philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Virtual Reality Game Transports You to the Jurassic Period

If you have dreams of visiting the age of the dinosaurs, virtual reality will likely give you the closest chance you'll get in your lifetime. According to The Verge, one of the newest pieces of media to combine VR and time travel is Time Machine, a game that transports players to the year 155 million BCE.

If you'd prefer to hang out with massive, land-roaming dinosaurs instead, virtual reality can help you out with that, too. In a 4-minute VR video released earlier this year, Sir David Attenborough introduces viewers to the largest dinosaur ever discovered, the Titanosaur. It's a slightly calmer experience than the science fiction world of Time Machine. Owners of a Rift or VIVE headset can download the new game from Steam for $30.

See the full story here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/80534/virtual-reality-game-transports-you-jurassic-period

VR PR: What Are Consumers’ Thoughts on VR Device Spending, Content Access and Interests? (Market Research)

New research from emerging business and technology consulting firm Interactive Broadband Consulting Group (IBB) analyzes the consumer virtual reality (VR) market opportunity beyond gaming. The firm conducted a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. online consumers that expressed an interest in VR.

Key insights included:

• A majority (54%) of consumers that are interested in VR think it is here to stay, not a fad.
• Less than one third (31%) of people interested in VR have actually tried it.
• More than three quarters (77%) say they are willing to spend on VR gear, with 18% saying they’d pay more than $250.
• Overall, men expressed nearly 2x more interest in VR than females—however, this interest balanced out among middle-aged respondents (35-54).
• “Movies and TV” had about 50% interest in almost all age groups—no other content category attracted a higher level of widespread appeal.
• Men are more interested in movies and TV, live events, gaming and user-generated VR content, but women are 35% more interested than men in travel-themed VR experiences.
• 42% would watch virtual reality ads in exchange for free content and 38% would watch ads as long as they are “cool and relevant.” About one third (34%) would not watch ads.
• The content distribution market is up for grabs with respondents planning to access across internet video providers (55%), gaming platforms (41%), wireless providers (29%), app stores (28%), cable or satellite providers (26%) and social networks (17%).

See the full story here: https://www.bulldogreporter.com/vr-pr-what-are-consumers-plans-for-virtual-reality-device-spending-content-access-and-interests/

Storyboarding in Virtual Reality

Until we’re all wearing HMDs and have a quick way to sketch and share in 3D, we’ll have to work with good old-fashion 2D. I’ve created a template that you can freely use to storyboard your VR ideas.

See the full story, with links to videos, here; https://medium.com/@vmccurley/storyboarding-in-virtual-reality-67d3438a2fb1#.tzs2yi7et

Stanford to investigate using virtual reality for psychiatric treatment

Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, is a condition wherein mental or emotional stresses are converted into physical symptoms.

"It’s kind of the roots of psychiatry," Dr. Kim Bullock, a clinical associate professor of pyschiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and the lead researcher on the study, told MobiHealthNews. "Everyone’s very curious about this subject because it’s the intersection between mind, body, culture, environment. It kind of embodies everything that we’re trying to figure out. But very little research has been done on this subject. There’s no big pharmaceutical money behind it and there’s really a lack of awareness among providers about how ubiquitous this disorder is, because it kind of infiltrates every medical specialty."

Bullock said that neuro-imaging studies have shown that in people with conversion disorder, a part of the prefrontal cortex that normally inhibits the amygdala from taking control of the motor-sensory cortex doesn't function like it should. Most existent treatments focus on calming down the amygdala so it doesn't become overactive and "hijack" motor functions or senses.

"What’s really cool about virtual reality is it’s been shown to be helpful with people with post-traumatic stress disorder that have similar areas in the brain that are overactive," Bullock said. "So we thought maybe VR will be a way to desensitize people, figure out what their triggers are, similar to what’s been done with PTSD."

Physical therapy is also a useful treatment for conversion disorder, and virtual reality could be used to deliver physical therapy as well.

See the full story here: http://mobihealthnews.com/content/stanford-investigate-using-virtual-reality-psychiatric-treatment

Virtual Reality in Maine: Part 1

“Virtual reality is moving at an incredibly rapid rate,” said Richard Corey, Director of the University of Maine’s Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory, the only research facility of its kind in Maine.

Students and professors there are pushing the boundaries of VR.

It opened in 2008.

Richard Corey leads a team of 18 students at the VEMI Lab.

“It is a great time for them to be graduating with this much knowledge of virtual and augmented reality because they’re well ahead of people that have just gotten into it,” said Corey.

See the full story here: http://wabi.tv/2016/05/23/virtual-reality-in-maine-part-1/

Paul McCartney invites virtual reality users into his studio

In 1967, Paul McCartney used studio technology to usher in a new musical era with the revolutionary concept album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Now Beatle Paul is pushing the high-tech envelope again by peddling his latest album with the help of virtual reality.

McCartney is the subject of six VR mini-documentaries produced by Jaunt Studios to promote the musician's new album, a 67-song retrospective called PURE McCartney, out June 10. The interviews were conducted at McCartney's British home studio — location undisclosed — and represent a rare peek into the man's private domain.

