Future of Storytelling – finalists
Read descriptions of a good cross section of techniques and topics here: https://futureofstorytelling.org/prize
Abba plot virtual reality ‘reunion’ tour
“We see each other every now and then, we've done a few different things, and now we've got a project ahead of us,” said the Swede.
The idea, as it currently stands, is that Abba's songs will be performed by a live band and digital avatars of Andersson, Ulveaus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog will also be on stage.
Not a reunion in the flesh, but apparently as good as it gets.
The tour is planned to kick off in 2019, if it is good enough, according to Andersson.
“It will take a bit of time, it takes time to digitalize a face,” he told Expressen.
“It's fun that it's so technologically advanced. It will be interesting.”
See the full story here: https://www.thelocal.se/20170912/abba-plot-virtual-reality-reunion-tour
AR startup CurioPets is Pokémon GO meets Tamagotchi
CurioPets, short for curious pets, is a multi-player, augmented reality pet simulator. Built with Apple’s ARKit, the aim is to encourage real-world exploration — similar to Pokémon GO — as you travel around with either a puppy or a kitten and take care of them, which is more like Tamagotchi and NeoPets.
There are two worlds in the game. The first is the virtual one where your pet lives. Tucked inside a tree on a floating island, your pet relies on you to play with it, decorate its crib and dress it.
The AR world is where your pet can collect Curios. To collect Curios, you enter AR mode, go to those culturally relevant spots and look for the Curios spheres. In order to keep your pet happy and healthy, you need to make sure it’s well-fed, has high affection levels and is gaining experience in the world.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/11/sequoia-backed-curiopets-is-pokemon-go-meets-tamagotchi/?ncid=mobilerecirc_recent
WebVR: Taking The Path Of Least Resistance To Mainstream VR
What is WebVR?
WebVR is a JavaScript API for rendering 3D graphics within a browser, meaning that, if you punched in a link in the browser for a 3D website, you would find yourself in a 3D space (whether on your computer browser or within a VR headset). In laymen’s terms, WebVR is a low-barrier entry point to develop VR for the web without having to be familiar with WebGL, which can be frustrating for beginners to grasp.
In its ease of use and lack of friction for consumers, WebVR presents a glimmer of hope for the mainstream adoption of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
WebVR—what we can call “Casual VR”—paves a way for consumers without state-of-the-art hardware to experience VR, through the web on multiple platforms. In fact, this could prove to be the best way to democratize VR in the long run.
Technology Agnostic
Looking Forward
Mozilla took the lead in pioneering WebVR, launching its A-Frame VR content authoring tool in 2015, along with its MozVR resource.
Besides A-Frame, other WebVR frameworks include React VR, Argon.js, PlayCanvas, JanusVR and Primrose. Google, Oculus and Samsung Internet also published their WebVR and open-source developer resources.
A WebVR Community Group to decide on WebVR standards was formed by Mozilla, Google, Samsung, Facebook, Intel, Microsoft and other major tech players, with Apple recently joining the community in July this year.
“By the end of the year all key global mobile phone brands would have announced their support for WebVR, and will have devices to support it out by Q4 2017 or Q1 2018,” said Christopher Gomez, XR industry advisor and angel investor. “And with ARKit and ARCore in the mix, we will have a vibrant mix of platforms and ideas. Immersive technologies are here to stay—it will be a reality for everybody. The ‘Metaverse’—it’s real.”
“Augmented City” #ARCity
As WebVR content creators and developers start to converge worldwide, in Singapore, the community assembled at an ‘Augmented City’ experiential xLab in July. This xLab, organized by the XR Alliance in partnership with Mozilla and the VR AR Women in Asia Society with the VR AR Association, is the first of its kind globally with the kickoff of this first xLab installment supported by Intel.
Disclaimer: I’m a founding member of the XR Alliance and founder of VR AR Women in Asia Society.
See the full story here: https://vrscout.com/news/webvr-path-of-least-resistance-to-mainstream-vr/
Pimax 8K & 5K VR Headsets Coming to Kickstarter Later This Month
Pimax, the China-based VR headset manufacturer, just released a preview of their Kickstarter page for its new 8K and 5K VR headsets.
To be frank, the Pimax headsets aren’t actually 8K or 5K resolution, instead integrating dual 3840×2160 LCD panels and dual 2560×1440 OLED panels respectively. Both are still higher resolution than consumer VR headsets today though, and have a much higher field of view (FOV) at 200 degrees horizontal, almost the entire 220 degree natural range of human eyes.
Road to VR’s Frank He, who tried the headset, said its 200 degree FOV was “impressive,” and that resolution-wise, he couldn’t discern sub-pixels “no matter how hard [he] looked.” To He, the screen door effect (SDE) was also diminished to the amount of “looking at a slightly textured surface or film.”
Chinese video site offers virtual escape from ‘boring’ reality
Feeling trapped in her "boring" life as a member of China's modern workforce, "Yaorenmao" escapes online, where she prances and preens in cosplay outfits for her 1.3 million fans.
Her alternative world is bilibili.com, a Shanghai-based video-sharing platform that has attracted more than 150 million Chinese users with its eclectic mix of user-generated videos and animation largely inspired by the Japanese world of ACG (animation, comics and games).
