Whatever happened to Virtual Reality?

[Ebon Shar]

Remember back in the '90's when Virtual Reality was the "it" thing? When Neal Stephenson and Tad Williams wrote giant novels glorifying the future technology that would revolutionize the entertainment business? Remember that insane Nintendo game that gave everyone headaches? Well, what happened? It never came to pass and nobody really ever talks about it anymore. Is it a dead technology? I wanted my immersive VR booths. Damn you, Tad Williams for getting my hopes up!

 

[Arkhandus]

I think everyone realized just how far we are from actually-viable, decent Virtual Reality technology, and put it on the back-burner. -_-

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Remember back in the '90's when Virtual Reality was the "it" thing? When Neal Stephenson and Tad Williams wrote giant novels glorifying the future technology that would revolutionize the entertainment business? Remember that insane Nintendo game that gave everyone headaches? Well, what happened? It never came to pass and nobody really ever talks about it anymore. Is it a dead technology? I wanted my immersive VR booths. Damn you, Tad Williams for getting my hopes up!

I suppose commercial VR devices will be sold around the same time as flying cars.

I remember reading somewhere that in a decade or so our super-computers might be able to create a convincing 3D simulation (= Virtual Reality á la Matrix). Well, doesn't look as if it would come anytime soon. We're talking super-computers and possibly Graphics only. Doesn't tell us much about the physics and the interaction with virtual creatures, and when you get it on your PC ...

 

[Cergorach]

Remember back in the '90's when Virtual Reality was the "it" thing? When Neal Stephenson and Tad Williams wrote giant novels glorifying the future technology that would revolutionize the entertainment business? Remember that insane Nintendo game that gave everyone headaches? Well, what happened? It never came to pass and nobody really ever talks about it anymore. Is it a dead technology? I wanted my immersive VR booths. Damn you, Tad Williams for getting my hopes up!

VR is already here, the most popular would be World of Warcraft, another well known is Second Life. But what you mean are the goggles, gloves and chambers. The goggles and gloves are available for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, the chambers need to be custom build (these days they tend to use projectors for that). Why isn't it more popular? I don't know about you, but I expect that the average consumer would get motion sickness from the goggles (or they don't fit due to glasses). The average consumer would also prefer a wii remote then a pair of gloves, and most of the gloves available don't have force feedback (you don't feel what your holding). The ideas of the past had merit, but a lot of them have better implementations on the way or already available.

Things that might really work well with VR: brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), those are being geared up for mass production. Combine that with VR goggles and instead of actually moving your head, you only have to think about moving. 3D displays are also very interesting.

Take a look at this site, you'll be surprised by what is commercially available, just don't expect to be able to afford it:
http://www.inition.co.uk/inition/products.php

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Things that might really work well with VR: brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), those are being geared up for mass production.

Bah, it's not a real brain-computer interface it I don't have to jack a data cable into my head!

On a more serious note, I wonder how successful this will become. I remember that there is game (in the works or already out) that features/focuses on voice control. Anybody know it's status and/or success? Both ideas share similarities - you don't move anything, you just think/say it...

 

[Merkuri]

There's a little mini-theme park in the Orlando, FL area near Disney World that is all Disney-themed VR and other "electronic" rides. It is actually not that popular (not when compared to Disney World itself, at least), though I had a blast there when I went a few years ago.

The VR was fun, but slightly annoying. There was one "ride" where you held a lightsaber-type implement and whacked at enemies that were attacking you and your other lightsaber-wielding companions. There was a pole of some sort next to me (I think it was helping to hold up the cabling needed for the VR helmets) and I kept banging the lightsaber hilt and my knuckles against the pole because I couldn't see it. I seem to recall that I also kept banging the huge helmet against the pole whenever I tried to turn and look at the other person in the VR world. That was even more painful than the knuckles. I feel like I couldn't be the only one who had that problem, and it was probably only a matter of time until somebody broke the expensive motion-sensitive hilt or the headset.

Also, my glasses made it very difficult to wear the helmets (I think I had to take the glasses off at each ride, which means I got blurry pictures), and they were HEAVY! I got a headache after each ride that required one.

VR is just too expensive and too annoying to be feasible as in-home devices or anything more than minor diversions.

 

[Darkwolf71]

The VR was fun, but slightly annoying. There was one "ride" where you held a lightsaber-type implement and whacked at enemies that were attacking you and your other lightsaber-wielding companions. There was a pole of some sort next to me (I think it was helping to hold up the cabling needed for the VR helmets) and I kept banging the lightsaber hilt and my knuckles against the pole because I couldn't see it. I seem to recall that I also kept banging the huge helmet against the pole whenever I tried to turn and look at the other person in the VR world. That was even more painful than the knuckles. I feel like I couldn't be the only one who had that problem, and it was probably only a matter of time until somebody broke the expensive motion-sensitive hilt or the headset.

Heh. I'm no engineer, but you'd think they would suspend those cables from the ceiling. *shrug*

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Just take the red pill to see just how real VR can be.

 

[Arnwyn]

There's a little mini-theme park in the Orlando, FL area near Disney World that is all Disney-themed VR and other "electronic" rides. It is actually not that popular (not when compared to Disney World itself, at least), though I had a blast there when I went a few years ago.

Yep - called "DisneyQuest". Was just there, actually.

The VR was fun, but slightly annoying. There was one "ride" where you held a lightsaber-type implement and whacked at enemies that were attacking you and your other lightsaber-wielding companions. There was a pole of some sort next to me (I think it was helping to hold up the cabling needed for the VR helmets) and I kept banging the lightsaber hilt and my knuckles against the pole because I couldn't see it. I seem to recall that I also kept banging the huge helmet against the pole whenever I tried to turn and look at the other person in the VR world. That was even more painful than the knuckles. I feel like I couldn't be the only one who had that problem, and it was probably only a matter of time until somebody broke the expensive motion-sensitive hilt or the headset.

We all had the exact same problem. AFAIC, it just didn't work all that well. I tried it once, hated it, and went back to Soulcalibur III Arcade Edition. (As an aside - the helmets can fit glasses quite well now.)

 

[Rykion]

Bah, it's not a real brain-computer interface it I don't have to jack a data cable into my head!

On a more serious note, I wonder how successful this will become. I remember that there is game (in the works or already out) that features/focuses on voice control. Anybody know it's status and/or success? Both ideas share similarities - you don't move anything, you just think/say it...

Tom Clancy's EndWar is a console based real time strategy game that will use voice commands. It is scheduled to be out later this year.