philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Lounge Upgrades: Can Virtual Reality Reinvent the Pre-Flight Wait?

APEX Insight: No longer just a staid room in which to sit and sip a drink before a trip, airline lounges are seeing a renaissance as a destination unto themselves. Findings from a newly published YouGov-Spafax survey suggest younger passengers appear inclined to take that even further, with virtual reality (VR)-based experiences adding to the entertainment and ancillary revenue potential. What does this mean for the future travel experience inside airports?

Passengers are split on what makes for a great pre-flight experience, with many of the differences matching demographic borders. Younger travelers want a more engaging and interactive experience on the ground and in the air, according to a recent YouGov survey commissioned by Spafax of 2,110 UK-based respondents. Could the results shape the way airport lounges operate in the future?

Charles Vine, head of Brand Alliances at Spafax said the study’s findings could help airport and airlines make more informed decisions about how to improve the way travelers experience airports.

“The findings of this survey support our proprietary research which highlights that airport lounges and the airport experience as a whole are going through a radical change. Customers expect an experience before they even get on the plane – and brands can take advantage of that moment where the customer is in repose and attentive or let it pass. We predict an increasing appetite for the clever use of lounge space by brands,” said Vine. “Artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and VR are vehicles through which to enhance the traveling experience. And that is precisely why we help airlines collaborate with external brands to help make that happen.”

See the full story here: https://apex.aero/2018/08/23/lounge-upgrades-can-virtual-reality-recreate-preflight-wait

People are swarming the first official Fortnite mini theme park

While some fans might be stopping by the official Fortnite booth to catch another round of game time, many are there to experience the Fortnite theme park that was constructed by developer Epic Games. The set is full of references to the game, but more importantly, much of it is interactive. You can go down a slide, shoot baskets, have pickaxe duels, ride a mechanical rocket, and even use a zipline glider. You can see all of this in action via IGN’s video walkthrough of the booth:

See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/22/17768680/fortnite-theme-park-obstacle-course-gamescom

SPACES FIRST MULTI-SENSORY VR CENTER OPENS AT IRVINE SPECTRUM CENTER DEFEAT TERMINATORS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN ORANGE COUNTY

“Our amazingly fun, social SPACES attractions are built to be shared,” Brad Herman, SPACES CTO says. “We’re kicking off our first SPACES Center with a prominent franchise that is recognized and loved around the world, we make it easy for guests to share their SPACES experience the moment they take off their headset and that social-friendly mentality is built into every one of our SPACES attractions.”

“Many virtual reality experiences are described as ‘You have to see it to believe it’ and that is now a possibility with our first U.S.-based SPACES attraction at Irvine Spectrum Center,” Shiraz Akmal, SPACES CEO says. “We say that guests can ‘Go Anywhere, Do Anything’ and SPACES is opening locations around the world, partnering with premier locations to bring guests closer to the promise of extended reality (XR) than ever before.”

“We designed our VR backpacks precisely to enable visionary, driven teams to create groundbreaking social experiences,” explains Joanna Popper, head of location-based VR entertainment for HP. “SPACES attractions are a natural fit to showcase the unique adventures you can experience when you’re not tethered to a desktop PC or a television. SPACES location-based XR attractions give people the ability to experience a game or movie from the inside. It’s not storytelling, it’s story-living.”

See more at https://www.spaces.com/?utm_source=release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=%20Irvine

Beat Saber Is The Incredibly Virtual Reality Rhythm Game We Needed

Beat Saber, quite simply, is the rhythm game we needed to show just how wonderful a virtual reality game experience can be - without the need to just translate things we've already seen on 2D screens into a 3D world.

Rhythm games were a huge success a decade ago. Guitar Hero and Rock Band ...

Most VR games so far have been environment experiences. Spaces to explore and interact, to feel the immersion of the alternate world. ...

Beat Saber really does feel different.

It's a game where, like the great rhythm games, you synchronise with the music. But you are also fully immersed in a 3D environment that will demand smart, fluid movements to get into a flow.

Beat Saber is a first for needing to truly immerse into the 3D world you're visiting in VR. To actually forget that you're not in a real environment, to just be in the space and react with impulse and really be in the moment.

See the full story here: https://www.sciencealert.com/beat-saber-review-rhythm-game-virtual-reality-vr

(Chicago) Naperville council to decide in September on virtual reality business liquor license

A request that the cap on Class M liquor licenses be increased to accommodate VR 360 Playground at 22 E. Chicago St. was endorsed by the Naperville Liquor Commission earlier this month after owner Marcus Beam explained the system in place to ensure underage drinkers would not be served.

