Porn industry gets a boost from VR, but manufacturers aren’t thrilled
Porn star Missy Martinez had never acted in a virtual reality production when she was cast in a cosplay parody of the video game series “Fallout,” in which she plays a frisky “vault girl” wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
As she performed her scenes with porn star Ryan Driller, the crew instructed her to keep her eyes fixed on the camera to engage directly with viewers, who will experience the movie at home in 3-D and 180 degrees.
The subscription model used by most VR porn services is providing a new revenue stream for production companies at a time when paying for porn was thought to be a thing of the past.
But the porn industry’s plans to capitalize on VR is facing a roadblock from headset makers. Producers say they are being treated unfairly by major manufacturers who block porn apps from their online stores, thereby making it harder for consumers to access adult VR content.
“Pornography has been pretty important in the development and dissemination of various technologies, but I don’t think the manufacturers from a business factor want too much publicity at this point for that aspect because there's still a great deal of anti-porn sentiment in the public.”
Industry experts estimate that more than 50% of all VR content is porn-related and that adult content is a major driver of hardware sales, along with video games and NFL applications. The VR porn market saw an estimated $93 million in revenue for 2017 and could reach $1.4 billion by 2025, according to Gene Munster, who heads the research firm Loup Ventures.
Since major manufacturers, including Oculus and Samsung, don’t allow porn apps in their stores, viewers often have to resort to cumbersome workarounds to access adult movies.
The bullish spirit is pushing even newer forms of VR innovation. Camasutra VR, an L.A.-based start-up, is betting on VR avatars — digital replicas of real-life porn actors who have been scanned in a process similar to the motion-capture technology used in Hollywood blockbusters.
“It’s a fully interactive and immersive experience with a porn star,” said the company’s CEO, Adam, who declined to use his last name because he still has ties to the mainstream entertainment industry. He said he hopes to launch the new service next year.
See the full story here: http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-virtual-reality-porn-20180105-story.html
Five Big Questions Facing The AR Industry In 2018
Will smartphone AR go big(er)?
The introduction of Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore in late 2017 certainly makes us hopeful, though neither is really capitalizing on their full potential right now. We’ve seen plenty of concept apps for both platforms that don’t seem gimmicky but instead genuinely helpful; morphing map apps into virtual tour guides, helping up find items in massive supermarkets and even projecting furniture into our rooms before we decide to buy it. These are all great ideas, but will the general public catch on?
Is Magic Leap as disruptive as promised?
What are Microsoft’s next steps with ‘mixed reality’?
Where does Apple take AR in 2018?
What is Oculus doing in AR?
But will we see any of its work in 2018? The focus on the launch of Oculus Go, Santa Cruz and a potential Rift successor suggests they might have their hands full right now, even if parent company Facebook is quite enthusiastic about AR right now. Still, Oculus isn’t afraid to talk about far-flung projects at its Connect developer conference; maybe Chief Scientist Michael Abrash could peel back the curtain on what Oculus Research is looking into this year.
See the full story here: https://uploadvr.com/five-big-questions-facing-the-ar-industry-in-2018/
The World’s Biggest Gadget Show Matters Again
“Hardware, specifically component hardware, is hot at CES because that is what’s keeping VR, AR, and AI from reaching their pinnacle,” says Patrick Moorhead, president of consulting firm Moor Insights & Strategy. The competitors, he says, all need markedly better performance at low power than their current parts can provide.
Alexa operates a new line of smart speakers from Sonos Inc., and three times as many households use an Amazon Echo than use the second-place Google Home, according to analysis firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Apple Inc.’s similar HomePod is loosely slated for release in the early months of 2018.
Facebook aims to change that early in the year with a budget model, the $200 Oculus Go.
Microsoft is refining its bulky and decidedly uncool-looking HoloLens; Amazon and Google are rumored to be experimenting with their own headsets; and Apple is planning on a 2020-ish release for the glasses it’s betting will be the next iPhone. These efforts will require even more specialized lenses and other components than VR headsets. Paul Travers, chief executive officer of Vuzix Corp., which makes AR glasses and components, says his schedule for CES week is packed with meetings focused on both developing and distributing his glasses and putting his optics in other companies’ systems.
See the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-02/the-world-s-biggest-gadget-show-matters-again
Think You Could Convict A Criminal Using Virtual Reality? You Might Soon.
The Newseum and Immersion (a VR production house) have created an interesting example - although not used in law courts - that shows the potential VR has within the legal system. The first 'experience' surrounds the Unabomber bombings (1975-1999). Users will be able to explore the primitive cabin where the Unabomber was captured, pick up objects and play detective, immersing themselves in scenes and scenarios that actually happened. Terry Turchie, the FBI agent who ran the task force on that case, narrates the story, which presents the user with important questions about the journalistic ethics involved in deciding whether to publish potentially controversial content.
