As we enter Year 2 of the emergence of Virtual Reality as a consumer platform, we will see many analysts, articles and pundits weigh in on the state of the nascent industry. They will ask things like: Who are the early winners and losers? Is VR already whiffing on the huge expectations set in early 2016? Are we about to enter the trough of disillusionment and can the industry recover from this setback?
I believe that these questions, while fun to ask, read about and debate on Twitter, fundamentally miss the point.
What we are witnessing is the birth of arguably the most important computing platform to date that has the potential to change the way we live, work, learn, entertain and communicate in a way that dwarfs everything that has come before it.
Crazy, you say? Perhaps. But to understand this better, let’s rewind the clock 200,000 years to the emergence of Homo Sapiens as a species distinct from other human ancestors. An increasing number of anthropologists and evolutionary biologists theorize that one trait that differentiated Homo Sapiens from other related species was the ability to cooperate with one another in large, flexible groups outside of their immediate tribe or family, a theory further popularized in Yuval Noah Harari’s book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
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The VOID is pioneering a location-based VR experience beyond what is possible to have in the home today. Each participant walks around an enclosed, purpose-built stage with a high powered gaming PC strapped to her back. Included in this rig is what’s known as a haptic vest which vibrates in the appropriate places when you get hit by objects thrown by the ghosts you’re trying to subdue. This added tactile dimension increases the level of immersion and realism that’s hard to overemphasize.
As VR continues to mature, our ability to simulate virtual worlds and experiences will first approach and then likely surpass what we experience in the real world.
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William: “Are you real?” Angela: “Well, if you can’t tell, does it matter?” (HBO)
2. The most social computing medium to date. One common critique of VR is that is has the potential to be socially isolating. Critics fear that virtual experiences will be so engaging that the pull of these simulated worlds will be no match for interacting with people in real life (IRL). The addiction many of us have to our Smartphones today will be supplanted by the even stronger pull of having Kleenex box-sized headsets strapped to our faces all day at the expense of real human interaction.
While all new technology has its pros and cons and is best used in moderation, I believe VR offers the potential for a far brighter future. People have always felt a strong pull towards the social aspects of computing from early Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) to Compuserve Bulletin Boards to the rise of Instant Messaging to today’s billion user plus social networks. The lure of social computing has always been the opportunity to connect with other people who may be geographically distant in a shared virtual space.
VR will bring the ability to connect around shared interests, passions and goals in a way that is much more natural and similar to how we interact with each other in the real, physical world. Done right, social in VR will enable us to understand and empathize with others not only by what they say but also how it feels to be where they are and how they live their lives. It has the potential create a new sense of camaraderie that 120 characters can never approach.
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Source: VRscout