Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One: a dystopia of reality but a fantastic possibility for VR and AR
Finally! A movie commercial for VR technology! Mesmerising visuals, alarming future, involved storytelling, the most anticipated video game character cameos of 2018 for gamers all across the world and a wonder of opportunities for virtual reality to evolve into something much more powerful. With the mass production of many VR headsets like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, a VR movie like Ready Player One was bound to hit the theatres soon after.
Don’t worry, no movie spoilers here! Ready Player One appeared on the big screen on March 26, 2018 so you still have plenty of time to stock up on sugary piles of popcorn and enjoy the action packed feature.
This movie is more than a pop culture reference, it is a delight to enjoy for almost everyone. Gamers squeal over their favorite video game characters from first-person shooters and retro arcade games. Moviegoers cheer on the colossal explosions and intricate 3D models from the special effects team. Critics nod and admire Steven Spielberg’s work as an impressive director and producer. Developers fantasize about reaching the shown VR possibilities of hardware quality and software support. VR hardware producers inviting in inspired customers, throwing cash over the counter for a shiny brand new VR headset, still dazzled by the awesome visual experience. And who wouldn’t be?
We are only experiencing only the first and second generation of user headsets and it is already so immersive. First of all, the headsets already completely trick our eyes. We see the 3D models in front of us and they have sharp edges, rough texture, transparency and the reality is only broken when we try to touch them with our controller. The visuals are already there but they are limited by the hardware we currently possess. No, not the headset but our graphic video cards and processors who are sweating and working overtime to give us the whole dimensional shape. The more complex the shape the harder it is to process the data, same applies to high definition textures that everyone is advocating for. Maybe next year we may see visual exploration VR apps with more natural and detailed textures. But hey, texture and shapes is not everything, look at Minecraft’s success with 16 bit graphics and box-shaped fun!
Somewhere in the distance, a smaller group of implementers are quietly rebelling that VR and AR technology is not just for games and entertainment. What? You can use VR for more than shooting space aliens and building blocks? Of course, even large companies use Virtual Reality to support their business. Volkswagen uses 3D modeling for collaborative production and modeling, IKEA gives customers the opportunity to try a new piece of virtual furniture right in your room, Deutsche Bahn helps its older employees to develop new skills and even hospitals use VR headsets to administer flu shots to younger patients.
VR is as revolutionary as the internet back in the days. Initially thought of as more exclusive and a fad, now a main source of spreading information. Same as the internet, VR is the new medium of viewing information at a slightly different angle.
All in all, there are many fascinating ways to use VR/AR and it is definitely not limited to just entertainment. The future is a boundless land of opportunities to make something fascinating and we at VR First work every day to promote this worldview.
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