards it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">The same is true today, at the start of the 21st century as we look towards VR; we've seen something. We've seen a glimmer and know now what is possible and are hardwired to keep pushing for it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Oculus and Facebook have no meaningful significance in the face of this. "The big one" could hit California tomorrow and both companies, personnel and prototypes could be swallowed up by the earth. The work would continue and VR would continue to grow just fine<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> ( and Sony stock would rise sharply. )</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lMS4MDLPdQkVIsYZnTBWk0cvLcLBNV4a9Qn3E9A2m0gwRqBsVAcFGhkhuOWFAWHZxmwnd2nSZU_0VZ87KHkjnFYezalL-IrG3NmPTK-bwm-UaaoyDlCLl6xe8V8XzE2zJuq58aqn1am7/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lMS4MDLPdQkVIsYZnTBWk0cvLcLBNV4a9Qn3E9A2m0gwRqBsVAcFGhkhuOWFAWHZxmwnd2nSZU_0VZ87KHkjnFYezalL-IrG3NmPTK-bwm-UaaoyDlCLl6xe8V8XzE2zJuq58aqn1am7/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">In my interactions with the VR community, there has been unbridled optimism and enthusiasm, but there has also always been an undercurrent of fear. If I had to describe the average VR enthusiast with one word, it just might be: fearful. Long before today's news, everyone has been terribly afraid of something going "wrong". The fear that VR would not work, that this was going to go the same way as D</span></span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">actyl Nightmare. It would be "neat" for a little while and then abandoned, or that people simply won't "get it". People were afraid that Sony would come in prematurely and "screw everything up". Fear that a teenager, somewhere, would spend 72 hours curled to a headset, die of thrombosis. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Fear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">This is the fear that comes from love. When you really love something, you end up spending a lot of time worrying about losing it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">So, of course - today, people are simply losing their minds.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Oculus isn't VR, Oculus is a company has made some initial innovations in the VR space. If they disappear tomorrow, we will still get to where we are going. We can't help ourselves.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">VR is a specification, a recipe for tricking the human senses into buying into a virtual space. Valve will likely go down in history as the company that first started mapping out these requirements and for sharing them with the world. These basic requirements don't fall under any one company's ownership - the world as a whole will continue to refine the process and bring new solutions to market.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">When Xerox invented the mouse, it was Apple that recognized it for what it was and commercialized it. It should be noted that neither of these companies ultimately controlled or dictated how we interact with our PCs today or how mice evolved. Mouse input was an idea, a clever new way to interact with a computer something bigger than any one company to monopolize or control. VR headsets will quickly transition to the role of a peripheral device similar to mice. They will soon reach a level where they all basically work pretty well and then they will start to need to differentiate themselves with gimmicks and racing stripes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine7gk3lnQoqJUttDAkvDPhDo577_l_mUPKit4nX4fB6-ihiM63JvJvdbKueXLWcZJG4H-dePymyBpiw7K0uwo-TtVnBcc_-0ioXB0XRRHPnHyupQdvLmUXF1j6y_du2Z67mkMknASZ_Bf/s1600/early-mouse460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine7gk3lnQoqJUttDAkvDPhDo577_l_mUPKit4nX4fB6-ihiM63JvJvdbKueXLWcZJG4H-dePymyBpiw7K0uwo-TtVnBcc_-0ioXB0XRRHPnHyupQdvLmUXF1j6y_du2Z67mkMknASZ_Bf/s1600/early-mouse460.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">I listened to the <a href="http://www.roadtovr.com/rev-vr-podcast-episode-54-road-vr-team-discusses-facebook-acquisition-oculus-vr/">Rev-VR-Podcast</a> last night during and it contains a great quote:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">"Don't think in terms of how Facebook will chance Oculus; think about how Oculus will change Facebook." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Take heart. I have a feeling this could be right on the money. