A new dawn for virtual & augmented reality A White Paper, published by venuefinder.com
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Contents Introduction................................................................................................................. 3 Opinion: A Virtual Awakening..................................................................................... 4 Henry Stuart, Founder and CEO of virtual reality production company, Visualise explains why VR is the next big thing in events. A Case Study: The Audi Virtual Reality Driving Experience........................................ 6 A Case Study: The World’s First Virtual Tourism Experience....................................... 7 Opinion: The Science of Engagement........................................................................ 9 Scott Hope, Commercial Director of AR Experiential, discusses how augmented and virtual reality technology can be used for more compelling storytelling. A Case Study: Vodafone and McLaren F1’s augmented experience...................... 11 Opinion: Virtual Reality - What are the opportunities for venues?........................... 12 Lime Venue Portfolio’s Richard Kadri-Langford assesses the opportunity around VR. A Case Study: Chemmy Alcott’s Grand Slalom 360 Video....................................... 14 Opinion: Who will own the virtual reality interface? ............................................... 16 Linc Gasking CEO of virtual reality start-up 8i, looks at who is the more likely to control the mainstream operating system for VR in the future.
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A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Introduction
For a while now, mobile virtual reality (VR) and augmented content (AR) have been quietly infiltrating media and brand experiences without any real explosion in terms of mainstream adoption. More recently however, we’ve begun seeing a sharp rise in VR-enabled video, driven by the increased appeal of VR handset devices such as Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear, along with platforms such as Facebook and YouTube now offering 360˚ viewing capabilities.
Samsung recently launched its new handset, the S7 by enabling owners of a Samsung phone to download an app that would allow them to watch a 360˚ virtual gig by the band Years and Years when their phone was inserted into the Gear headset. While attendees to the 2015 Geneva Motor Show could experience being in the passenger seat of the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 610 as it travelled at breakneck speeds through the scenic Amalfi coast in the South of Italy. For 2016 however, it’s no longer only smartphoneconnected VR that will act as the gateway to new virtual experiences.
In November, the New York Times gave away more than a million Google Cardboard virtual reality viewers to its home delivery subscribers and has been producing some great VR entertainment content for its NYT VR app ever since.
PC-powered headsets are imminent with pre-orders for the HTC Vive exceeding 15,000 units in the first ten minutes of going on sale. Oculus Rift headsets are already on sale, Sony’s PlayStation VR headset will be on our shelves from October.
We’re also now seeing more augmented information overlays on everything from print advertising to art, buildings, retail environments and product packaging, driven by improvements in the technology and our insatiable appetite for mobile apps.
With the added computing power of these consumer VR headsets, virtual content will soon transform how we shop, how we travel, how we’re entertained and how we seek out new information.
In the events industry, VR and AR is mainly being championed by brands in sectors with a vested interest in giving their audiences more immersive experiences, such as automotive, consumer electronics, tourism and entertainment.
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AR may have stumbled when Google Glass failed to take-off in 2014 but this new VR dawn will bring with it a renewed interest in all forms of technology-driven content. Mike Fletcher
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Opinion: A Virtual Awakening HENRY STUART, Founder and CEO of virtual reality production company, Visualise explains why VR is the next big thing in events. Picture this, an event with no limit to the number of people that can attend, a stadium or catwalk show that is never at capacity, it just keeps expanding, or a conference with no maximum number of attendees. Or how about the ability to showcase your new venue or hotel without having to get people physically there? This is what virtual reality can do for the events industry, and it’s starting already. There are several ways to make use of VR in the events industry, from opening your event to a whole new audience, regardless of the capacity of the venue, to live streaming gigs or sporting events for those who can’t attend. Venues and hotels are also making the most of this new technology by allowing people to have an ‘as good as real-life’ tour of the building, without having to leave the comfort of their office. 360 Live streaming is one of the best uses of VR in events - allowing brands to take their event to millions of people around the world, rather than just the hundreds or thousands that attend on the day. Unlike conventional live streaming you actually feel like you are there - this is the power that good VR has.
