Swimming with the fishes

Focus: AR/VR, Gaming, Virtual reality

Went exploring an underwater shipwreck with an HTC Vive tonight, complete with schools of fish, sun rays through the water, jellyfish and a huge whale swimming up to me. Was a full room VR demo – I had an 8×8 space to walk around in. What fun! It felt amazingly real from the get go – and boy did the “real” room seem drab after being submerged in a hyper colored world. The sunlight piercing the water above me was perfectly rendered through virtual waves – it really was just like being about 50 feet underwater, standing

Swimming with the fishes Read More »

Not quite feeling it

Entertainment, Focus: AR/VR, Virtual reality, Virtual world technology

One of the major challenges facing virtual reality is that when you’re visually immersed in another world, your internal body mechanisms are screaming “Danger Will Robinson!” since they know you’re not *actually* moving/flying/speeding/whatever. There are plenty of companies working on simulating all that, to trick your brain into coming along with your eyes; but it it’s early days for VR, it’s even earlier days for that. Take for example, the situation where you’re exploring Mars. As one does (or will be!). How are you “moving” through the terrain, without your legs actually moving? – and

Not quite feeling it Read More »

Augmented reality: A primer

Augmented reality, Focus: AR/VR, technology trends

I recently had a friend who is a professional artist ask me to explain what the tech behind the PokemonGo phenomenon is, and how he can use it in his work. I’m pasting a bit of my response to him for those who are curious. Augmented Reality (AR) is a fascinating technology, one that’s actually been around for a while – but PokemonGo has brought it into the mainstream. What is augmented reality? A way to superimpose something created over the “real” world. It adds to reality, rather than replaces it. Some call it

Augmented reality: A primer Read More »

This looks like fun

Focus: AR/VR, Gaming, Just for fun, Virtual reality

Looks like a great Game! It’s called Mindshow – it’s a VR game that’s multiplayer and recordable, so you can share the experience. Those are both things that are currently not really the case in VR – most are only you in the world, and not shareable. So this is a leap forward. Definitely more fun as a game if you can play against someone in the same world! Now it’s just waiting for 1) a way to “feel” interaction (pressure suits anyone?) and 2) move without 3) throwing up. Don’t worry, there are lots of companies

This looks like fun Read More »

Lucid trips

Focus: AR/VR, Games, Gaming, technology trends, Virtual world technology

This virtual reality “experience” (it’s not really a game) does sound like serious fun…instead of the traditional combat-themed shoot ’em up aggression-based environment, this strives to create an out 0f body experience. The article’s author says it feels a lot like being Ironman! You’re floating and sinking and through using your virtual arm and hand positions, interact with different worlds. There is apparently a game component as well…. Virtual and other alternative reality experiencing is going to take off this year. And just like video killed the radio star, it will kill the flat screen video

Lucid trips Read More »

Scroll to Top