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If anyone wants to say hi, I can been reached on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a>, or you link to me in Google+ if you happen to be one of the 300 million remarkably quiet people using the service.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-24241518965170050752014-02-20T01:49:00.002-05:002014-02-20T02:13:20.781-05:00One of the greatest gifts of VR will be in the value of the space it creates around things.<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8gX4-bOGES6dDfZ0hRSHbYOtmELlQXamqJNra146LjftcP3DhfA0owakO80G0lVg7fCQLmqPE60NNBYrMhuoRxBAYnhZZPkPuchgrn2ReUG4PkdhrOvuxCW3zX4csy2ubSCYxknN8a7d/s1600/ramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8gX4-bOGES6dDfZ0hRSHbYOtmELlQXamqJNra146LjftcP3DhfA0owakO80G0lVg7fCQLmqPE60NNBYrMhuoRxBAYnhZZPkPuchgrn2ReUG4PkdhrOvuxCW3zX4csy2ubSCYxknN8a7d/s1600/ramen.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Does anyone remember the concept of web rings? Before Google was a thing and search was still a disorganized child, web sites that shared common interests would form rings with other like sites. If you found yourself on a website about medieval armor engraved with fractal patterns and wanted to go to OTHER websites on the same topic, you might use a webring at the bottom of the page to travel to the next site in a "ring" of sites catering to this specific interest. Website creators would reach out to each other and build these little doors between their sites. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I believe flip-flops will rule the day in VR."</span></div>
<br />
Google, of course, killed this completely. Google is like having an Learjet at your front door instead of a pair of flip-flops. You fly to specific destinations using Google search, you don't wander between things anymore.<br />
<br />
I believe flip-flops will rule the day in VR.<br />
<br />
We will wander. ( Google will no longer be a Learjet, Google is rapidly evolving into a companion. )<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;"> "The modern web has no horizon." </span><br />
<br />
One of the greatest gifts of VR will be in the value of the space it creates around things. <br />
<br />
The discovery of valued things you were NOT searching for is something VR will provide us.<br />
<br />
The modern web has no horizon. We are in the forest with our face pressed up against a tree so hard it hurts. We go from site to site with a complete lack of situational awareness. Here's a few things you rarely know, ever know while travelling the modern web:<br />
<br />
- Who's looking at the same content as me, at this very moment?<br />
- What are most people looking at right now on this site?<br />
- Where do people go once they've finished with this site? Where did they come from?<br />
- What kind of people are they?<br />
- Do I know any of them?<br />
- Why isn't anyone here today? Where are they?<br />
<br />
Some of the most successful sites on the internet are the ones that even begin to provide answers to these questions. We are social animals that spend most of our time looking fixedly in the direction of other members of our troop. <br />
<br />
You might argue that the modern internet has done far more to isolate us than to bring us together and you might even win that argument.<br />
<br />
We spend vast amounts of time on the internet, we live there for part of our day and that portion is only getting bigger and more intertwined with time. Right now, we scrawl notes to each other in 2D space, sometimes in real time, often not. We share video and express ourselves in monologues. It is pitiful substitute for real contact (and yet worlds better than no contact - don't get me wrong.)<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Persistence, Paths, Proximity, and People."</span></blockquote>
<br />
We will explain how things are now on the net to the generations to come, how it used to be in our 2D world, and they won't understand. It will be as big a shift as trying to explain to a 10 year old today, what it was like before the internet. They simply won't get it and we will soon forget ourselves.<br />
<br />
I believe there will be four P's that will be be cornerstones of VR over the next decade and define the value of this technology.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03CbmgqyWViebvpr1VTAkRpQ1X10n2chQUkHNOnJ9m_5WOhjUZMXUXa6U4qH3XkpL_7Uv5HLoEfWHQm7XPgqIN77tXVCzOHfWDHsbcSu-ov2-yrHNWddlczI3GUJACviOAVs9PaV-9ngX/s1600/HDtimelapse.net_People_0373_hirez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03CbmgqyWViebvpr1VTAkRpQ1X10n2chQUkHNOnJ9m_5WOhjUZMXUXa6U4qH3XkpL_7Uv5HLoEfWHQm7XPgqIN77tXVCzOHfWDHsbcSu-ov2-yrHNWddlczI3GUJACviOAVs9PaV-9ngX/s1600/HDtimelapse.net_People_0373_hirez.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Persistence, Paths, Proximity, and People.<br />
<br />
Humans place value on persistence, we've rather come to expect it of the universe we live in. While we claim to be explorers, we are mostly creatures that of habit that live and die in our own small corners of the world. We have our home, our work and then about a dozen places that we regularly visit. Most of our time is spent in these places or making our way between them. We could choose to visit a different restaurant each weekend, or drive a different route to work each day, but we generally don't. The genetic alarms that warn us of the danger of predation, accident and lousy food service makes us want to revisit places we have been before. Places we know to be safe. On a more fundamental level, humans gravitate towards persistence because it gives our worlds order, consistency. If I place my keys in a bowl by the door, I expect they will be there when I come back for them. I'm disappointed if they aren't where I expect them to be when I return; and I'll be extremely disappointed if my entire house disappears overnight or changes color while I'm sleeping. Humans will place value on a consistent, virtual world, when we find places that we like, we will want to be able to return to them. VR environments and services that provide persistence to us will be valued and provide comfort to our brains. A little at first and then, later, I firmly believe some virtual properties will far outstrip the value of many real world locations. We will grow very attached to these places that are not yet built, they will mean a lot to us and we will form strong associations between virtual spaces and real emotion / memories.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Our brains seem to actually experience a form of agony when the perceived VR world breaks.</span>"</span></div>
<br />
Let's take a moment to talk about a funny quirk of the Oculus Rift and presence. The goal of VR is to trick our senses into believing what we are seeing and hearing has as much importance as what we perceive in the real world. During a VR session, if you suddenly turn off head tracking while immersed in presence, the illusion is shattered and the resulting feeling has been described by some as "jarring mental pain". Our brains seem to actually experience a form of agony when the perceived VR world breaks. Our brain feels revulsion to this kind of disturbance, we really don't like it. This means that the favored VR experience will be one that provides a seamless, continuous world. Yes, you could push a button and be transported to a new area instantly but I believe we will prefer to travel between places as we do in the real world. Doorways instead of hyperlinks. Very clever doors I expect. This means we are likely going to be driven towards building seamless, coherence world experiences.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The concept of social media will melt away and simply be replaced by undoctored social interaction and the world will utter a collective sigh of relief."</span></div>
<br />
This then brings me to paths. If travel is part of VR (and I believe it will be an essential part), then the real action will likely be on the street and along the paths you take to go places. Advertising will live here and it will be a spectacle beyond all imagining. You will be able to look into the distance and see where people are going, where the crowds have gathered and what's "hot" today. The concept of social media will melt away and simply be replaced by undoctored social interaction and the world will utter a collective sigh of relief.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Proximity. Accepting a model of a persistent world means that then you also agree to place limits on your landscape. Two places cannot occupy the same space at the same time. So when we start to build this world, it will be necessary to start building things in relation to each other. Some areas will have more value than others, some property will be immensely valuable. <br />
<br />
You can be sure that any organization that looks to place limits on the world in VR is looking to generate money. It will be a simple equation.<br />
<br />
Proximity means that I can overhear music.<br />
Proximity means that I can overhear a conversation.<br />
