An Introduction to Virtual Reality

Josh McCormick July 30th, 2014

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“I think I’ve seen five or six computer demos in my life that made me think that world was about to change,” he says.

“Apple II, Netscape, Google, iPhone … then Oculus. It was that kind of amazing.”

Chris Dixon (venture capitalist),

Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Source: “Oculus Raises $75 Million for the VR Goggles of the Future”, WIRED (December 2013)

The Impact of Virtual Reality

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Images: The Lawnmower Man

What is Virtual Reality?

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“Virtual reality has been notoriously difficult to define over the years.”

• Virtual reality is the use of computer technology to create the effect of an interactive three-dimensional world in which the objects have a sense of spatial presence. (Source: “Virtual Windtunnel”, NASA)

• A computer-generated 3D environment within which users can participate in real time and experience a sensation of being there. (Source: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Virtual

Reality)

• An artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. (Source: unknown)

“The main point of virtual reality is that you are working with things, as opposed to pictures of things.” (Source: “Virtual Windtunnel”, NASA)

What is Virtual Reality?

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Sickness Immersive Presence (Bad VR) (Good VR)

When done correctly, virtual reality is presence.

• Belief at a level below consciousness, not just intellectual awareness

• Activates systems that artificial input has never triggered before

• Perceptions are inside of the virtual world

• No way to intellectually understand how it is different from other forms of communication, other than to experience it.

“Presence requires suspension of belief in order to remember that the virtual world isn’t real.”

(Source: Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Oculus VR “Why Virtual Reality Isn’t [Just] the Next Big Platform”)

What is Virtual Reality?

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[Abrash’s key-toss demonstration]

Presence = Having an Experience

• Abstract information versus experience

• Reading or hearing about an experience is different from having an experience

• It engages different centers of the brain, many at the subconscious level

• Explaining an experience is not the same as having it

• In two years, consumer technology is expected to be able to deliver presence

(Source: Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Oculus VR “Why Virtual Reality Isn’t (Just) the Next Big Platform”)

What is Virtual Reality?

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Virtual Reality isn’t just another platform.

• Drives the perceptual system as it is built to be driven

• Entirely different and more powerful mode of interaction

– Impossible to use traditional media to show what VR is like

• Superset of all existing means of communications

– Easy to represent traditional media in virtual reality

• Can be as big as reality, or bigger

– Can include experiences that do not exist in the real-world

(Source: Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Oculus VR “Why Virtual Reality Isn’t (Just) the Next Big Platform”)

What is Virtual Reality?

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• Stereoscopic vision (3D)

• Wide field of view

• Low latency, high res head tracking

• High resolution and refresh rate

• Low persistence pixels Image: Minecrift

• Low cost

• Lightweight

• Comfortable for the head

• Comfortable for the eye

• Compatible with existing hw/sw

What are the Features of a Good Virtual Reality Display?

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• Problems with previous generations of virtual reality display technology

– Expensive

– Heavy

– Uncomfortable

– High latency (“motion to photons”)

– Low resolution

– Limited field of view

– Eye fatigue

– Simulator sickness

– Limited software support

Previous Generations of Virtual Reality Display Technology

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• 3 degrees of freedom motion tracking

– Only tracks changes in orientation

• Yaw – Turn Left/Right

• Pitch – Nod Up/Down

• Roll – Twist Left/Right

• 6 degrees of freedom motion/position tracking

– Includes all the benefits of 3DoF motion tracking

– Also tracks changes in position

• Move Left/Right

• Move Up/Down

• Move Forward/Backwards

(Image Source: “Sensor Fusion: Keeping It Simple”, Steve LaValle, Oculus VR)

Motion Tracking and Position Tracking

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• Sony Glasstron (PLM-A35) LCD Eyeglasses

– Simulates a 52” diagonal screen at 6.5 feet

– Two LCD displays

– 800x225 resolution per eye

– 30 degree horizontal field of view

– No motion tracking

– 2D screen

– $599 in 1997

Previous Generations of Virtual Reality Display Technology

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• Sensics zSight SXGA HMD

– Two LCD displays

– 1280x1024 resolution per eye

– 70 degree horizontal field of view

– Motion tracking at 125 samples/second with three degrees of freedom

– 3D screen with two HDMI or DVI inputs

– $12,995 in 2008

Previous Generations of Virtual Reality Display Technology

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Off-the-shelf, readily available components

• Smartphone technology

– Small high resolution displays at commodity prices

– High quality motion trackers at low prices

• Graphics hardware

– Increased smartphone and PC graphics performance at lower costs

A more efficient solution

• Redesign of the head mounted display

– Ability to use a single display panel to provide an image for both eyes

– No longer requires two video outputs to create two separate images

• Rendering solution

– Compensation for optical distortion in software allows cheaper lenses

What has changed in the past two years?

