PLAYSTATION VR IS HELPING TO SAVE LIVES
“Virtual reality isn’t just another piece of tech. It WILL change society. The way we interact and communicate. The same way the Internet did” — Edward Miller, VR/AR Expert.
Ed spouted this out during our panel ‘VR/AR: a mixed reality for brand’ last week. My initial reaction was to belt out ‘how crazy that sounded’.
But I didn’t.
I paused for a moment; thought about it’s current uses; gaming, film and entertainment. How the products, technology and market needs to change for this to become a reality. How consumer VR right now is great. Not the actual tech, there’s a ton of room for improvement, but it’s influence on everyday consumers, it’s power to make those outside of the tech bubble, beardless and not spending 40 plus hours a week in front of their Macbook Pro.
When it comes to adoption by the mass, I think of my Dad. An ordinary guy, living outside of London in a working-class household. Occasionally outside of his 9–5 day job, he enjoys a quick game on the Playstation.
What struck me about PSVR is its ability to connect with everyone; the family. Not just me, who works in and around emerging technology, excited by Oculus’ new announcements or UploadVR’s latest tweet, but the everyday person.
The PokemonGO revolution
What PokemonGO did for augmented reality was huge. It carved the way for AR to be used for a greater good. I mean, catching Pikachu is fun, but using it for military purposes, to educate future CEO’s and heal the sick is much more empowering.
And as a result, tons of companies are using AR for good. Take Augument, an educational application that brings classroom projects to life. Blippar, an application that uses AR to discover content rather than search for it. Or VA-ST Visor, ‘smart-glasses’ that enable partially blind people to see, by enhancing images in real-time.
Let’s hope PSVR can do the same for virtual reality.
Back to reality (virtual)
Currently there are some amazing uses of virtual reality. Companies like Magic Leap, ‘the world’s most secretive startup’ has received more funding at that stage of the company than any company in history. They’re working on technology to take virtual reality away from just the realms of your living room with Playstation, and into practical, life-changing scenarios.
It was only a few days ago that Walk Again Project (WAP) released this video on Quartz showing how VR can help paraplegics move again, through VR training. It simulates the feeling of the user walking, and the results are amazing.
But VR has a long way to go. Right now it’s uses in entertainment and film are driving innovation and investment to create amazing things. Few companies, like Magic Leap are leading the field for something more than the ‘new television’ or ‘web 3.0’. Some companies, just like Ed’s fundamentally believe it can change the world.
And I agree, do you?
Leave a response on your thoughts of VR, and it’s future.
Bonus: Take a look at Jason Miller (Global Content & Social Media Marketing Leader, LinkedIn)’s video of Future of Storytelling speaker, Mary Spio. The Founder & CEO of CEEK VR.