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It also means the impact of the event lasts longer, with the ability to watch the event ‘on-demand’, even after it’s over. A number of VR companies are now offering the ability to live stream 360˚ content from gigs, sporting events, catwalks, keynotes and brand events. Any number of users around the world are able to don an Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard headset and be in the prime position at the event. VR is also a great crowd puller when it comes to experiential activations, with the automotive industry taking advantage of these benefits in particular. Head along to the Goodwood Festival of Speed or Geneva Motor Show, and the marquees that are not using VR will probably be in the minority. Manufacturers are using it for a huge scope of experiences, from the fantastical to the practical. The former is highlighted by the likes of Nissan and its ‘wingsuit’ flying experience where viewers lie on a motion base platform with a VR headset on and move through hoops in the clouds while air is blown at them. Contrast this with the practical, such as the Audi Driving Experience, which showcases the highlights of its driving days within a practical tool that provides the passenger point-of-view.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
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VR provides an opportunity to bring stunning VIP experiences, that show brands in the best light, to a truly captive audience.”
On the other side, experiential has always spearheaded VR as an industry that is built on bringing innovation to consumers on behalf of brands. VR provides an opportunity to bring stunning VIP experiences, that show brands in the best light, to a truly captive audience. South African Tourism was one of the first to do a big activation in VR - allowing people to preview the highlights of travelling in the country. These were not any normal highlights either – think shark diving, abseiling down Table Mountain, or even being face-to-face with an elephant.
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It’s important to remember these experiences are going to have to pull crowds in on merit and not fad alone. Once the buzz around VR dies off then the true, high quality examples that add genuine value will shine through. Right now, VR is a fun way for a brand to bring a VIP experience to customers or delegates, but in the future it will be a common way to take yourself, virtually, to anything incredible you want to, anywhere in the world.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
A Case Study: The Audi Virtual Reality Driving Experience Client: Audi UK & Vertical Productions Deliverables: 360˚ video capture, motion chair, Oculus Rift DK2 App build, binaural sound Location: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 and West London Audi Showroom, Autumn 2015 Project Date: Summer 2015
The Challenge Visualise was approached by Vertical Productions to bring to life its ambitious brief for the Audi Virtual Reality Driving Experience, a key attraction at the Audi Village, during the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015. In line with Audi’s values of advancement through technology, Vertical Productions wanted Visualise to create an innovative 360˚ virtual reality driving experience to showcase the handling of the Audi R8, RS 6 and Allroad Quattro on the famous and highly variable terrain at Stowe Circuit, Silverstone.
The Solution Visualise wanted to invoke in the user a heightened sense of reality and thrill as they took the Audi R8, RS 6 and Allroad Quattro cars on a combination of track and off-road virtual driving experiences that were suitable for each car. This was achieved by introducing a custom motion chair, to create an authentic sensation of the driving experiences. This added to the sense of presence when deployed alongside the Oculus Rift DK2 along with an element of theatre and extra buzz around the activation stand. After installing Visualise’s tried and tested 360˚ camera rigs into the passenger seats of the vehicles and capturing the footage, the more technically challenging part was in the post production.
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In order to replicate the physical forces, Visualise spent time interpreting the motion of the cars from the 360˚ video content. This was programmed in Unity, a realtime games engine, to mimic in the motion chair the breaking, twists and turns, ascent and descent of the car on the track and off road routes. The end result is an interactive experience, which gives users a more realistic sense of the physical forces one would feel while being taken on an actual test-drive.
The Results Over 1000 people went through the VR experience across four days. “People raved about it on social media and some said that it was worth going to the festival just for the Oculus experience,” says Karen Boulton, Content Manager at Audi UK.
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People raved about it on social media and some said that it was worth going to the festival just for the Oculus experience,”
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
A Case Study: The World’s First Virtual Tourism Experience
Client: South African Tourism
The Solution
Partners: SomethinElse, UM London and Tribe
Filmed entirely on location in South Africa, the video was shot using a series of cameras in 3D printed mounts to create a full 360˚ effect.
Campaign: South Africa: A Five-Minute Holiday Deliverables: Oculus DK2, Samsung Gear VR Location: London and Manchester launch. Showcased at global travel shows including World Travel Market and New York Times Travel Show Project Date: Spring 2015
The Challenge To change the perceptions of South Africa as a travel destination and help South African Tourism target the affluent under-40s market through an immersive fiveminute holiday. Using Oculus Rift DK2 and Samsung Gear VR headsets, Visualise allowed viewers to abseil down Table Mountain, swim with sharks, kite surf, paraglide and feed elephants – all without leaving the UK.
