One of the primary gets from SXSW 2017 was the sh * t lots of virtual reality and AR tech. There was much more digital, mixed and enhanced truth innovation and software program of show than you can perhaps envision.
Whether is was the subject of among the 1, 300 + sessions or an exhibition in the large tradeshow– if there was a reason to utilize a digital fact headset, it was at SXSW 2017 I have actually never ever used a lot of headsets and it was the first time I recognized that ‘Headset Hygiene’ was a point!
If showcasing brand-new virtual reality technology was a competition, the surprise champion was Sony Sony provided; ‘The Wow Manufacturing facility’ at SXSW– a storage facility changed into an innovation research laboratory immersing you in advanced innovative and technological concepts developed with a spirit of open-minded and unchecked experimentation.
Tipping inside The Wow Factory was like seeing right into a future where online and augmented truth are full-body experiences taking over all of the detects. While none of these innovations are ready to buy, Sony’s ambitious set up was seriously excellent and certainly established them besides any of the other major technology exhibitors at SXSW.
Although most likely one of the most unwise and expensive point I saw at SXSW, the Synesthesia Fit was also my favourite. This virtual fact experience is genuinely immersive. The fit has 26 actuators that shake throughout your body. As opposed to just hearing the songs’s bass through the TV or a set of earphones, the suit radiates sensation throughout your body, from your arms to your ankle joints and down your torso. It brought the game to life in an absolutely unique means.
There was also a VR team video game in which we collected treasure and circumnavigated on a mining cart … or a minimum of believed we did! The testament to the modern technology right here was that we prevented encountering each various other.
Throughout SXSW there was extra VR than I can perhaps do credit report. From VR estimate mapping modern technology, VR exploration of a NASA launching pad, live-action virtual reality documentaries, virtual reality music studios in which you can compose symphonies in genuine time. There was likewise the Swiss innovation ‘Birdy’, where you are strapped right into a device that let’s you fly like a bird over New york city.
NASA’s visibility and implementation of VR made them a close runner-up to Sony at SXSW. Room exploration has actually been the world of robotics and astronauts– until now. NASA is making use of immersive narration tools like Facebook 360, YouTube 360, Google Cardboard and Microsoft HoloLens to convert mission information right into common experiences for people on Earth. NASA are using virtual reality to stroll externally of Mars to study the geology of the world for future goals.
So … what’s the point?
The consistent niggling that I might not drink whilst experimenting with every one of the new virtual reality technology was; ‘what’s the factor?’. Other than gaming and potential immersive experiences at exhibitions etc– what are the primary consumer applications for brand-new virtual reality & & AR technology? Although minimizing, there is still a large cost related to the application growth and hardware of VR.
The novelty of brand-new tech requires to be toughened up by whether it’s any kind of good and fit for objective.
Gary Vaynerchuk touched on the ‘customer preparedness’ of virtual reality in his Q&A session.
