Imagine this: you’re on the beach in a country you’ve never been too. Picture Anse Source d’Argent in La Digue in the Republic of Seychelles. The day is gorgeous with a perfect breeze slipping through the air as you take generous sips of a special beverage. The sand is warm — but not hot — as you take slow, unplanned steps with no destination in mind. The only noises heard are the ocean crawling up the shore and the crunch of feet in the sand. You walk towards the ocean where the water is coming ashore in a pattern reminiscent of the chest of your lover as they nap under an umbrella just a few feet away. Slowly. Melodically. The water is close to your toes as you inch towards it.
And then a man named Steve sprints by with his pet wolf, throws down a crafting table and makes a boat out of planks of wood. He hops in and sails off. He shoots a flaming arrow at you just for kicks. Your vacation is ruined so you decide to go somewhere else. This is the land of Minecraft.
This is one of the many worlds of virtual reality (VR). You were playing a game the entire time as you slip off a headset that covered your sightline. The visor-like device can have any number of company logos on it. PlayStation, HTC, Oculus. It all depends on who you prefer. What’s important is you have the ability to experience these adventures. The operative word is “experience” as VR’s ambitions are somewhat tough to explain to those who haven’t tried it.
Virtual reality is something of a novelty at this point. While it’s true that it can be applied to gaming or touring in some capacity, it’s still an entirely new and largely unexplored avenue. Plus, not many people have access to the technology. It’s expensive, as headsets can cost upwards of $600. There are even some headsets that don’t come with controllers needed for games, so adds that to the cost. All this without considering if you have enough space to set up “room scale” items like cameras and cables. That’s not to mention procuring a computer strong enough to run it all. By the time you spend the ~$2,000 or so you need, you could’ve been halfway to Mexico!
The area of VR is a niche culture, much like boating or raising a child. Not everyone is built for the lifestyle. But it’s important to realize virtual reality is coming whether the world is prepared or not. Many headsets – while not as technically powerful – are being made available to the masses for relatively decent prices (Samsung’s Gear VR costs a seventh of what the phone does and Google’s less advanced, but still pretty neat, Cardboard begins pricing at $15). A very interesting development in the situation is Atlanta’s growing involvement in the VR landscape.
Atlanta is not completely unfamiliar to VR. Prior to the opening of two separate VR bars, the city celebrated the new medium by giving it a day of its own this past January. VR Day was dubbed “Atlanta’s mixed reality conference,” where co-hosts Georgia State and Nektr tried their best to share the promises of virtual reality with attendees. They’d made substantial strides in doing so by partnering with the likes of Microsoft (whose new mixed reality deviceHololens made waves at the Electronic Entertainment Expo years ago); CNN; Metro Atlanta Chamber and more.
VR Day was a way to grasp an understanding of the unknown. People like CNN’s Head of VR, Ed Thomas, gave sessions on what is “real in reality.” Speakers like Samsung’s Head of VR Marketing, Bachir Zeroual, talked about what was next for VR. Professors, those with PhD’s, and even a writer from one of the mightiest gaming companies in the world discussed how the technology works and why it would continue to march forward.
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Outside the borders of VR
Now you’re in the outskirts of London in the early morning hours. And you’re a mobster for some reason. Your now glabrous partner hands you a submachine gun and, with his Cockney accent, instructs you to shoot the guys chasing your getaway car. Of course, you do as you’re told and shoot. But the bad guys are shooting back. Several motorcycles make their way to the side of your car. You manage to shoot the people off; there are even some explosions. Suddenly, an armored van pulls in front of you. A man in tactical armor kicks the back doors open and begins firing RPG rounds at you. After exchanging a few lines with your partner, figuring out how to shoot the ammo crates in the back of the armored truck. Doing so ensures the greatest explosion you’ll see in your lifetime.
What’s interesting for virtual reality is the expanded takes companies are having on it. Even more eye-catching is one museum’s leap over the technology. Madame Tussaud’s New Yorkhas a fairly new exhibit wherein users run around like Ghostbusters. Yes, true-to-life Ghostbusters. In The Ghostbusters Experience, groups of up to three can strap on faux proton packs™, scanners and other costume accouterments for a brief safari through a haunted New York apartment complex in Ghostbusters: Dimension. Ghosts, like the infamous Slimer and the ever-gooey Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, roam the streets and it’s up to you to stop them.
However, this is not virtual reality; it’s “Hyper-Reality” – something entirely different. Hyper-Reality is the practice of imposing digital worlds over real life spaces, working in concert with real-time effects. Both reality and the digital worlds can then be used to traverse fantastical environments from favorite movies or shows.
In an email conversation with Anna Domingo, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York, she writes on why Ghostbusters: Dimension was a good fit for the museum.
“Madame Tussauds always aims to offer the most entertaining and most unique experiences for our visitors,” Domingo wrote.
The museum teamed up with Sony Pictures and THE VOID to curate the experience which is said to be different to each person. But the technology behind it is beyond what we conventionally know as VR.
James Jensen, Chief Visionary Officer and co-founder at THE VOID, described the reasoning behind the leap in technology in an email correspondence. He wrote about the company’s main goal: “immersive, social and engaging experiences beyond the limitations of reality.”
Mr. Jensen added that VR has the propensity to be a lonely endeavor as it preoccupies sight and sound. However, the Ghostbusters: Dimension’s use of a playable landscapes can jog other senses.
“With this experience, fans of the Ghostbusters franchise step beyond reality and directly into the Ghostbusters storyline as they experience what it is like to be a Ghostbuster; tracking and trapping supernatural foe through a New York apartment complex in an environment that combines physical props and sets, real-time interactive effects, and VR technology” Jenson specified.
Domingo adds that the godfather of Ghostbusters, director Ivan Reitman, gave his blessing for the project. He even went through it.
“He was impressed with the attention to detail of the entire space” she wrote.
What Madame Tussauds and THE VOID have created is a spectacular new way to play with virtual reality. They’re taking the mechanics and creatively applying them to other uses, reshaping an art yet to be fully formed.
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Source: 11 Alive