"The law enforcement profession is rapidly embracing virtual reality technology to enhance crime scene investigations, crime scene training, and courtroom presentations. Virtual reality technology will play an ever-evolving role, indoors and out, through the use of 3D imaging, mobile mapping, and precision use of measurements, photos and capabilities to secure and preserve crime scenes and evidence."
VR could have big ramifications if it increases the emotional connection to the crime. Does experiencing it affect the facts?
The Unabomber VR experience is available to visitors at the Newseumthrough the end of the year and is being distributed globally on HTC’s Viveport.
See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2018/01/03/think-you-could-convict-a-criminal-using-virtual-reality-you-might-soon/#7f723a041423
This Suit Will Take Virtual Reality To A Whole New Level
The Teslasuit features:
- Full body haptic feedback system
- Motion capture and positioning system
- climate controlled
- multi-player enabled
- washable
...the 46 Haptic feedback points will ensure you feel rain drops as your walking through a storm. If you’re in a game and get hit with bullets, bows or rocks, the Haptic feedback system will make your body feel it, you’ll be even more immersed in the game than with any other virtual reality system on the market.
The motion capture system brings your on screen experience to new heights as well. The Teslasuit motion capture system uses sensors to transfer the precise position of the body into virtual environments. The motion capture system virtually eliminates latency found in other virtual reality experiences.
See this amazing technology at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, January 9-12th in Eureka Park, booth #51916 and online at teslasuit.io
See the full story here: http://www.nibletz.com/eureka-park/teslasuit
Augmented Reality Mirror Patent from Amazon Can Turn Fitting Rooms into Exotic Locales
In its continued pursuit to elevate retail technology, Amazon has been awarded a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for a digital mirror that lets customers virtually try on clothes with different backgrounds.
According to US Patent No. 9858719 (as originally discovered by GeekWire), the system combines a display placed behind a mirror, with the display generating dark and light patterns so that images, such as clothing and backgrounds, are viewable through the mirror.
In addition, projectors would shine on objects in front of the mirror, such as a customer's face, so that they appear reflected in the mirror. In the patent, Amazon calls the concept "blended reality."
See the full story here: https://augmented.reality.news/news/augmented-reality-mirror-patent-from-amazon-can-turn-fitting-rooms-into-exotic-locales-0181971/
Local Company Films Simon and Garfunkel Virtual Reality Experience at Eight Bells Alehouse
Around 30 people showed up Saturday at the request of Chris Brickler and Max Hartman, who run a virtual reality company. MyndVR is based in Addison and produces original virtual reality content geared toward adults ages 55 and older. The company filmed a new scene to add to its virtual reality repertoire, a private concert by Chris Holt and Chad Stockslager, who were posing as Simon and Garfunkel.
The footage would later be edited into a virtual reality scene and sent to senior living homes throughout the United States.
Hartman says MyndVR plans to do some country shows in the future — maybe Johnny Cash, Grand Ole Opry or Patsy Cline. He and Brickler hope to keep growing the company so that they can create more elaborate scenes.
“We’re asking seniors who’ve experienced this what they would like to see more of,” Hartman says. “The music content is ranking highest of everything.”
See the full story here: http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/addison-based-company-myndvr-is-filming-concert-virtual-reality-experiences-for-seniors-10217371
Augmented reality on the rise in Silicon Valley
AR is already heading from smartphones to headsets in a natural evolution — and that transition was seen in products this holiday season, Bajarin said, like the $199 “Star Wars” augmented reality headset and lightsaber package, built by Disney and Lenovo, which allows users to battle AR-developed stormtroopers and Sith lords like Darth Vader.
“We see augmented reality as a powerful way to bring Disney stories to life in entirely new ways, and we’re already developing AR experiences on these new platforms when it makes sense, such as Star Wars: Jedi Challenges,” said Kyle Laughlin, Disney’s senior vice president of games and interactive experiences.
Owners of the Disney-Lenovo headset said they were impressed by the believability of the lightsaber battles. ...
Yet in the increasingly crowded race to build the first popular AR headset, Apple is best positioned for two reasons, said Bajarin: Its enormous developer community gives Apple an edge in producing apps and content for its developing headset, and it has a track record of making sophisticated technology — like wearables — commercially attractive.
“We don’t give a rat’s about being first, we want to be the best, and give people a great experience,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said about AR glasses...
See the full story here: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20180101/NEWS/180109989