Stereotypes, delusions and VR

I am not an analyst and now I will not try to prove whether virtual reality technology will “shoot” or not, having formed a full-fledged consumer market around itself in the next N years and making glasses the same usual element of human life as a computer or game console is now.
But the fact is that in the Russian (and not only) blogosphere, among representatives of gaming and iron media, as well as IT specialists, a strange set of stereotypes and delusions about VR has been formed. I would like to point out a number of inaccuracies in the statements of various forecasters. And here are the most common.

1. It's just a screen before your eyes.

Clinical studies in the field of medicine show the most vivid possibilities of immersion with the help of virtual reality. There are documented evidence (including data from MRI) of pain reduction when placing patients with body burns in virtual spaces (surrounded by cold - ice caves, snowfall, etc.).

There is a difference between the monitor screen and VR glasses. In the first case, the person looks at the virtual space through the frame of the screen, in the second, due to the capabilities of the device, he is directly in the virtual environment. This creates a new level of immersion. And by expanding the interoperability of VR tracking systems and input controllers, the user gains a unique experience that other existing platforms cannot transfer in principle.

Unique experience from using the platform can be obtained with the availability of relevant content. And here there is an interesting situation.
')

2. There is little content, but the one that is not interesting.

Basically, the conclusion about the absence of interesting content, as well as the general impression of the technology, is made on the basis of the use of a cardboard / plastic mobile headset or a stationary Oculus Rift DK1-2 (that is, versions for developers) and various demos and “rides”, which for three year was created a huge amount. Sometimes they just try to launch ports of famous game titles that are not adapted to VR at all at the level of game logic, movement mechanics, interaction with the environment and camera settings.
This impression is shifted to future consumer versions of devices and software. But the main representatives of the stationary VR - consumer versions of glasses from Oculus , HTC / Valve and Sony - are not even in the open sale, as well as the declared content created specifically for their launch in the sale.
In many ways, it is this content that should unlock the potential of a stationary VR platform for a wide range of consumers - but almost no one has access to this unique experience now - it could only be obtained at specialized exhibitions or developer studios who own the appropriate devices (DK2 and the existing software does not reveal the capabilities of the Oculus Touch or the Vive tracking system, which greatly influences user experience, large-budget projects come out with consumer versions of devices, etc.). As a matter of fact, we have a situation like "did not look, but condemn." And it looks like nothing can be done until consumer versions and software are on sale and full-featured reviews appear.

In VR promotion as a whole, there is such a difficulty - the full benefits of virtual reality cannot be explained in words or using video. Only by experiencing oneself one can understand what is virtual reality and feel what it is capable of.

Here we should also mention the current situation with Samsung GearVR - at the moment it is the most promising representative of mobile VR. Our studio VRAR Lab also develops projects primarily for GeaVR. And now the amount of quality products for him is growing right before our eyes. Although there are specific limitations for mobile development (set by the phone's hardware capabilities) and they convey a slightly different experience than stationary VR devices, but the progress here is quite indicative.

3. The game developers themselves do not understand this VR

Now hundreds of teams are developing commercial projects specifically for consumer versions of devices (Sony has announced 100 projects with PlayStationVR support, data on exclusives for Oculus and Vive is also on the network), and before that thousands of enthusiasts explored the platform’s capabilities and created new patterns interaction in the virtual space.
Most often, statements about the lack of understanding of the platform can be heard just from representatives of the gaming industry. I think this is due to the fact that for the most part all research within the framework of business objectives and the current product development in the segment is mostly a venture business or is under the wing of platform owners, i.e. not everyone can afford to do this, because the work goes on in the absence of a sales market (this is less true for mobile VR). The majority of game developers are not in a hurry on the unknown platform, which is still poorly understood by them, and expects the first sales results of the main representatives of the segment. But this, of course, does not interfere with making far-reaching predictions about the success or failure of technology in the market.

4. This is for entertainment only, a very narrow area of ​​use - no one knows where to use VR

This is a logical continuation of clause 3. There are many uses for both b2c and b2b. But unlike the still unformed b2c segment, VR is already used, for example, in the corporate sector, advertising activities, education, and also research in the field of medicine and psychotherapy has been conducted for a long time.