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• Oculus Rift Development Kit 1

– A single LCD display

– 1280x800 resolution (640x800 per eye) with a 60hz refresh rate

– 110 degree horizontal field of view

– 3DoF motion tracking at 1000 samples/sec

– 3D screen with one HDMI or DVI input

– $300 in 2013

Oculus Rift Development Kit

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• Oculus Rift Development Kit 2

– A single low-persistence OLED display

– 1920x1080 resolution (960x1080 per eye) with a 75hz refresh rate

– 100 degree horizontal field of view

– 6DoF motion tracking at 1000 samples/sec, position tracking at 60 samples/sec

– 3D screen with one HDMI or DVI input

– $350 in 2014

Oculus Rift Development Kit

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Sony “Project Morpheus” for PS4

Prototypes from Other Major Players

Valve unnamed prototype for PC

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If new virtual reality hardware is being created from smartphone technology, then why not actually use a smartphone?

Google Cardboard

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Disadvantages:

• Low-end solution

– Low quality material for housing (“extra large pizza box”)

– Inexpensive lenses

– Low resolution 3DoF motion tracking

– Software not designed for low latency

• Unlikely to achieve presence in virtual reality

Advantages:

• Common hardware

– Many people already have compatible smartphones

• Very low cost

– $25 for additional components

• Easily obtained software

– Software available on Google Play

– Free development kit available from Google

Google Cardboard

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Phones that were tested with Google Cardboard:

• Fully compatible

– Google Nexus 4 and 5

– Motorola Moto X

– Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5

– Samsung Galaxy Nexus

• Partially compatible

– Magnetic input not working

• HTC One

• Motorola Moto G

– Magnetic input not working and headtracking/rendering issues

• Samsung Galaxy S3

Google Cardboard

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What would a polished version of Google Cardboard look like?

Samsung Gear VR Prototype (with Oculus VR)

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What can we do with virtual reality?

• Games

• Performances

• Home theater

• 360/3D videos and movies

• Architecture

• Sales and marketing

• Office

• Education and training

• Social

• Experiences

• Virtual tourism

• Many more uses yet to be discovered

Virtual Reality Applications

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Ported to Virtual Reality

Images: Elite Dangerous, Time Rifters, Hawken, Couch Knights

Native to Virtual Reality

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Games

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Live and Recorded Talk Shows

Images: Riftmax Theater 4D (Virtually Incorrect with Gunter, Riftmax Karaoke Night, Riftmax LIVE with Reverend Kyle, Riftmax Karaoke Night)

Online Karaoke

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Performances

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Play Traditional Media

Images: CinemaVR, Riftmax Theater 4D

Enjoy With Friends

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Home Theater

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Record 3D Video and Sound

Images: JauntVR Red Carpet Event, Total Cinema 360 Oculus Player , Panopticam (via Gizmodo), Condition One

High Bandwidth Surround Experience

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: 360 Video and Movies

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Design in Virtual Reality

Images: Arch Virtual, Spacemaker VR (Courtesy of Digital Physical), Spacemaker VR (Courtesy of Digital Physical), Arch Virtual

Walk Clients Through the Design

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Architecture

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Lifestyle Visualization

Images: Virtual Fashion Technology, Anarchy Arcade, Cyberpunk 2077

Themed Environments

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Sales and Marketing

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Multi-Monitor Virtual Desktops

Images: Lifehacker “Day Trader’s Paradise”, Arch Virtual, MURE, Immercio Virtual Office

Meetings, Training, Telepresence

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Office

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Immersive Live and Recorded Video

Images: Total Cinema 360 Oculus Player, “TeachLive” Offered at Ole Miss , O2 “Wear the Rose”, Arch Virtual

Simulated Environments

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Education/Training

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Expressive Social Environments

Images: New World Notes Blog – Basement, FaceRig, Virtually Better, PrioVR

Real Human Expression

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Social

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Real-World

Images: Guardians Red Carpet Event (Jaunt), Jerry’s Place (Seinfeld), Drone Video from The Gamers Pit, Senza Peso

Fantasy

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Experiences

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Real-World

Images: YouVisit, EUseum Demo, Experience/Japan, Life of Rome

Simulated

Examples of Virtual Reality Applications: Virtual Tourism

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December 13th, 2013, Oculus VR reiterates its goal of delivering the Metaverse. “One thing has remained constant: we’re as dedicated to delivering on that vision – the promise of the Metaverse – as the day we started.” (Source: Oculus VR blog, “Onward to the Metaverse!”)

