Virtual reality, alternatives, and ecosystems
I had the opportunity on Friday to test drive a virtual reality visor hooked up to a smartphone made by a Canary Islands-based company called vrAse, financed via Kickstarter, and that has been positively reviewed in several places. I found the experience very positive: the clip I saw was the same rollercoaster ride I had already seen a few days before on an Oculus VR, providing the opportunity to compare and contrast.
My impression was that using a smartphone with the screen divided into two to obtain an immersive virtual reality experience was better than the Oculus VR, which needed to be connected to be physically connected to a computer. And no, vrAse is not the only company that is putting a smartphone to this use, and for many people the real WTF moment at Google I/O was Google’s own entry into this niche with a visor made of… cardboard.
Google’s visor, which it has prosaically called Google Cardboard, is something of a defining moment in the virtual reality scene, and could represent a major development boost for virtual reality. Its launch has effectively crashed through the entry barriers into this market. Suddenly, anybody can make themselves a virtual reality kit for 20 bucks, or they can even make one themselves.
So why spend two billion dollars on buying a company that makes VR kits that can actually be constructed out of cardboard? Okay, that question may not be entirely fair: Facebook’s acquisition puts it in pole position in the virtual reality race, with an experienced and valuable team that will now have huge resources at its disposal, along with developments that will go far beyond a simple visor. At the same time, there is no denying that Google’s entry means that hardware is no longer the limiting factor it was, and now means the focus will be on software, an area where it has a strong position, as well as having decided to open it up to developers.
I for one am very impressed by the impact on today’s technology scene by something as simple as a cardboard cutout…
(En español, aquí)