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Working with SomethinElse, Visualise also pioneered the use of 360˚ sound to accompany the video, creating a truly immersive experience. “As far as we know, this was the first time a tourism board based in the UK had used Oculus Rift to showcase its destination in such a varied and immersive way, using this state-of-the-art technology to create an interactive and immersive experience,” says Tolene van der Merwe, South African Tourism, UK Country Manager. The Five-Minute Holiday was made up of six scenes in South Africa, including abseiling down Table Mountain in Cape Town; kite-surfing; feeding the elephants in a sanctuary; strolling through Neighbourhoods Market in Johannesburg; and shark-cage diving, where the footage was shot underwater using a specially 3D printed underwater camera rig, which first had to be tested in the warmer climbs of the London Scuba School.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
The Results Following experiential activations in London and Manchester, the experience has since been rolled out globally and has been at prominent travel events including World Travel Market in London and the New York Times Travel Show.
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Between 12-15 February 2016, the Five-Minute Holiday was published as five shortened 360˚ videos for South African Tourism’s Facebook page. These videos have since received over a million views with thousands of enthusiastic comments. It’s a great example of how using cross-platforms can give you a bigger ROI and take your audience from hundreds to millions.
Click to view video or copy and paste the following URL into your broswer https://vimeo.com/107154146
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Over a million views with thousands of enthusiastic comments.”
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Opinion: The Science of Engagement SCOTT HOPE, Commercial Director of AR Experiential, discusses how augmented and virtual reality technology can be used for more compelling storytelling. AR and VR are capturing headlines across the technology, business and mainstream media landscape. But what is the relevance of these similar, albeit subtly different technologies to us in the world of events? Whichever segment of the MICE sector you work in, experience design is paramount because meetings, incentive travel, conferences and events are all about delivering experiences. Whatever the objective, whatever the context, whatever the market vertical, we need to create compelling, memorable experiences that educate, entertain, communicate and engage. AR and VR technologies can help us achieve this by enhancing creativity through digitised storytelling using AR Smart-glasses or VR headsets. In this day and age every event we organise has a marketing imperative - be it a corporate meeting, trade show or experiential activation. The practice of experiential marketing is typically associated with consumer activations but arguably, is entirely relevant across the events sector - experiential engagement concerns achieving a marketing objective whether that be internal or external. AR and VR should be thought of as tactical tools,
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not strategies, where compelling stories form the memorable experience, not the technology used to tell them. Consider a B2B exhibition stand, for instance. The client typically briefs an ‘open and inviting’ space. I would argue, the opposite is more compelling. Surely a certain amount of intrigue is good? It’s an approach less common with events, having seen greater adoption in retail store design, but most commonly with visitor attractions in the leisure and cultural sectors. The focus remains on storytelling, where a walk-through experience is created on the stand, supported by AR / VR technology, followed by the traditional engagement opportunity.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
The science behind how we engage visitors, consumers, guests and delegates remains the same, irrespective of the context - it stems from the social psychology behind multi-sensory engagement. There are many multi-sensory technologies to support AR / VR based experiences - scent generation and haptic feedback being the most obvious but it’s important to effectively integrate other technologies too so that your data management is just as compelling as your experience delivery. CRM integration is one consideration but perhaps more important is social media amplification and effective measurement of its impact on ROI. As event professionals, we need to think beyond our personal use of the various platforms as we mustn’t presume everyone is as active as we are. Social media is a ‘social media’; it’s an evolved means of personal communication between friends - not really a forum for marketing communication although we all seem to think so. Many brands have 100K+ followers / likes but how many of these consumers are actively engaged with the constant stream of irrelevant content, arguably very few, I’d say.
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Events are a catalyst for social media activity, organically inspiring or directly facilitating user generated content that develops social conversations and that all important word of mouth reach.”
Events are a catalyst for social media activity, organically inspiring or directly facilitating user generated content that develops social conversations and that all important word of mouth reach. AR / VR are both on a trajectory for mass consumer adoption and whilst their respective markets develop, opportunities will continue to arise for the events industry as experiences become ever more important to digital marketing solutions. Welcome to the future of immersive augmented events.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
A Case Study: Vodafone and McLaren F1’s augmented experience Brief
Creative
A-Vision was asked to entertain guests in the F1 Paddock Club and inform them about Vodafone’s long established partnership with McLaren F1 using augmented reality technology.
