By Whitney Meers
On Tuesday, April 19, New York Virtual Reality Meetup President Jeff Marshall visited Dom & Tom to demo a virtual reality experience he developed on his own for Oculus Rift. As each of our team members experimented with the product, which is designed to simulate realistic public speaking environments, it was clear that we were stepping into a new world — literally. The transformative experience was digital, yet as real as anything we have ever experienced in person. Just as Marshall created a new world within the VR headset, VR itself creates a new world within the realm of modern technology.
Google and Facebook are currently experimenting with the possibilities of virtual reality, investing heavily in VR products they consider the next revolution in tech. Recently, HBO and Discovery also joined the VR movement, betting on technology that breaks users out of the 2-D world and encourages them to look around. It all points to compelling evidence that big companies believe VR is the future of media.
But before we start wondering if we’re setting ourselves up to live in The Matrix, it’s important to remember that VR isn’t designed to usurp real-life experiences. Rather, the goal is to give people new ways to experience life. The very real feeling a person gets in a VR environment can trigger fear, empathy, happiness and a number of other emotions we go through every day. VR is the future of tech, and Marshall’s demo of his presentation simulation experience only fueled our belief in that.
Marshall’s product brings the viewer into a presentation room, where a person can practice making eye contact with 25 simulated people. A sensor device monitors where the speaker is focusing his or her attention while speaking, and can track whether the person is engaging one side of the room more than other. The experience replicates the how a person giving a speech would click through their slide presentation in front of an audience, in an effort to prepare them for the real thing.
But, speaking in front of 25 people is one thing. It’s much more challenging to speak in front of a thousand. So, he then showed our team a simulated TED Talk experience, one that replicated the stage and the audience around him. With the same tracking technology used in the presentation room, the TED Talk experience allows people to ensure their attention is properly divided among three sections of the room. The demo flows seamlessly, and truly makes the user feel like he’s there, in the moment.
Marshall told us he was inspired to create the experience after his early career in sales led him to truly understand the importance of effective presentations. As it reemerged in the American consciousness in 2012, he developed an interest in the VR space and realized there was an opportunity to create a teaching experience within the virtual world, one that would help people improve their speeches. So, he created the tool using Unreal Engine 4 (a video game engine), modeling in 3ds Max, and creating textures in Photoshop.
He believes much is left to be discovered in the world of virtual reality, and that it might take some time before we fully understand the power of VR devices.
“The possibilities are endless, the competitive landscape is relatively barren, and no one has entirely figured out what works,” Marshall said. “Many people now say, ‘Who would want to wear that crazy thing on their head?’ I think the answer is nearly everyone, provided that developers come up with compelling reasons for them to do so.”
Noting that the barrier to entry is high right now, with a full setup costing in excess of $1,500, he believes that if companies can project out a few years, they will see real possibilities for VR to allow them to connect to their audiences in new ways.
“No one really has a clear grasp of exactly what VR does best, but eventually industry standards and killer apps will emerge,” he told us. “From a tech standpoint, the future consists of continuing to bring your senses and body into the virtual world. That includes full body tracking, eye tracking, haptic feedback, all while improving the resolution if the headsets to near retina quality.”
VR development programs will also require as much innovation to create and perfect as the experiences themselves, Marshall said.
“For VR development, I’m most excited about the major gaming engines releasing their in-editor VR development features, essentially allowing me to build a virtual world with my motion controllers while inside that world. It will speed up development time tremendously, at least for prototyping, and will no doubt be a ton of fun.”
Marshall is the chairman of the board of advisors for the NYVR Meetup (alongside organizer Eric Greenbaum and co-organizer DJ Smith), which boasts over 3,000 members. Join the group on Meetup.com for more information.
If you’re interested in learning more about Marshall, you can email him or find him on LinkedIn.
Dom & Tom are leaders in application development, and are on the forefront of creating compelling VR experiences for brands. If you’re interested in a VR product for your business, contact us to schedule a consultation.