Proximity means that there will be areas that I know of where I can immerse myself in people that I find interesting and share a space and time with them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRemZiwl61Zz1I4aCSUbOEE3tTVxEmxsTS4EE87YWZOLIhLThzpqXETZ27-Xp11e1lwqfilWLD_H0vqi1nCdJtMDwOe_VMh7Q6CB-BLjZHICatCJ37TQdKzCwlOwHL2diKAJMv7B5uwIM/s1600/shibuya-miniature2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRemZiwl61Zz1I4aCSUbOEE3tTVxEmxsTS4EE87YWZOLIhLThzpqXETZ27-Xp11e1lwqfilWLD_H0vqi1nCdJtMDwOe_VMh7Q6CB-BLjZHICatCJ37TQdKzCwlOwHL2diKAJMv7B5uwIM/s1600/shibuya-miniature2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
People are the real resource in VR and the driving force behind why we will return to it and need it. We will no longer be restricted to our homes, neighborhoods, cities and countries. Just as the telephone allows you the option of calling anyone, VR will give you a tool to get a chance to meet them. I think the simplest description is this: <br />
<br />
VR will give people the chance to meet, who would never have had the opportunity otherwise.<br />
<br />
I don't think I can think of a greater mechanism for changing the world than this. The implications are profound.<br />
<br />
I look forward to what is to come.<br />
<br />
<br />
I can be reached at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a> on twitter, or give a shout out below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-27236308979964840952014-02-13T13:40:00.000-05:002014-02-20T22:18:10.602-05:00Oculus Rift, a Steam Engine for the modern age.I walk around these days and feel like I have a secret to share with the people I pass on the street. At my workstation at home an Oculus Rift dev kit sits, and increasingly, I feel a bit odd about the owning the device. I imagine myself as a man born at the turn of the 17th century who just happens to have a working steam engine in his home. Something few people have heard about, far less have seen and none yet fully appreciate for the change it is about to bring to the world.<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">"One of the most important technologies </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">in the history of man kind."</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Palmer Luckey is widely quoted for his recent Dice talk and the moment towards the end where he exclaimed that the Oculus Rift / VR was "one of the most important technologies in the history of man kind." Depending on who you talk to, he's either grossly naive or a visionary. I've wondered about those words since his talk and I'd entourage you to dig up the video once Dice is kind enough to put it online. It's important to watch the video, because I feel his body language is important. Approaching the end of his talk, he pauses a moment then gathers himself up and makes this proclamation. While I can't claim to know what he was thinking, I imagine he's feeling a bit like a 17th century man himself, standing in a town square, pointing an early steam engine and screaming at the agrarian society around him: "Do you see!? <u>This</u>, this here, will change everything!"<br />
<br />
We don't see it yet. We can't yet. We can't imagine the vast cities that will rise or how far this engine will enable us to travel, but we can start to look around and see some of the early signs of what's to come.<br />
<br />
I've recently had the good fortune to be in touch with a seemingly great bunch of Japanese guys in Tokyo. Rift and hardware enthusiasts all. They are part of a very avid and growing community of Rift developers in Japan and are working together with the drive and love for technology that all Japanese (God love them) seem to be born with. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9W6krqgYAuiEr5rg5WwH4pNaQLgWkiYKjvoRzZUzBYQhH6GrWn6oJ6GeCnYSeVimvoGVetHgzSJpsCInkAtT6LGlsr4q7fx8cbH7ey0jZOnKk8yBW151L3w2yoyrqrvR0hQofReYDSJG/s1600/Bf_Sy2aCYAIe3Zi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9W6krqgYAuiEr5rg5WwH4pNaQLgWkiYKjvoRzZUzBYQhH6GrWn6oJ6GeCnYSeVimvoGVetHgzSJpsCInkAtT6LGlsr4q7fx8cbH7ey0jZOnKk8yBW151L3w2yoyrqrvR0hQofReYDSJG/s1600/Bf_Sy2aCYAIe3Zi.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRaDQ_AYyEbCOh0tru3qskZ2GEYCtQG9jKj7nArRpF0zEgpRvrMziHXNPTrBR_3TBLqL0qIHFaYuPG-hFTUmn7AKcu6ooB6rNJInuIm3EuHZqCyHbParV_wciukfNBmj6AZ9gwSg9-fJX/s1600/BgKmgiMCAAAv6jW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRaDQ_AYyEbCOh0tru3qskZ2GEYCtQG9jKj7nArRpF0zEgpRvrMziHXNPTrBR_3TBLqL0qIHFaYuPG-hFTUmn7AKcu6ooB6rNJInuIm3EuHZqCyHbParV_wciukfNBmj6AZ9gwSg9-fJX/s1600/BgKmgiMCAAAv6jW.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Language is a problem, but it is amazing how far you can get with Google Translate churning away on your incoming net traffic.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">"If there's a group that will end up grafting motion tracking chips into their hands, my money is on these guys to do it first."</span></div>
</blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/GOROman">@GOROman</a> is rumoured to own 20 Oculus dev kits and wanders the streets of Tokyo wearing a custom painted white Rift. I don't know him well yet, but he's high on my radar in terms of "very interesting people to keep a close eye on". These guys are are rapidly hacking together tech at a fantastic pace and founding new companies to distribute their inventions. If there's a group that will end up grafting motion tracking chips into their bodies, my money is on these guys to do it first.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">I <u>will</u> meet them and soon.</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">I've been thinking that I'd really like to meet up with them the next time I get to Japan. I want to share in their inventions, meet the personalities and listen to what they have to say. I have the good fortune of regularly traveling to Japan every 4 years or so, but given how fast things are moving, I was fretting that it might be too long to wait.... and then it hit me. Hard.</span><br />
<br />
I <u>will</u> meet them and soon. <br />
<br />
VR will soon give us a common space to meet face to face, I know they will be in there, I just need to seek them out (and hope they'll be willing to set aside some time to humor me.)<br />
<br />
Oculus Rift / VR will make this possible for me and better still, Google Translate or an equivalent service will be quietly running in the background during this meeting and helping me along in the conversation.<br />
<br />
More thoughts on this tomorrow!<br />
<br />
If anyone wants to say hi, I can been reached on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a>, or you link to me in Google+ if you happen to be one of the 300 million people using the service. Or you could leave a message below. You could just leave one word like "first", that way everyone will know that you were first, on this post... forever.<br />
<br />
<table id="wn" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-size: 10pt;" valign="top"><br /></td><td style="font-size: 10pt;" valign="top"><br /></td><td style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table id="wn" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-size: 10pt;" valign="top"><b>Adj.</b></td><td style="font-size: 10pt;" valign="top"><b>1.</b></td><td style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>in-person</b> - an appearance carried out personally in someone else's physical presence; "he carried out the negotiations in person"; "a personal appearance is an appearance by a person in the <strike>flesh</strike>"<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="screen-name"><span class="goog-text-highlight" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(153, 153, 170) 2px 2px 4px; background-color: #c9d7f1; box-shadow: rgb(153, 153, 170) 2px 2px 4px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Note: @</span><span class="goog-text-highlight" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(153, 153, 170) 2px 2px 4px; background-color: #c9d7f1; box-shadow: rgb(153, 153, 170) 2px 2px 4px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/Gamesonytablet">Gamesonytablet</a> has translated this article to Japanese and posted it <a href="http://t.co/NxYhQovlLU">here</a>. This is wonderful, thank you very much!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-81300161206781225082014-02-11T22:38:00.000-05:002014-02-21T16:03:00.887-05:00Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle.comHere's something for the speculators out there to ponder a bit. If you are interested in reserving the the domain name "google.com" and decide that you'll settle for adding extra o's to the name for your site. As of today, this means you'll need to reserve:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle.com"</span><br />
<br />
<br />
That's a Google with 58 o's in it. 58.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyT_P0xYymH4B3Om6FqgHMaI5zse2n3iMvcwCp5f_KcuAzQesEBp19FYqZyN7QAvxXrE3MqNs4LC0N9XHxaESwQZwsyJkR8M5oLMbx8-eIGVfh_K_ugnE7zfF9RpGnHKoSlgkfy7WXb_zr/s1600/goooooooogle.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyT_P0xYymH4B3Om6FqgHMaI5zse2n3iMvcwCp5f_KcuAzQesEBp19FYqZyN7QAvxXrE3MqNs4LC0N9XHxaESwQZwsyJkR8M5oLMbx8-eIGVfh_K_ugnE7zfF9RpGnHKoSlgkfy7WXb_zr/s1600/goooooooogle.PNG" height="104" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This means that a Google with 57 o's is worth the the 5-10 dollar domain name registration fee to someone out there and 56, and 55 and so forth. You can verify this for yourself using any handy domain registration tool, just as <a href="http://bustaname.com/">bustaname.com</a><br />
