Blank Stare When Evangelizing Digital Reality? Read This!

Digital Reality or Virtual Reality, as it is commonly known, is finally here and one can split the world into two camps: deep enthusiasm and awareness, or blank stares and the sound of Homer Simpson yelling “Neeeeerd!”

Full disclosure; I’m in a DR maximalist and work for a digital reality startup. But even without my over-the-top enthusiasm for all the goodies spacial computing brings, there are many reasons that DR/VR/AR deserve a bigger “mindshare” of the public discourse, and here are a few I think are interesting.

We Have Been Promised Virtual Reality for YEARS and it’s Finally Here

Excitement for head mounted digital reality started in the 0s and 90s with Nintendo’s Virtual Boy and various arcade — Dactyl Nightmare — helped establish the idea of what a DR system would be like. These very early systems inspired more movies, books, and music videos but the fact that they were heavy, sucked and made people sick was a definite drawback! And that’s been hard to shake.

Thankfully those days are past and decent DR set-ups are available for less than a game console, can run on integrated graphics (Windows MR) are capable, immersive, comfortable and increasingly affordable. For those looking for more fidelity and better tracking HTC Vive and Oculus Rift both provide great comfort and sub centimeter tracking.

However much the price of these higher end systems have dropped you still need a minimum GTX 980 i7 gaming computer to run the content and that holds some folks back. For the more portable or budget conscious Samsung’s GearVR and Google Daydream View headset offer a great entry level DR experience

So, DR has started to come of age by offering devices are capable, affordable and don’t make you sick.

It’s Not a Game; Its a New Computing Platform

With Quill, Tiltbrush and Medium artists and animators can create 3D sculptures with movements that are natural while fully immersed in DR. Evangelists (Like me!) are always emphasize its possibilities beyond the gaming and understand that because of Embodied Learning even Linear Algebra can be taught in new ways using DR. At the same time, companies like Vice, The New York Times, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and NBC are producing immersive 360 content news and documentaries.

DR filmmaking is hitting the international stage through major film festivals like Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance. Clearly, immersive computing is not limited to recreation and has the capacity to disrupt multiple artistic and social sectors as well.

Content is King and There are LOTS of Great Experiences and Games out now.

Even on GearVR there are some compelling experiences and once one delves into the content library of Steam, Oculus and PSVR there is no shortage of content for every taste.

Gamers have made up the majority of DR early adopters however the library of high-quality non-gaming content is also growing daily.

Meanwhile the not to be discounted Google Daydream headset’s library is growing all the time and lets just point out that Big-G doesn’t have cashflow issues.

It’s A Social Thing

Jump into VRChat for free on Steam and choose between thousands of free avatars to fully express who you are. Feeling huge? Be a giant, feeling shy? Be a cat. Feeling Anime; well we got that in spades!

Using a digital reality headset is criticized for being isolating. Some (having never tried it) are disturbed by the idea of entering a synthetic digital world and leaving the “real” one. Wait just a minute there! Real Reality is synthesized too! By our senses. Yes its great. The fidelity, haptic feedback and shaders are top notch. And… its highly likely that RR is also a constructed reality like “Sword Art Online” suggests Elon Musk.

So DR can be isolating, but at the same time, it is offering more and more ways to be “together” and share social space with friends and loved ones. Go figure.

Mark Zuckerberg is all in. Saying; “virtual reality is the next major computing platform” And has the stated goal of getting 1,000,000,000 Facebook users into custom likenesses of themselves to interact with others in DR. Meanwhile Microsoft picked up AltspaceVR which provides similar opportunities across competing platforms even mobile.

Big Companies Know a Good Thing When They See it

Since the whole DR landscape is still new, it’s easy to think of as an anything-goes, scrappy startup environment. However true that is make no mistake the big players are all in. Facebook, Valve, Lenovo, Apple, Google, HTC, Sony, Amazon, Alibaba and many other “small” companies are betting on digital reality tech, augmented reality and other immersive technology to drive profits.

Beyond these Silicone Valley and Chinese giants, non-tech corporations are embracing DR as well. Want to see specific clothing? Want to check the view in a car you’re considering buying? Ready to try out your new house? Spatial computing allows all of it and is enabling a level of try-before-you-buy that’s never been seen before.

At the same time, meetings in the metaverse are closer than you might think. Digital reality (vr) is not just an entertainment space, it’s also a solution for remote conferencing and the presentation of highly complicated 3D concepts, like MRI scans, view-able by multiple people in full 3D at the same time.

DR Can Help With Complex Modern Challenges

Bravemind is a DR application that helps military veterans battle post-traumatic stress disorder. Meanwhile, for civilians, what do lazy eye, fear of public speaking and PTSD have in common? They’re all being addressed with DR applications available at very reasonable prices. Because of the immersive nature of DR, it is uniquely suited to provide safe and accessible therapy, that can be monitored remotely by a trainer or doctor!

It is also being deployed or treating: autism, wound care, dentistry, training, fitness, as a surgical training tool, and in pain management. For example, during burn treatments, Snow World VR beat Morphine for altering the perception of pain.

The Future

While we may be in the trough of disillusionment, it’s also safe to say that DR is here to stay. It’s too valuable a tool, too much of a revolutionary interface, and too compelling as a computing platform.

In fact, it is my strong belief that in very short order we will have a Guaranteed Basic Income and that many of us will choose to invest many hours, much effort and yes, real money in our digital reality homes, offices and play spaces.

Furthermore it seems highly likely that as the Metaverse grows, more and more people will play, live and WORK in DR. Ready Player One anyone?

So it is up to us. Spread the word. Buy real life shares in the future of www.SomniumSpace.com and receive digital land www.SeedingVR.co.uk, join the wild and woolly Anime love fest that is VRChat, build new worlds in AnyLand, connect with friends in AltSpaceVR and play amazing games on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows.

I have designed my office that will become my home away from home in digital reality as soon as the world catches up with my digital reality vision! Please do stop by for a visit. Perhaps you will stay… ;)