See the full story here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/05/24/paul-mccartney-invites-virtual-reality-users-into-his-studio/84809140/

Facebook just bought VR audio company Two Big Ears and is making their tech free to developers

[Philip Lelyveld comment: the audio in the video at the link is amazing: even playing from my laptop speakers!]

Facebook is continuing to devote resources to fine-tuning how 3D audio impacts viewer perceptions in virtual reality.

Today, the social media giant and Oculus parent company announced that they have purchased immersive audio company Two Big Ears and will be making their technology free as a part of their new Facebook 360 Spatial Workshop. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The Edinburgh-based company, which has been around since 2013, specializes in spatial 3D audio in cinematic and gaming experiences.

Our mission is to make VR audio succeed across all devices and platforms and continue to help creators make the best experiences for billions of people across the world.

The company’s technology focuses largely on how sound plays in 3D spaces and how it interacts with surfaces that surround the viewer.

One of the questions on a lot of developers’ minds is likely whether this tool is only going to be compatible with the Oculus Rift and Gear VR. Two Big Ears realized this was a cause for concern and addressed it directly, saying they would “continue to be platform and device agnostic.”

See the full story here: http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/23/facebook-just-bought-vr-audio-company-two-big-ears-and-is-making-their-tech-free-to-developers/

European VR Landscape – 2 plots

http://www.greenlightvr.com/ecosystem-map/2015-europe

https://filiptester.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/euvjub150910-01_poster_euvr_11x17inch_03.pdf

YouTube Builds Daydream VR App, Immersive Content Catalog

Shortly after Google unveiled its Daydream VR system during its I/O conference, YouTube revealed its plans for a virtual reality app, to be available on Daydream mobile VR devices. YouTube has also been encouraging its content partners to produce 360-degree content by providing VR cameras, in an effort to build up content for its VR app, which will function like YouTube on mobile or a smart TV. The app, which is being built from scratch, will be full-featured and enable access to subscriptions, favorites, search and more.

Variety reports YouTube VR product manager Kurt Wilms saying that he and his team expect consumers will also watch “a lot of regular 2D videos as well.” The app is being designed to be as easy as possible to navigate the entire YouTube catalog, and makes “extensive use of the Daydream controller” so users don’t have to “turn their heads or intensely gaze on virtual controls.”

The app will also incorporate voice search. YouTube plans to evolve beyond the Spotlight Stories on its platform, for more interactive VR video experiences that “go beyond a simple linear narrative.”

See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/youtube-builds-daydream-vr-app-immersive-content-catalog/

and the original story here: http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/youtube-vr-app-content-partnerships-ads-1201778834/

History of VR/AR in Hospitality, Why VR?, Best Western initiative

By summer, all 2,200 Best Western-branded hotels in North America will have a “Best Western Virtual Reality Experience” whereby travelers can see each property’s rooms, lobbies, and amenities virtually online before they even arrive at the hotel.

Phoenix-based Best Western has been working with Google Street View to develop this product for the past three years, gathering some 1.7 million photos of its North American properties.

A History of Hospitality in VR and Augmented Reality

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the notable VR and 360-degree video plays that other hospitality companies have made in recent years:

May 2015: Starwood was already testing out whether or not guests would respond to VR in its concept lab.

September 2015: Marriott piloted a program, called VRoom Service, at two of its locations in New York and London, where by guests could “travel” the world via VR by borrowing a Samsung Gear VR headset for 24 hours.

October 2015: Shangri-La Hotels announced it will be the first international hospitality brand to debut Samsung Gear VR headsets for its 17 global sales offices and 94 individual hotel sales teams. Whereas Best Western is using VR to sell its hotels direct to consumers, Shangri-La is using VR to sell its hotels to wholesalers, travel agents, meeting planners, and other customers.

April 2016: Similar to Shangri-La’s strategy, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group debuted BluPrint, a VR-enhanced app that helps investors and developers have a better understanding of the design process involved in the group’s Radisson Blu hotel brand.

April 2016: Hilton launches a new 360-degree video ad to push more direct bookings.

April 2016: For its Sonoma Select pilot program, Airbnb partnered with Matterport to produce enhanced 360-degree video listings for hosts participating in the pilot program. With this program, guests can experience more of a hotel-like package when they stay with highly rated, selected hosts in Sonoma, California.

May 2016: Holiday Inn Express released a comedic VR video starring actor Rob Riggle, the brand’s creative director, to promote the hotel company’s “power shower” experience.

May 2016: Vacation rental management company Vacasa also partnered with Matterport to have unique 360-degree, interactive video experiences on all of its vacation rental listings.

Why Are So Many Hotels Turning to VR?

To inform and sell: This is the strategy being adopted by brands like Best Western, Shangri-La, Carlson Rezidor, and Vacasa. For these brands, VR and/or 360-degree videos are being used as tools to inform their customers about their products.

To entertain and market: Brands like Marriott, Starwood, and Holiday Inn Express have taken a different route, seeing how VR can be used to entertain guests, and transport them, virtually, to another space all together.