<br />
If this is the kind of value that unique words represent to us on the common web, we can start to think of this as a starting place for some of the future value that will be placed on locations in VR space. I can't imagine the sort of land grab is ahead of us when a major organization opens the doors to a credible virtual space. I hope everyone has their wagons ready.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbrRBYktpKTb7-gMgTBgvwP-NkXTaGyBYp7WfGEBYzO0ICVUeJDRwjkUIfHqA9QinG7LJPsL_grOdfxLkHuLYkTygT7I5TxIpGqYdpZWYY0GMHEy4z2fpQ7srR_dMcRVl5PrIXuXsMfhy/s1600/covered-wagons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbrRBYktpKTb7-gMgTBgvwP-NkXTaGyBYp7WfGEBYzO0ICVUeJDRwjkUIfHqA9QinG7LJPsL_grOdfxLkHuLYkTygT7I5TxIpGqYdpZWYY0GMHEy4z2fpQ7srR_dMcRVl5PrIXuXsMfhy/s1600/covered-wagons.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you want to say hi, I can be reached on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@ID_R_McGregor</a>. Interested in VR / Oculus Rift? Let me know below!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4658122902699121454.post-82207457621817318182014-02-09T11:35:00.000-05:002014-02-20T22:20:41.203-05:00I "know" how big a pig is - Oculus Rift / Minecrift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNoYN-wIvC8ysfT7ydPV8lGeLqotBO2yhT5fDDicrJ__67BudmU58pNWJKtaw1A53uZOeHdQTcRzTN6x3oOf2eVOJmc9IyH11bfF4bfqJ26ZYxWYEKL-8U8ZJsOF8n4WyogLj6um092N-/s1600/pig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNoYN-wIvC8ysfT7ydPV8lGeLqotBO2yhT5fDDicrJ__67BudmU58pNWJKtaw1A53uZOeHdQTcRzTN6x3oOf2eVOJmc9IyH11bfF4bfqJ26ZYxWYEKL-8U8ZJsOF8n4WyogLj6um092N-/s1600/pig.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I now know how big a pig is in Minecraft. <a href="https://share.oculusvr.com/app/minecrift">Minecrift </a>allows you to experience Minecraft via the <a href="http://www.oculusvr.com/">Oculus Rift</a>, and delivers an experience that is currently riding high on the list of things you can try that present a high level of immersion, or the feeling of "being there".<br />
<br />
So far, I'm glad that my trials with the Oculus Rift have been private. Anyone watching me would get very bored, very quickly. I find myself spending long, long periods of time just looking hard at things. The corners of rooms, the side of a table, behavior that they'd lock you up for in the real world.Unless you've tried it and were moved by it, it is hard to convey the feeling it gives you, but I'll try here:<br />
<br />
Even though this is a first generation prototype of this new generation of VR, as reported, the Oculus Rift's effect on the mind is startling. Before actually trying the Rift, like many people likely reading this, I've read several dozen extensive "first hand" accounts of what using the rift is like, that and watched a similar number of online videos, documenting people trying out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFVruay2AKhajdNOFQ9c6jNUj4KwGDCTfkyfQs5FOv7YjtyrwW27OUvqKY94uNSdYSgYBVlJ8ngfGSuLjvEopA1sMDu0VulqKwMnTRGPgdW_RC7778yz-YQ0uNwz3zqFFb3fuTrdqIq9d/s1600/rift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFVruay2AKhajdNOFQ9c6jNUj4KwGDCTfkyfQs5FOv7YjtyrwW27OUvqKY94uNSdYSgYBVlJ8ngfGSuLjvEopA1sMDu0VulqKwMnTRGPgdW_RC7778yz-YQ0uNwz3zqFFb3fuTrdqIq9d/s1600/rift.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
While my anticipation was very high, I had tried to sober myself a bit to the realities that "hype" and early enthusiasm often lead to something that misses the high bar set by imagination. After reading the gushing previews of Valve's VR work and the best of show reception that Oculus's "Crystal Cove" prototype received at CES2013, and hearing how much "better" it was than the first gen developer kid, I had expected something that would be compelling but still fell very short of immersion.<br />
<br />
And..... I... was.. wrong.<br />
<br />
It is little wonder that this little device has garnered such attention. It is truly a wonder of our age. I feel like I stare into it with the same kind of awe that early man must have had when looking at firelight.<br />
<br />
Despite what you may have read, the screen quality on the current DK1 rift is not terrible. This might be a generational thing. If you've spent thousands of hours playing Mode 13h / 320 X 200, games, you might still have a good frame of reference for how good we've got it now and how far we've come. I've heard many complaints about the field of view, which I find very odd, as I stare at this 27" monitor from 2 feet away, I can tell you that the rift occupies a space that probably the equivalent of replacing this screen with something about 37 inches, meaning - it well fills out most of the visual space in front of me.<br />
<br />
The screen door effect is there (this is the ability to see lines between the individual elements that make up the screen.) I was surprised how little this bothered me. I have an affinity for things digital and pixel representations, so this almost has an attractive quality to it for me. In some ways, I'm glad to have the reminder that this is a simulation, and here's why:<br />
<br />
The first demo I tried was <a href="http://redframe-game.com/">Redframe</a>. I had heard that it was well done and very immersive, I also heard that it demanded nothing more from the user than to slowly walk around a living room. Sounded perfect for what would likely be a clumsy first Rift session. I clicked the batch file and saw a flicker on the lenses of the nearby waiting Rift. I lifted the rift to my head an held it there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsXnBXDWYhNaN9AE9CEMpNghTtQQ6HRafdW78Gk4c5Zt7H4kEMFdf75SeKKexV1yek72QpPltmpcBPSfH5exi_EwxrNseAdfrJ5iLfbyRMoyVV1qkM-ZIi6hyphenhyphengQWHiDbPEsqdFkHbU8tA/s1600/redframe5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsXnBXDWYhNaN9AE9CEMpNghTtQQ6HRafdW78Gk4c5Zt7H4kEMFdf75SeKKexV1yek72QpPltmpcBPSfH5exi_EwxrNseAdfrJ5iLfbyRMoyVV1qkM-ZIi6hyphenhyphengQWHiDbPEsqdFkHbU8tA/s1600/redframe5.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My breath caught and simply stopped. If you've experienced Redframe, you'll know that there's a model ship sitting in a corner of the room on a table. This happened to be the first thing I saw in VR. (the symbolism of the moment wasn't lost on me...) <br />
<br />
Something that seems to be taken for granted in a lot of articles on the Rift is just how compelling the effect of stereopsis is with this new device. We've been playing fluid 3D first person games since the mid 90's and while the 3D has gotten better and better, it simply cannot compare to how compelling the visuals are when viewing a scene through the Oculus Rift.<br />
<br />
My first few LONG minutes in Redframe, didn't involve any movement. It was far enough to simply rotate my head and survey the scene. The nearby model ship was fascinating, the sails an the rigging all so solidly "real" and in sync with my attempts to observe it different angles. <br />
<br />
You are very aware of your position in space, for the first time, I had a very good sense of exactly how tall I was in comparison to the other objects in the room. The ship came up to about my waist, the bookshelf close by was about 3 feet away.<br />
<br />
Anyone who is a graphic artist is about to have a wonderful new way to have their work freshly appreciated. There is something about the Rift Experience that makes you want to carefully observe things that you would have otherwise blown past (or blown up) without a second thought in traditional first person game experiences. When you see books on the shelf, because they are so close to being part of the "real", it becomes important to know what the books are about. You want to get up close and attempt to read the spines, you want to discover if any of the books that your own might also be sitting on this stranger's shelf.<br />
<br />
I had three very big "wow" moments during the first session of the demo.<br />
<br />
The first was when I traversed the room and made in to the far corner. There is a rubbing of some kind on the wall, something that could be from the fourteen hundreds, and a night table with a lamp by the bed. When I made it into the corner, I was struck by the fact that as I approached the wall, I could make out make out the space BEHIND the night table, and see that the lamp was plugged in, tracing the cord with my vision until I could see where it connected to the wall. This had a huge impact on me. Prior to the Rift, players would be very hard pressed to be able to view this "secret" space behind objects. You might be able to position your character close the wall and crouch, but it would be far more trouble than it would be worth. Here, it was natural - the Oculus Rift allows you to get closer and more intimate with the details of a room, you can observe the subtle relationships between objects in space, and mundane places like the back of a night table are suddenly very inexplicably compelling. Hidden object games are going to have a strong place in this world.<br />
<br />