For more insight into the uses of VR and AR, you can read the findings from a recent Goldman Sachs report.

5. It is expensive, no one will buy

It depends on what it means. Large players face an interesting task - to prove that virtual reality technology is not just a periphery (screen before eyes, an analog of a joystick, a gadget for a computer, etc.), but a full-fledged platform with unique content for it.
Now, even in the minds of IT-specialists, glasses are a substitute for a monitor. And technically it is - this is an I / O device. But here it makes sense to talk about VR in the context of the product, and this is already connected with its positioning and promotion strategy. How large players will deliver their product to the audience will largely determine the situation at the start of sales and the attitude to the price on the part of consumers in particular. HTC, for example, initially chose the premium segment , aiming at an audience with a certain level of wealth (again, at the launch stage), and Sony most likely rely on its user base and will build its pricing policy based on this.
The quality of the content will also influence the perception of the price - exclusives accompanying the launch of sales.

6. This has already happened and did not take off.

Those devices that were on sale at one time have a very weak relationship to what VR technology is now. This also applies to the technical characteristics, ergonomics, performance of computers of that time, questions of the content delivery system, the content itself and the same device cost.

7. Glasses are uncomfortable, heavy, you will not sit for a long time.

Again, most often it is about shifting previous experience from some DK2 or cardboard to consumer versions that few people have access to.

8. It is harmful to the eyes.

As far as I know, there is not a single study that confirms this. This article is available to tell about one of the most important misconceptions regarding the effect of VR on vision - placing the screen right before your eyes.

Moreover, the possibilities of treating vision problems with the help of virtual reality technologies are already being studied.

9. I get sick

An unexpected problem, which few people suspected - for many users, classic first-person shooters, for example, Half-Life, turned out to be practically unplayable in virtual reality due to the dizziness that occurs. This is due to the out of sync of what we see on the screen before our eyes and the data we receive from our real body.

Many could experience these discomfort on handicraft projects and on the first versions of glasses or low-end phones. But over the years, the developers have come up with many ways to smooth the problem of moving at a software level.

Placement of the user in the cabin or simply designation of its frame , refusal to move the camera left-right and move to the point of gaze direction , moving through teleportation
from point to point, visualization of trajectories of movement and more extravagant ways , etc.

The task now is only to use the obtained expertise in new projects, following the recommendations, as well as finding new ways of comfortable interaction in a virtual environment.

10. There is no competition, Facebook sets the rules, this is bad for the market

It's a delusion. Already, there is serious competition between Oculus / Facebook, HTC / Vive and Sony. The fight is for the user's attention to the new platform, and not just to the console or PC, so Sony, creating a helmet for PS4, is still a direct competitor for HTC and Oculus, as with the right strategy on the market, the helmet itself can be the reason to buy a console , and, for example, not more powerful computer.
Many now believe that just Sony can become the leader in the race in the short term, both due to the price of the device (if it is around $ 400), and due to the lack of need to upgrade equipment that is available to potential buyers.

11. This is escapism, network interaction only alienates people from each other, we will all die in virtuality

More recently, such discussions began to appear more and more often - the famous post and photo by Mark Zuckerberg, as well as the Facebook news about the creation of a special department for the study of social interaction in VR, became the occasion.

This is a more complex topic - the impact of technology on society and society on technology. And here it is not difficult to slip into extremes, and this is exactly what is happening. Speaking of escapism, you can also complain that the phones have alienated people from each other, forgetting that now you can contact a person on another continent in a few seconds or, for example, say that photo albums at home force a person to experience what was, distracting from the pursuit of something new. On the other hand, the developers of the new platform should have an understanding that their work may affect the life of society.

Someone is looking at network interaction in VR as an extension of the possibilities of communication and preservation of images of the past (for example, panoramic videos and photos). Someone thinks that this will lead to greater isolation and escapism. In such topics always arise polar opinions. But there is one rather important point - with the help of current technology it is impossible to achieve complete immersion in the form that is built in the imagination, thanks to science fiction. And for many years it will not be possible - there is no non-invasive (or invasive) way to create a human-machine interface, bypassing the senses and getting access directly to the brain, creating the effect of complete immersion. And it was then that really sharp and difficult questions would be raised both for developers and for society as a whole.