R&D Session Six: Technologies used for Virtual Reality Experiences

I have talked a lot about films thus far that I thought do a good job at creating a digital world that an audience finds believable. However, I have not talked about the peripherals used for virtual reality in modern day.

So in todays blog posts, I will be posting some Virtual Reality equipment such as headsets, controllers, treadmills etc. These will either be from my own personal experiences or from the research that I have done.

The devices I would like to look at today are:

1. Oculus Quest 2.

2. PlayStation VR.

3. HTC Vive.

4. Omni One: Virtual Reality Treadmill

5. Haptx: Haptic Gloves

Oculus Quest 2

Honestly if you have never tired VR before and are curious, this is the place I would recommend you start. If you have a friend or family member that has one definitely do try this out.

The reason I say this is Virtual Reality technology can be expensive, as not online will you need a headset but a system powerful enough to run it, depending on the headset that you buy. The reason why the Oculus Quest 2 is great is it allows you to have the VR experience, without it having to be linked to a games console or PC.

However, due to there not being a lot of processing power on it a lot of the times you will use this a lot of the stuff featured on this will have its own distinctive art style in order for it to run. This is similar to how Nintendo make their games in a way. Nintendo historically have never had the most powerful console, and that's fine. Good games are like stories, yes the pretty pictures help but if there is no substance to the plot then you are literally just watching "pretty pictures".

I used this technology very heavily throughout my placement, we mainly tried to scan rooms and import them into the headset in order to make virtual scenes. This was in order to help fire officers training and it was extremely fun to work on, despite not being from a coding background.

PlayStation VR

When I worked in Game in 2017 I finally got my chance to try RE7 (Resident Evil 7) on PlayStation VR. The experience I had back then honestly changed my life and how I look at immersion within video games. In RE7 I had the most perilous journey as Ethan Winters, trying to find Mia, Ethan's partner that has been missing for quite sometime. A video is sent to Ethan from Mia, which prompts him to go after Mia himself and take matters into his own hands.

If you have never played a Resident Evil game before, in a nutshell it is essentially a survival horror game that pits you against the machinations of the evil bio weapons manufacturer, Umbrella. Humans are turned into zombies and a variety of monsters through experiments and viruses they fabricate, your job is to survive by any means necessary.

Playing something this stressful and being there thanks to the headset in a metaphysical sense thanks to the technology of the headset makes this journey a heart pounder, it was something that stressed me and pushed me to my limits as a player. As tough as an experience it was to complete, after beating the game I had a different sense of accomplishment compared to any other video game I had ever played. I was Ethan, I was unravelling the mysteries of the Baker family home and Umbrellas plots, and I also rescued Mia.

While this is slightly more pricey than Oculus, the experience I had playing this game was unparalleled by anything I had ever experienced in gaming. The VR headset combined with the fun little accessory I bought for the playthrough was a 4D candle. The idea would be as you are playing RE7 you would light this candle and it would create a scent of what the "Baker Home" was meant to smell like. I know it sounds a little crazy, but this simple purchase enhanced the experience and helped immerse me further due to another one of my senses being altered.

HTC Vive

This is the headset I have the least experience on. I got to play with this at London Comic Con for about 15 minutes and honestly, if you have the money and want to jump right in at the deep end. Then this is the headset for you.

The Vive system offers a lot thanks to the PC companion you need to have running along side it, that being said there are a lot of benefits to a system like this running on PC. Such as there are more games commercial and experimental you can try, the performance is amazing (depending on your PC build) and the range of options is massive.

I can't remember what I played, it was some mill-sim shooter of some sort but the experience was fun thanks to one of the accessories I will be taking about next!

Omni One: Virtual Reality Treadmill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S0EshM9lM4

This is the accessory I mentioned in the Vive section, this was not quite the one that was there that day at Comic Con but it achieved something similar. One of the limitations of VR technology is that you normally have to stand still and walk minimally, transportation in most VR worlds is done by using a controller, pointing to where you want to sit/stand, you then click and you will teleport to the location you have selected.

This was a more fun experience (albeit tiring) to do, as you felt more physically active. This is an extremely clever accessory that could help with immersion, much like the Baker Family Candle. My reason for this, if I had've played RE7 and had to run on top of surviving. It is safe to say I would probably have died from shock. Walking and running is some ingrained into us, as it is something we do everyday, so a natural reaction would be to run when you encounter danger. So in a way it can add to the tension of the action even if you do feel like a Scooby Doo character trying to run due to the lack of traction on the treadmill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUH5FJqRpbw

Haptx: Haptic Gloves

Haptic gloves are a focus of VR developers as they want to try and bridge the gap between the real world and the digital one, by allowing users to reach out and grab something from another plane. I think this is an excellent idea as something to develop.

Haptic technology, is basically a system that gives the user feedback depending on it's purpose. Let's take paintball for example, when you get hit my a paint ball it hurts, a lot, however, if you were to play paintball in VR with a haptic vest. If you were shot in VR wearing the haptic vest, it would vibrate and create a sensation on where you were shot. This is to simulate feeling from getting hit. While this technology has still a long way to go, I am excited to see where it will take us.

Wrapping Up

With all of these things mentioned above, it truly is an exciting time to be a alive. the technology keeps improving, the list of uses keeps on growing and the imagination of what is capable keeps expanding.

I doubt I will see a digital VR system like Tron, the Matrix or Sword Art Online. However, it really does excite me how this will eventually tie in with film as a peripheral for 4D Cinema experiences and what other methods of story telling could be brought right to your very eyes.

Thanks for reading!