Virtual Reality here and now
I think many people noticed a considerable hype about VR, which is happening now - in all corners and in the back streets you can hear how some people develop helmets, others make games and that this niche is actively developing in the gaming industry. But how are things really? What can and should be experienced now? By my own example, I was lucky enough to try out VR, which is available to any layman living in default city. This will be discussed in a post.
Virtual reality is not the first year, and not even the first decade, many minds have been dreaming. Just imagine, just putting a certain device on your head, you can be anywhere! Whether it’s a race car on the Formula-1 track, a museum in a remote corner of the world, or an attraction tickling your nerves - it all depends on the game designers and their imagination.
In our reality, trying out a virtual one is quite expensive: helmets cost from $ 600, and the average computer is far from being pulled by a mid-range game. Yes, of course there is Google’s CardBox and my favorite smartphone, but I wanted to get a clean experience, to experience not VR surrogates, but just the last word of technologies available to ordinary people. Therefore, in the wake of the ubiquitous hype around VR, the invitation to the Virtuality Club virtualityclub as part of the HSBI educational program for game design was very opportune (Thanks to Viacheslav viacheslavnu Utochkin).
At the appointed time in the appointed place, we had2 bags of grass, 75 ampoules .. 2 hours, 5 helmets and all the highest quality and most popular games for VR, but about them in order.
First, as a car enthusiast, I liked the game Project Cars. They not only put a helmet on me, but also put me in a "racing" chair, gave me a steering wheel, pedals and headphones. It's no secret that with real conditions (compared with your usual car) these attributes have little in common: the pedals are not the same, the steering wheel is small, and all that in the outside world immerses you in the game is the vibration of the chair. But what we see in the helmet is really mesmerizing. First time. This is really an almost indescribable feeling when you turn your head and see not the usual room and the surrounding real world, but the same game world. At that moment I had a desire to take off my helmet right away, I wanted to go back to my reality. But this desire quickly passed, and the passion of the researcher replaced him - I wanted to see what else surprised me with VR. Unfortunately, the longer you wear the helmet, the more you start paying attention to details - your hands look strange, the steering wheel moves unnaturally, and you notice more and more graininess of the image. From such close attention, my eyes begin to get tired (I can’t presume to speak for everyone, but I had such an effect). In general, I was enough for racing for a short time, literally 5 minutes.
Then I was interested in a simple igrulya, where the player acts as a basketball hoop, and balls fly into it. The task is to catch these balls. Everything is simple, clear and intuitive. All that is required is a little free space around and a person who, if that, will not let you fall. The game as a whole leaves a positive impression, but this is not the merit of VR and the helmet itself, but of activity. But there are analogues to this activity - the same Wii. Therefore, we move on, and here, in my opinion, the cherry on the cake of virtual reality and its most important feature is the deception of the brain.
Atraction. Attraction simulator. A simulator of huge swings that elevate you to a great height, twist, twist and scare the hell out of real life. I, as an impressionable person, am very afraid of such things, and wearing a helmet with the “swings” turned on, I constantly thought - everything is in order, I am here, on earth, everything is in order. And all the same bad graphics and grain helped me not to forget about it. That is, I was not afraid, I did not have panic or stress, I understood that this was just a picture, and even poorly drawn. But my brain! He did not understand this! Every time a swing made a pirouette in the air, my legs gave way and my body tried to stabilize its position! The whole body refused to stand upright, and wanted to hold on to something that would not fall. And in my opinion, this is an indicator. Indicator of
There were other games in the club - shooters, quests, even a GTA version for helmets, so that everyone will find what he likes, and about them, perhaps another time.
As a result of the visit, I want to say the following: VR is really good entertainment at the moment, but a couple of times. Feel something new, experience new technologies on yourself - Welkam. But the quality of the games itself leaves much to be desired: the picture upsets after a couple of minutes, lacks the feeling of presence (you're kind of like there, inside, but you're just a spectator), I want more in-game activity and interaction with objects. In general, a simple layman will like it, but picky gamers have to wait until game designers do their work in better quality.
Well, a small video report on how it was:
Virtual reality is not the first year, and not even the first decade, many minds have been dreaming. Just imagine, just putting a certain device on your head, you can be anywhere! Whether it’s a race car on the Formula-1 track, a museum in a remote corner of the world, or an attraction tickling your nerves - it all depends on the game designers and their imagination.
In our reality, trying out a virtual one is quite expensive: helmets cost from $ 600, and the average computer is far from being pulled by a mid-range game. Yes, of course there is Google’s CardBox and my favorite smartphone, but I wanted to get a clean experience, to experience not VR surrogates, but just the last word of technologies available to ordinary people. Therefore, in the wake of the ubiquitous hype around VR, the invitation to the Virtuality Club virtualityclub as part of the HSBI educational program for game design was very opportune (Thanks to Viacheslav viacheslavnu Utochkin).
At the appointed time in the appointed place, we had
Project cars
First, as a car enthusiast, I liked the game Project Cars. They not only put a helmet on me, but also put me in a "racing" chair, gave me a steering wheel, pedals and headphones. It's no secret that with real conditions (compared with your usual car) these attributes have little in common: the pedals are not the same, the steering wheel is small, and all that in the outside world immerses you in the game is the vibration of the chair. But what we see in the helmet is really mesmerizing. First time. This is really an almost indescribable feeling when you turn your head and see not the usual room and the surrounding real world, but the same game world. At that moment I had a desire to take off my helmet right away, I wanted to go back to my reality. But this desire quickly passed, and the passion of the researcher replaced him - I wanted to see what else surprised me with VR. Unfortunately, the longer you wear the helmet, the more you start paying attention to details - your hands look strange, the steering wheel moves unnaturally, and you notice more and more graininess of the image. From such close attention, my eyes begin to get tired (I can’t presume to speak for everyone, but I had such an effect). In general, I was enough for racing for a short time, literally 5 minutes.
Baskhead
Then I was interested in a simple igrulya, where the player acts as a basketball hoop, and balls fly into it. The task is to catch these balls. Everything is simple, clear and intuitive. All that is required is a little free space around and a person who, if that, will not let you fall. The game as a whole leaves a positive impression, but this is not the merit of VR and the helmet itself, but of activity. But there are analogues to this activity - the same Wii. Therefore, we move on, and here, in my opinion, the cherry on the cake of virtual reality and its most important feature is the deception of the brain.
Cyber space
Atraction. Attraction simulator. A simulator of huge swings that elevate you to a great height, twist, twist and scare the hell out of real life. I, as an impressionable person, am very afraid of such things, and wearing a helmet with the “swings” turned on, I constantly thought - everything is in order, I am here, on earth, everything is in order. And all the same bad graphics and grain helped me not to forget about it. That is, I was not afraid, I did not have panic or stress, I understood that this was just a picture, and even poorly drawn. But my brain! He did not understand this! Every time a swing made a pirouette in the air, my legs gave way and my body tried to stabilize its position! The whole body refused to stand upright, and wanted to hold on to something that would not fall. And in my opinion, this is an indicator. Indicator of
There were other games in the club - shooters, quests, even a GTA version for helmets, so that everyone will find what he likes, and about them, perhaps another time.
Result
As a result of the visit, I want to say the following: VR is really good entertainment at the moment, but a couple of times. Feel something new, experience new technologies on yourself - Welkam. But the quality of the games itself leaves much to be desired: the picture upsets after a couple of minutes, lacks the feeling of presence (you're kind of like there, inside, but you're just a spectator), I want more in-game activity and interaction with objects. In general, a simple layman will like it, but picky gamers have to wait until game designers do their work in better quality.
Well, a small video report on how it was: