Humans are fascinated by the idea of being somewhere without actually having to translocate.
That is the principle that over centuries has manifested in the industries of books, movies and videos (not to mention drugs, stimulants, and other less healthy alternatives). But, the human mind has always looked for a more immersive experience – one which engaged not just visual but a multisensory experience of an alternate world. The idea found early takers in areas of simulation (flight, vehicle, army training) and gaming (Virtuality and Nintendo). But, it is only in the last decade that we have hit upon the hardware that is sophisticated enough to completely convince the human mind about its virtual environment. And with that discovery has come renewed interests and investments in the domain of Virtual Reality.
The technology has stimulated the imagination of India today. A Delloite study predicts that Virtual Reality will have its first billion dollar year in 2016, with 700 million coming from Hardware and 300 million from content sales.
Here is your cheat sheet to get familiar with the next big thing in tech space:
What is Virtual Reality? (not to be confused with Augmented Reality)
After reading a book, or watching a movie, how many times have you thought, “Only if I could be there!” Imagine walking through Hogsmeade with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or walking on the streets of Paris with your best friend, without actually either of you having to spend a dime to get there. That’s what Virtual Reality can do for you. “You mean like playing Pokémon Go? Seeing things that are not there” asks a friend, who has unfortunately been bitten by the insane bug. Nope – that is Augmented Reality, the superimposition of a virtual body in your actual environment. Virtual Reality is far more immersive – where your mind would actually discern a new environment, replete with the sights, sounds and in some cases, even tactile sensations of the place. And, you would need a serious, “Back to the Future”esque headgear to experience this, just your handheld is not enough.
That sounds expensive!
Actually, the gear in itself is not inordinately expensive. Gears are available from ₹1000 to ₹15000 per unit, which is about 3 to 40 times cheaper than the latest iPhone. But, the gear in itself won’t do much for you unless the content is created for virtual experiences. Good news is that the world, including India, has moved to top gear on the drive to create content for Virtual Reality.
What kind of content is being created?
The applications of Virtual Reality seem endless at this point. We spoke with one of the leading VR content creators in India, Meraki, to understand the areas in which they are creating magic. Here are some examples:
Entertainment
Meraki has created movie trailers in VR where you can co-habit the scene with the protagonists. So yes, the day is not too far when you can shake a ‘virtual’ leg with your celluloid heartthrob on his favorite number from the comfort of your living room. Meraki also covers multiple live events like Sunburn, Goa. Can you imagine the implications of that? Soon, there might be tickets sold for Virtual participation in live events – not as messy as being physically present, not as aloof as watching a video. Perfect!
Just a trailer of what the technology could be!
Sports
During the 2016 Asia Cup, Meraki collaborated with Star Sports to broadcast key India matches in Virtual Reality. This is a great step forward in enabling the stadium, 360-degree game experience from anywhere. Maybe in the future, when Virat Kohli hits a sixer, you can stand beside him and watch him put the ball over the boundary.
Marketing
Meraki is working with organizations to create advertisements and marketing campaigns in Virtual Reality. This is one of the most popular applications of Virtual Reality at this point.
There are many other areas where Virtual Reality is making huge strides and has even greater potential :
Video Games
If you are a gamer, I bet you already know way more than I do. Just in case you are not, you should definitely try out VR Gaming. All the big names like PS4, Xbox have launched Virtual reality games, and the gaming world is abuzz with new speculations. According to this article, the must-try games are:
Fantastic Contraption on HTC Vive
The Climb on Oculus Rift
Batman Arkham VR on Playstation VR
Education
VR had its earliest applications in training. World’s first flight simulator was developed in 1920 and now, you can use Virtual Reality for learning how to drive a car! Will Virtual Reality enter classrooms? In the west, few institutions have already implemented VR labs for one-one interactions with students. Here in India, IITs and IISc are working on a project for creating a Virtual University. This could be a reality in next 2-3 years. Read this article to know more.
Tourism
Next time you want to visit a place, you can check out 360-degree videos of the place. Websites like http://indiavrtours.com/ offer VR videos. If you have a VR headset with you, you can teleport yourself to your dream destination sitting at home. Companies like Makemytrip are busy getting VR content created.
All that sounds awfully exciting. How to get behind the scenes on VR?
If you are a techie itching to get your piece of the pie, the sky's the limit. Almost all the big product manufacturers are in the thick of it, trying to make the hardware subtle and cheaper. If creating content is more your thing, then there is only one software that you need to get the hang of – it is the Unity VR. Please note that the space has an acute demand for graphic designers and creative professionals as much as it craves for technical expertise.