CREDIT: COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES/JAAP BUITENDIJK
Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” which premieres this Thursday, transports viewers into the year 2045, and a world where everyone does everything in virtual reality (VR). That’s been a big draw for VR enthusiast, who hope that the movie will finally help their medium of choice go mainstream.
This begs the question: How much does the reality of VR match what “Ready Player One” promises? A closer look at the film reveals that you won’t quite be able to do what its hero Wade Watts does yet — it is science fiction, after all. However, the far-out technology of the movie is actually closer than you may think.
Here’s a spoiler-free look at some of the key technology shown in the movie, and how it compares to VR today:
Wade’s wireless VR headset. “Ready Player One” doesn’t waste a whole lot of time explaining how gadgets used in the film work, but Wade’s headset, which is also used by most other characters, essentially looks like a pair of fancy ski goggles. Light, wireless, and apparently working without any external hardware, it is capable of transporting you to the virtual world of the Oasis where ever you are.
Current-generation VR headsets can’t quite match that form factor, but we are getting closer. Granted, high-end headsets like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift still require an external computer to run VR experiences, and more affordable solutions like Samsung’s Gear VR are based on a user’s phone.
,
,
CREDIT: COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Wade’s VR headset: Not that different from where the industry is heading.
However, there’s a clear trend towards wireless all-in-one headsets. Oculus is getting ready to release its Oculus Go mobile all-in-one at Facebook’s f8 conference next month, Google and Lenovo will soon start selling a Daydream standalone headset, and Oculus is expected to sell a high-end all-in-one, currently dubbed “Santa Cruz,” next year.
The latter will also offer what’s being called inside-out tracking, meaning that it will realistically relay body movements in VR without the need for any external hardware. That’s similar to the headset in “Ready Player One.” However, Spielberg’s version goes even further, and keeps track of obstacles in the real world, allowing users to break into mock VR fights while running around on a real-life sidewalk. That kind of awareness of one’s environment is still a bit further out, but AR apps on phones already hint at what’s possible.
Tactile gloves and bodysuits. VR users in “Ready Player One” wear special gloves to interact with virtual screens and “feel” virtual objects. Anyone with some extra cash can get their hands on body suits capable of relaying additional sensory feedback , ranging from punches to at times more pleasant sensations.
VR startups like uSens have already built workable finger tracking solutions, even without the need for gloves. Tactile feedback is a lot harder, but not impossible. VR startup HapX built a prototype of a tactile glove that lets you actually feel VR objects, thanks to integrating hundreds of air pockets that get compressed and decompressed in real-time via special software.
,
Source: Variety