Welcome to 2050: Virtual Reality
What is VR?
“Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. Unlike traditional user interfaces, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds. By simulating as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell, the computer is transformed into a gatekeeper to this artificial world.”
Quick Facts
The Current Climate of VR
The possibilities of virtual reality are advancing quickly but still come with some heavy promises to consumers. VR still lacks a large consumer presence despite a high interest due to a slow adaption rate:
“In the nearly four years since the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive hit retail shelves, VR has gone from being the most exciting new computing medium around — something that could be as transformational as the internet itself — to a niche accessory for gamers with too much money.” — Devindra Hardawar, 2020 is VR’s make-or-break year
The consumer interest outside of gaming in VR has diminished. A user holding awkward controllers, tethered to a headset being tracked by several large cameras with limited mobility, is not the ideal way to experience “reality.” Even with the sensors built into new headsets, extra processing equipment, in most cases, is still required. The hefty price also does not appeal to customers.
There is also the challenge of gaining consumer incentives to buy. Overcoming the challenges aside from the development and product design there is still a large learning curve and usability issue. Where is the incentive to buy a new 3D product when the same experience can be built for a 2D interface, and with better usability?
During an internship at Teague, I was able to experience and provide feedback on a VR client project. The team had been developing a VR tool for clients to better visualize and provide feedback on the product design. Utilizing the physical 3D models in the office paired with the VR tool was a powerful way to understand the design of the final models. It was also a fast way for the industrial designers and the client to swap out designs and upload new models to find any additional changes to be made. While interacting with the experience I started to understand the common user critiques of VR experiences.
Some of the biggest user challenges can be summed up into 3 main categories:
How is VR shown in Westworld?
In Westworld season three, the year is now 2050, and the barriers of VR headsets are turned into modern fashionable glasses. Think Google glasses meet Warby Parker.
Westworld first introduced VR glasses in the premiere of season three. Delores pays a visit to an old Insite employee, (which ultimately does not end well for Jerry in a typical “these violent delights have violent ends” fashion) and takes him through his old memories as his old home and ex-wife materializes in front of his eyes.
Later in the season, the audience gets another glimpse into the advanced possibilities of VR glasses. Charlotte Hale is given glasses for a meeting with Engerraund Serac, co-founder of Incite.
The device turns on as Charlottle places the glasses on. In front of her stands Serac. Although he is not physically in the same place as her. This is something that is common throughout the season, as someone that runs the largest tech companies collecting data and deciding the future of humanity through an AI may tend to not have the time for an in-person chat. At the end of the conversation, he fades away with similar visuals to Jerry’s memories.
The most interesting part of this exchange is the realization, Serac could be anywhere, in his private jet or other homes, during the conversation. Serac is able to virtually be in the same place with someone, in the same physical space, while the other person potentially is across the country, or across the globe. In the year 2050, the Westworld universe has found a way to digitally teleport into the same physical 3D space.
Based on how VR is shown in Westworld, their 2050 world is more like a version of modern reality than science fiction. Technology may not be able to allow users to re-live or physically step back into old memories, but the possibilities are very intriguing. It is possible our future could have untethered, more glasses like, VR experiences.
Solving the common challenges of the headset product design are already being explored.
Magic Leap has built a headset in the form of glasses but continues to have the same setbacks as the larger VR headsets. Apple’s long-rumored move into augmented and virtual reality most likely will hit shelves in 2022. Although they have not confirmed to be working on Apple Glasses, their sleek take on product design is something consumers already line the streets for. Building upon first introduced ambitious Google project of Google Glass in 2014, the odd-looking glasses certainly did not live up to the hype. Apple developing a VR product would likely revolutionalize the design of the VR headsets, tackling common product issues such as the weight, while providing the much-needed shift away from a gaming device and into a modern everyday product such as a smartphone. With big players coming into the VR space like Apple our future of VR could become similar to the world of 2050 Westworld.
What is the future of VR?
In the year 2050 where season three takes place, VR technology has developed, nearly surpassing its promised potential. However, to achieve Westworld inspired technology in our modern world, VR may still have some hefty barriers to overcome to increase customer interest. VR is similar to the current success of AR at the moment thriving off hype and the “fun” factor.
“The current VR hype doesn’t offer us access to new worlds so much as new ways to package consumer entertainment.” — Douglas Rushkoff
If VR development shifted toward the promises from other investment sectors, consumers might have interest peaked once again. Exploring telepresence and the social implications of VR are personally an area I would love to see developed.
As humanity is in a current crisis of a pandemic, humanity takes a look at technology to bring each other closer. During this time of quarantine where humans are lacking social connection telepresence in Westworld brought into our current world would be extremely valuable. The use of Facebook Portal, Apple Facetime, and Zoom has allowed people to connect digitally all over the world. Exploring telepresence to allow humans to be able to digitally be in the same physical space as someone in a 3D form would be a very exciting development for VR.
Focusing on how VR can solve human problems is where the future stands. The innovation of the product design and the development involved to run the technology will only evolve over time. With the barriers of equipment removed and the capability of a virtual reality blending into our physical reality, the possibilities of VR finally reach their potential.