“You can track the actual drinking, which is a phenomenal technology,” Beam said. “We can link a specific person and their photo ID. When a client comes in, they enter a code. If mom leaves them there and they try to get a beer, it will flag them right away. We know what person comes to the bar and how often. We can tell who served who and what time and what frequency. That information is viewable from anywhere in the world. We can set parameters to put caps on that and limit over-serving. As problems arise, technology can solve the problems.”

“It's a gaming center that offers liquor, not a bar that offers gaming. We have no ambition of running a bar.”

See the full story here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-virtual-reality-liquor-license-st-0824-story.html

SkyLights Launches Virtual Reality IFE Service for Kids on Long-Haul Flights

SkyLights has launched an immersive virtual reality entertainment service designed for children aged six to 12 on long-haul flights. Called Skykids, the service offers a selection of 2-D, 3-D and forward-facing 360-degree films on VR headsets. Ferdinand (3-D), Ice Age: Collision Course (3-D) and Dream Collector (360-degrees), are among the titles being offered.

The Skykids service launched at the beginning of July as part of a trial with XL Airways, an existing Skylights customer. The American-French technology company said a study by Emirates in 2017, which found that children get bored 50 minutes into a long-haul flight, and Expedia’s 2017 Annual Airplane Etiquette Study, which voted unruly kids voted the second most annoying type of passenger, helped inspire the new product.

“Skykids has got off to a fantastic start,” said Laurence Fornari, SkyLights’ head of Sales and Marketing. “Demand has outstripped our predictions, with the service oversubscribed on just about every flight. We owe this initial success to the very constructive relationships we have with XL Airways, Dutyfly Solutions and 20th Century Fox.”

See the full story here: https://apex.aero/2018/08/22/skylights-launches-virtual-reality-ife-service-kids

‘We’re atypical retirees’: Seniors fly across southern Utah — with virtual reality

"At Disneyland, one of my favorite rides is the Soarin' Over California ride, and we thought we had just as much to show here in southern Utah," Daniel Thompson said.

For months, the Thompsons filmed the footage that would become the ride. Then stitching together video filmed on a rented helicopter from multiple angles and making sure it was stabilized and seamless.

See the full story here: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900029108/were-atypical-retirees-seniors-fly-across-southern-utah-with-virtual-reality.html

New Line of Augmented Reality-Powered Wines Celebrate Women’s Empowerment via Historical Figures

See the full story here: https://mobile-ar.reality.news/news/new-line-augmented-reality-powered-wines-celebrate-womens-empowerment-via-historical-figures-0186659/

German Soccer Jumps Off Page as Newspaper Pushes AR to Readers

Soccer fans can now watch videos of Germany’s top league matches by leafing through Europe’s biggest-selling daily newspaper.

Axel Springer SE’s Bild has embedded a feature that turns pictures in the paper into 30-second clips when readers hover over them with their smartphone.

Publishers from Canada to Japan have dabbled with augmented reality, but without much impact beyond introducing readers to a new gimmick. Conde Nast’s New Yorker and Meredith Corp.’s Time are among U.S. publications that have featured the technology. Axel Springer says its push is unique among European peers because it offers exclusive sports content to readers that have a copy of the paper at no additional cost.

The AR push, which the company plans to expand to areas beyond soccer, is meant to make Bild’s print edition more attractive for tech-savvy readers. It also shows that Axel Springer is unwilling to leave its most popular print product behind as it shifts to digital publishing.

See the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-22/german-soccer-jumps-off-page-as-newspaper-pushes-ar-to-readers

How Hollywood Is Racing to Catch Up With Netflix

Netflix’s leap into the top echelon of the entertainment industry in just a few years has left Hollywood in a state of near bedlam. While the major studios were fighting with cable operators over carriage fees and retransmission consent deals, a company with roots well outside the Hollywood mainstream was unleashing the biggest innovations in the television-viewing experience.

In the process, Netflix has also rewritten the rules of TV and movie dealmaking, talent paydays, TV scheduling, film release windows and marketing campaigns. It’s an extraordinary level of influence exerted on a mature industry dominated by long-established stalwarts.

Consumers have voted with their wallets, taking Netflix from 27 million U.S. subscribers in 2012 to 56 million as of June. Around the world, the number has grown to 130 million as of June. Netflix keeps every penny of the $8 to $14 monthly fee that “members” pay for access to the service. Disney and its ilk, on the other hand, receive a small slice of the much larger check written every month by traditional MVPD subscribers.

Netflix has set sky-high industry records for content spending — a projected $12 billion-$13 billion in 2018 — at a time when it is still in building mode.

See the full story here: https://variety.com/2018/digital/features/media-streaming-services-netflix-disney-comcast-att-1202910463/