The experiences were designed not only to intrigue and amaze the audience, but also to educate them about the depth and relevance of Vodafone’s longstanding partnership with McLaren. In particular, the experiences were created to highlight Vodafone’s communications resource and technical support that empowers McLaren. It was essential that the AR experience reflected the Vodafone and McLaren brands in terms of innovation, quality and reliability. Once the creative routes were agreed, A-Vision conducted rigorous testing of AR platforms and tablet devices. A-Vision concluded that the most impressive result could be delivered by building the experiences in Unity using Qualcomm’s Vuforia AR plug-in, running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Each experience required a different technical and creative approach to achieve the desired result. One experience involved scanning McLaren driver Jenson Button using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) scanner. The data captured allowed A-Vision to create a disarmingly lifelike CGI textured model of Jenson. The CGI version of Jenson – having transformed from a static life-size portrait on the wall of the Paddock Club – delivers a personal explanation of Vodafone’s Machine 2 Machine technology, supported by animated statistics, graphs, sound effects and even video layers.
Click to view video or copy and paste the following URL into your broswer https://vimeo.com/122107487
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LIDAR was also used to create a full 15-man pit crew who were animated to perform a slow-motion pit stop on McLaren’s 2013 F1 car, the MP4-28. Guests could view the experience from any angle, allowing a detailed examination of the car and the tyre change in 360°.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Opinion: Virtual Reality - What are the opportunities for venues? Lime Venue Portfolio is a group of unique and unusual venues covering sporting, leisure, historical, and contemporary spaces. RICHARD KADRI-LANGFORD, Head of Marketing for the group assesses the opportunity around VR. There is an obvious sales and marketing opportunity for venues through the advancement of virtual reality, especially when it comes to showcasing the venues. This technology allows organisers to get a taste of the spaces we offer them from the comfort of their offices and saves them a lot of unnecessary venue visits. However, whilst 360˚ tours, sphere photography, Google Places etc. have been around for a while, a recent survey we conducted, found that most event organisers did not place a huge amount of importance on these when considering a venue online. Just 27% of those looking for a venue expected to see a 360˚ virtual tour, whilst 9% wanted to see venue videos. Compare this to 86% who requested floor plans and 74% for detailed image galleries.
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It must be remembered, virtual reality is still a developing technology and its use requires a number of components to provide real value; these include the right software and hardware, which are currently significant barriers to adoption. However, the potential is clearly there in the longer term for venues to better showcase their spaces in the information gathering stage of the buyer cycle and to essentially allow both venues and buyers to reduce unnecessary site visits. Better information has already proved instrumental in allowing the planner to reduce their visits from around 20 to five qualified visits in a day. From a sales and marketing perspective we’re actually keen not to reduce this number anymore. The reality is that a planner can only really get the feel of the operational side of the venue, the space on offer, and the customer journey, if they spend time within it.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
As adoption increases, VR and other technologies will undoubtedly deliver better pre-qualification, but we want planners to make highly informed decisions as well. For us at Lime Venue Portfolio, the better opportunity for the industry is the enrichment of the events that we host and there is a very real opportunity for organisers to use this technology to add engagement to the event. We run a campaign called Meetings Mean Business, which essentially places us as a cheerleader for event organisers that want to create the best events they can. We see using an unusual venue as the first step in doing this. For these reasons we’re keen as a group of venues to be offering organisers any and all technology that they need to create the event they want.
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VR is one of these engagement opportunities and we’ve already seen early confidence in this technology at many of the events we host across our portfolio. Organisers like VR because it means delegates can be transported out of the room to other experiences and worlds while still having a face-to-face experience; a perfect example of how technology can compliment events and not cannibalise the industry. The technology also has the wow factor and is fun, memorable and engaging, which means it supports the objectives of most of our organisers. There is a still a long way to go in this technology and over time, there will be an easier fit between VR and the industry. However, we should work with the providers and accept that there is potential and value to be had, both for venues and our customers, both now and in the future.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
A Case Study: Chemmy Alcott’s Grand Slalom 360˚ Video Brief
Creative
Each January for the past 29 years, commercial real-estate agent, Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has held an annual Ski Challenge and Business Forum in Courmayeur, Italy.
To deliver innovation at its best, A-Vision decided it was only fitting to film a 360° virtual reality experience.
For 2016, Chemmy Alcott, British former World Cup alpine ski racer and four-times Olympic skier turned broadcaster, hosted a ‘ski clinic’ at the event. LSH joined forces with the CoStar Group, the world’s leader in real-estate data, as its media partner. A-Vision was commissioned to produce innovative content to capture the Ski Challenge and Business Forum, to firmly position LSH as a truly technically innovative organisation and engage key audiences with content that had a shelf-life way beyond the event.