You can never leave
"I worked like a normal person after graduation (from university), but normal life and work are just too boring," she said, withholding her real name and occupation to keep her two lives separate.
Fans accumulated, often sending gifts or money, which she ploughs back into increasingly elaborate costumes and settings, including a 10,000 yuan ($1,500) trip to Japan to shoot videos during the picturesque cherry blossom season.
Her fans approach her amateurish work "with a generous heart and encourage me because they want to see me getting better and better. It's as if they are getting better and better themselves," she told AFP.
Spurred in part by a shortage of engaging youth-oriented content in China where Facebook and YouTube are blocked, and media and entertainment outlets are heavily censored, Chinese ACG is developing into a multi-billion-dollar industry, analysts say, drawing investment from tech titans such as Tencent and Alibaba.
Bilibili chairman Chen Rui told AFP Chinese millennials born in the internet age are increasingly inhabiting the virtual world.
Analysts estimate China's ACG world has more than doubled in the past four years to around 300 million fans whose spending within the subculture averages more than 1,700 yuan ($255) per year, and some predict the industry could one day rival its Japanese forebears.
Bilibili offers a bewildering array of material—70 percent of it user-generated—including role-playing, quirky personal videos like Yaorenmao's, amateur commentary on lifestyle, tech, beauty, fashion and entertainment, games, and of course Japanese anime series.
Bilibili launched an annual Shanghai convention in 2013 that drew just 800 people. This year's event in July attracted more than 100,000 uploaders like Yaorenmao and fans, most in their teens or early 20s, and many dressed flamboyantly in comic-character costumes.
See the original story here: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-chinese-video-site-virtual-reality.html
Apple and Microsoft’s Upcoming Events Will Push AR and VR Further Ahead
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will hold its annual iPhone event next week, where the company is expected to launch the all-new iPhone 8 (along with incremental updates for a new iPhone 7s and 7s Plus), a new version of its Apple Watch, and perhaps even a new 4K Apple TV. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will have its own event in mid-October, in which the company will debut the latest update to its Windows 10 platform, called the Fall Creators Update.
There's plenty of things going on at both of these events to talk about, but what I want to focus on specifically here is how the companies will likely spur on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) adoption through the software updates at these events.
Microsoft is tweaking its software to make it easier for users to use plug-and-play virtual reality headsets with Windows 10.
Right now, high-end VR systems typically have separate sensors that have to be set up with desktops in order to track movement, but the new third-party devices that will debut alongside the Windows 10 update have integrated sensors that were developed by Microsoft for its Hololens augmented reality headsets.
Microsoft said in a recent blog post that third-party hardware makers will debut new, relatively inexpensive virtual reality headsets at the event and that they'll range from $299 for just the headset device to $499 for a headset with controllers.
Microsoft also says it will adjust how the software processes VR content based on how powerful a PC is. Essentially, there will be two tiers of Windows computers in the coming months: Windows Mixed Reality PCs and Windows Mixed Reality Ultra PCs. The former will consist of desktops and laptops with an integrated graphics card and will process VR content at 60 frames per second. The latter are desktops and laptops with their own discrete graphics processor that will be able to send 90 frames per second to the VR headsets.
Adding augmented reality to iOS 11 means that millions of Apple's customers, and potentially hundreds of millions of Apple devices, will soon have access to some of the most sophisticated AR apps on the market.
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek back in June Apple CEO Tim Cook said of AR that, "The first step in making it a mainstream kind of experience is to put it in the operating system. We're building it into iOS 11, opening it to developers -- and unleashing the creativity of millions of people."
See the full story here: https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/09/09/apple-and-microsofts-upcoming-events-will-push-ar.aspx
VR’s biggest question — How real is too real?
1) Immersion
VR is known for its immersive quality, engaging the viewer fully in the film, game or experience. This immersion means that senses and emotions are heightened for the viewer in ways that are not typical to any other medium. A specific example is, when content becomes violent or scary in VR, the viewer can’t simply look away or leave the room. VR content creators can leverage this to engage viewers, immersing them in other worlds, concepts, storylines or, as in advertising and marketing, taking brand awareness to entirely new levels.
2) Cognitive attention
As I mentioned above, VR is the only medium that commands 100 percent of its audience’s attention and requires active watching. This new level of viewer engagement is what really appeals to brands and original content creators. Where ethics fit into this particular aspect is in examining the duration and level of stressful events occurring in any VR experience and the potential psychological implications of such content.
I foresee VR content creators and distributors eventually taking similar precautions that amusement parks do, where a waiver is signed or included in your ticket purchase, relinquishing responsibility for the inherent risks.
3) Ratings
A rating system has been adopted by most VR App stores, led by Oculus. The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), which assigns age ratings to games and mobile apps, was applied to all VR experiences in March 2017. The implementation of a global rating system across all VR experiences will put the responsibility on consumers to decide what type of content they want to consume or allow others to consume. The standardization takes the pressure off of content creators and leaves it in the hands of consumers.
See the full story here: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2017/09/09/vrs-biggest-question-real-real/#.tnw_PhReG00l