March 25th 2014, Facebook agrees to acquire Oculus VR for $2 billion dollars. “Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences …. Immersive gaming will be the first …. After games, we’re going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. …. This really is a new communication platform. …. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become part of daily life for billions of people.” (Source: Mark Zuckerberg)

May 5th 2014, Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe talks with TechCrunch Disrupt about the potential for Oculus and Facebook to create a Metaverse with over a billion people. He says that Facebook’s network makes a great place to start, and suggested it could be a Metaverse that join disparate virtual worlds. (Source: The Verge, “Oculus wants to build a billion-person

MMO with Facebook”)

Beyond Virtual Reality

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A concept that was created and illustrated in science fiction titles such as Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and more recently, Ready Player One.

1984 1992 2011

What is The Metaverse?

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Like “virtual reality”, Metaverse has been difficult to define over the years.

• Generic:

– A virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. (Source: Oxford Dictionary)

• Abstract:

– A collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. (Source: Wikipedia, July 2014)

• Practical:

– A future internet of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked together into a perceived virtual universe. (Source: IEEE Virtual World Standard Working Group)

What is The Metaverse?

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Most everyone agrees that Second Life is not The Metaverse, but it does illustrate some similar concepts.

Image Source: Games Radar “The Unfulfilled Promises of Virtual Reality” (2006), Second Life Pic of the Day 03/20/2014, Second Life Community “The Picture Thread”

What is The Metaverse?

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Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR in more than an investment in virtual reality. They’re looking way beyond gaming. They want to invest and grow The Metaverse as the next big platform that comes after Internet and after Mobile.

• Mark Zuckerberg is encouraging Oculus to create the best quality product at the lowest possible cost, shaving the profit margin on hardware. (Source: Ars Technica

interview with Oculus VR CEO, “Oculus expects to sell ‘north of a million units’ of first consumer Rift”)

• They believe that the Metaverse will be the next big platform. (Source: TechCrunch,

“Facebook Bought Oculus VR to Create The Metaverse”)

• Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Oculus VR calls virtual reality, “The final platform.” (Source: YouTube, “Why Virtual Reality Isn’t (Just) the Next Big Platform”)

Facebook is not expected to be alone in creating a Metaverse. Other companies, such as Google, are rumored to be designing their own Metaverse.

What is Facebook’s goal?

An Introduction to Virtual Reality

Josh McCormick July 30th, 2014 Feedback: jmccorm@yahoo.com

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For your comfort and protection, we will provide participants with gentle wipes to clean their forehead, cheeks, and sides of their face. Please take the time to use the wipes just before your demonstration.

A demonstration can be anticipated to last three to five minutes, depending on the number of participants and the amount of time remaining. This should allow you to feel immersion, but not quite reach a level of presence in virtual reality.

We will start by placing a strap around the back of your head, and the front of the head mounted display will be lowered in to place. Once in place, you may gently shift the head mounted display to find the sweet spot in the optics. A pair of headphones will be placed over your head.

When your session has ended, we will assist you in removing the display.

In between sessions, we will clean the equipment with a protocol that is consistent with virtual reality demonstrations performed for the public.

Instructions for the Hands-On Demonstration

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For a more comfortable experience, find a partner and measure your IPD.

The Inter-Pupillary Distance is measured as the distance between the pupil of your left eye and the pupil of your right eye. This should be measured in millimeters.

Image Source: Care-optics.com, “What is pupil distance? How to measure PD?”

Typical ranges are between 55mm and 70mm. The Oculus Rift Development Kit 1 is designed to have more favorable optics for someone who is closer to the average IPD, which is 63mm. Remember or write down your number. To better calibrate your experience, you may also be asked for your height and gender identity.

Virtual Reality Hands-On Demonstration