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The agency wanted to immerse the target audience in the sheer power, velocity and fear of the Giant Slalom run at Le Greye; to plummet each viewer down the breath-taking vertical drops of this challenging piste, with all the super-fast changes of direction and spraying powder. Long after the end of the skiing season, such a thrilling 360° virtual reality experience would continue to captivate and thrill key target audiences by enabling each viewer to join a former Olympian skier on the slopes. This was far from a straight-forward shoot. Skiing 360˚ VR does exist but it is not as dynamic as it could be
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
and A-Vision wanted to create something that was best in breed. Intensive planning started two months prior. A-Vision own two full 360° virtual reality camera rigs, one 10 camera (for close-up work) and one 6 camera for slightly further away shots. As a proof of concept, the agency filmed on the real snow slope in Hemel Hempstead.
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360° virtual reality is utilised to its full potential in this production. The exhilarating combination of sight, sound, motion and emotion stimulate the senses and psyche of each viewer, especially so when immersed in the Oculus Rift headset.”
The 10 camera rig was positioned on a pole which could be held in a similar way to how a slalom skier would hold their ski sticks. The pole was weighted with a counterbalance which allowed both stability and suspension when travelling over the bumps of snow. This test did not only show how the filming would work, it also allowed A-Vision to get Chemmy on board with what was involved in the filming ahead of the actual event. At the location in Courmayeur, A-Vision had just four hours from the base to the slopes to film what they needed with Chemmy. In all, A-Vision had eight full runs with her on the Giant Slalom. Each time, they adjusted the positions of the rig to give different angles. A-Vision also had the second camera rig with skiers positioned further down the course to take over the filming as it was only in their wildest of dreams that they could ever hope to keep up with the speed of an Olympic skier! So eight great runs later, A-Vision ended up with 16 cameras’ rushes all shot at 4K. The result is an extraordinary experience. 360° virtual reality is utilised to its full potential in this production. The exhilarating combination of sight, sound, motion and emotion stimulate the senses and psyche of each viewer, especially so when immersed in the Oculus Rift headset.
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Being able to join Chemmy on the slopes in the Giant Slalom also deepened the emotional relationship between the viewer and Britain’s best-loved Olympian female skier, as each individual becomes an adrenalin-junkie for a minute and a half. The film is hosted on You Tube 360 so tens of thousands of people can also experience the ultimate ski challenge and place LSH and the CoStar Group as technical innovators. The creation of You Tube 360 has opened up the virtual reality market to a global audience. Now content can either be navigated around a 360˚ panorama using a cursor or viewed on a phone or tablet to instinctively move around the environment – without the use of a headset which gives a more immersive experience. Such is the clamour for rich 360˚ content that even the poorest quality productions are gaining tens of thousands of views. Furthermore, at a live event in April, over 100 main clients and key decision makers of LSH will put on 10 Samsung VR headsets to fully relive the experience. Immersed in this thrilling virtual skiing experience, there is little doubt that these key stakeholders will walk away feeling that Lambert Smith Hampton and the CoStar Group are organisations at the top of their game with technical innovation.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
Opinion: Who will own the virtual reality interface? LINC GASKING, CEO of virtual reality start-up 8i, looks at who is the more likely to control the mainstream operating system for VR in the future. Virtual reality and augmented reality are having a moment. Earlier this year, both multimedia formats had a large presence at both CES2016 in Las Vegas and at the Sundance Film Festival. German games festival Director, Thorsten Wiedemann recently spent 48 hours in a VR headset — and lived to tell the tale. And the New York Times, after giving out Google Cardboards to subscribers last year, is currently promoting a VR film about the ongoing presidential race. The mainstream is starting to consume virtual and augmented reality experiences, but we’re only at the start of what will be a long and iterative transition to a new interface.