My second "wow" moment followed shortly after. On my way out of that corner, I managed to move myself RIGHT face first into the curtains. If you were to stand up now in real life and walk to wall, close to the point where your nose was almost touching it, if you share the same sensibilities as me, you will get a bit of an odd feeling, something slightly akin to claustrophobia. We don't like to be face to face with large surfaces, it obscures our vision and you start to feel a bit uncomfortable, you get strong urge to take a step back. This exact feeling was strongly present while using the Rift. You feel like the wall (or curtains in this case) is right in front of you, and you can almost feel your lungs constricting a bit as you try to move yourself away to make more room. I imagine that there will be compelling simulations of cave exploring / ventilation shaft crawling that will feel distinctly uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
My third "wow" moment was when I realized that the Redframe demo had another room available through the doorway and around the corner. I've explored hundreds of FPS games with thousands of rooms, made my way through castles and starships, and yet here, in this living room, I was suddenly floored by the idea that, right around that corner, there was a whole other room that I might explore and that there could be anything in there. I am VERY grateful that the Redframe demo does not have any personalities or creatures within it, I'm not sure if I was quite prepared to deal with any surprises at that point.<br />
<br />
Shortly after Redframe, I was lucky enough to read up about how compelling the "<a href="https://share.oculusvr.com/app/blocked-in">Blocked In</a>". This demo is incredible. It places you at a work table, and presents you with a cluttered room to observe and an astonishing visual out the window of the city you find yourself in. The whole thing is very odd, surreal and compelling. The window view is especially well done. I find myself visiting this room on a daily basis now and just staring out the window. Despite the apocalyptic destruction depicted outside, it is very soothing and has started to feel oddly like a personal space that I "know" and like. The creator <a href="https://twitter.com/camefrombeyond">Daniel Ernst</a> is from the Netherlands, which according the crew at Oculus VR, is the leading nation for interest in VR ( a very curious bit of trivia. ) If Daniel is any indication, we will be given some great gifts from this nation. (hopefully Canada will be able to make our mark as well!) <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZO-k53vqwn2kJ5utMd_oLNtW9C93rm55qdkvuOUQnoH8DTvib_-yAZtniQ8A2i5DVORFO0_tGURN__8UCTqnwzfCha4IhobKF9u9GACAMX9NGO1YVoxHDxZ76fbYvMsnIepTg9ehyUlP/s1600/1383242369187av40wdeipb9_1383242567650.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZO-k53vqwn2kJ5utMd_oLNtW9C93rm55qdkvuOUQnoH8DTvib_-yAZtniQ8A2i5DVORFO0_tGURN__8UCTqnwzfCha4IhobKF9u9GACAMX9NGO1YVoxHDxZ76fbYvMsnIepTg9ehyUlP/s1600/1383242369187av40wdeipb9_1383242567650.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've noticed that this early type of VR experience seems to generate a kind of hunger in a person. Having been given a taste, you are eager to seek out new, similar or better experiences.<br />
<br />
Minecrift was next. I'm familiar with the game and the creatures within it and was blown away by how the Rift allows you to gain a sense of scale that was missing before. Pigs litter the landscape in the game, and prior to the Rift I'd perceived them as being quite small. Wearing the rift, I now know that they actually come up to a little lower than mid-torso. These are some pretty serious pigs and I give them a bit more space than I did previously. If anyone gets the chance to try Mindcrift, I'd recommend you take a few moments and disable the HUD, just turn it all off for a bit. It gives you a nice immersive moment and allows you to really connect with your surroundings. I'd also recommend that you be prepared to take the rift on and off a lot when you are first setting up your game. Don't force yourself to do all the menu navigation via the Rift unless you enjoy having your senses punished.<br />
<br />
Right now I'm most eager to see Daniel Ernst's next creation, but beyond this, I'm most interested in knowing more about the various projects everyone is working on, especially those that are designed to convey a sense of immersive space. Feel free to drop me a line on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ID_R_McGregor">@id_r_mcgregor</a> or in the comments here, I will do my best to get back to you.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04023579039611936278noreply@blogger.com2