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Right now, VR exists on desktop-tethered devices and simpler mobile-powered solutions. The real question is, how long will it take before it converges into one computer in your pocket that controls an Apple Watchstyle peripheral, such as an interactive contact lens? Only time will tell. What we do know is that today’s top technology and hardware companies — Facebook, Google, HTC/ Valve, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft and now Apple — are engaged in a race to own this new interface and produce the winning VR operating system. As these virtual worlds converge on the Internet, it will be a sprint with surprisingly significant consequences. Not only will the company with the leading OS influence the hardware you’ll purchase to experience
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
volumetric VR and AR content, but it will also determine who’ll own your mental real-estate. That is, the memories you’ll record in VR, the experiences you’ll have, not to mention your social interactions. There are currently four factors at play when assessing VR/AR capabilities; if any one company could master all four, they would break away from the competition: • Positional Tracking — How can we improve our ability to move around in a virtual world? • Interactivity — Are we able to see our hands and touch the items in this new environment? • Presence — Do users feel as if they’re truly there, sharing a moment with the person they’re watching? • Mobility — Are users able to have an untethered experience? And a portable one they can carry around with them? At the moment, of the dozen or so companies in the race for the VR/AR OS, Facebook and Alphabet seem like the main contenders, but we are still very early in the race and Apple could emerge as an important player despite its apparent slow-start. Each is taking a slightly different strategy towards the same end-goal. Facebook, with its Oculus Rift unit and partnership with Samsung, wants to be the social fabric connecting all the headsets. It’s generally expected that it will roll-out an open, Android-like model. Google is simultaneously pursuing both a lower-end product with its Google Cardboard headset and a higher-end device through its investment in Magic Leap.
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History shows that consumers gravitate towards simplicity when adopting new technologies, and that they tend to favour high-quality gear when it comes to consumer electronics.”
Google is also reportedly working on a new VR headset. Given their bets at both ends of the market, Google’s model also leans toward providing an open source, Android-like solution. Apple, meanwhile, has kept a tight lid on its VR plans thus far. However, given how the Cupertino-based company has approached its product lines in the past, it’s likely to take a closed, end-to-end “walled garden” approach, whereby they create a single, controlled and curated location for purchasing VR/AR devices and content — an iOS plus iTunes for VR. There’s no doubt that one of biggest barriers to consumer adoption in VR today is complexity and while the emergence of VR-centric consoles such as PlayStation VR will help reduce some friction, there may still be room for an elegant product to surprise us all. Despite its comparatively later start to the race, Apple could be in a strong position to bring a VR/AR OS mainstream. This is because closed systems generally provide the easiest path for users as they explore a complex and confusing new medium.
A NEW DAWN FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY 2016
He writes: “History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody’s hobby to somebody’s industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick production marvel; from a freely accessible channel to one strictly controlled by a single corporation or cartel — from open to closed system.” It’s not a stretch to see this pattern applying to VR and AR. In fact, it’s already starting to play out, as VR, which only four years ago required a $40,000 headset, has been democratised by a $20 cardboard headset — of which Google has shipped five million units. And all of this is happening before the vast majority of people have even tried the experience.
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However long it takes, it’s thrilling to be part of the journey.”
Based on these dynamics, it seems like the winning VR/ AR OS will follow a closed system because satisfying virtual experiences require both high-end hardware and high-quality content. Only Apple — which itself shifted from being a company dedicated to openness to the poster child for a closed ecosystem — has thus far been able to successfully create full-stack, end-to-end solutions that integrate hardware and software.
History shows that consumers gravitate towards simplicity when adopting new technologies, and that they tend to favour high-quality gear when it comes to consumer electronics. Apple’s relentless focus on simple design and a curated experience, along with its market-leading technology in display pixel density, could help ease mainstream consumers into VR. The idea that mainstream VR/AR will be a closed system — albeit one with massive diversity around the edges, like a forest ecosystem — is supported by how high-end technological advances have evolved in the past. As legal scholar Tim Wu notes in his book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, all of the greatest technological innovations of the past century — the telephone, the radio, broadcast and cable television, the Internet — have followed the same basic path: progressing from an open, widely-accessible resource to a closed, corporatised commodity.
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Consumers are also unlikely to start carrying a second device in addition to their smartphones. So if Apple is behind the one “computer” in your pocket, it’ll be an uphill battle trying to convince casual users to buy and carry an additional device. Deeper integration between hardware, software, and content will be required to bring VR/AR into the mainstream, making Apple an interesting contender in the race, and certainly not one to dismiss for starting late (especially since we don’t know how long it’s been working on VR). That being said, the story of this new medium is still being written. We’re very much at chapter one, and plenty of exciting, challenging and surprising moments lay ahead. If we ultimately want to be at a place where the VR/AR experience rivals what the iPhone 6 is to mobile, then we are still at flip-phone stage and at least two years away from early mainstream consumer adoption. However long it takes, it’s thrilling to be part of the journey. A version of this article was originally featured on TechCrunch
