Immersive Reality – How to make VR affordable for the masses

Immersive Reality – How to make VR affordable for the masses

How VR Technology has been evolving across the years and it is now more affordable and efficient

Did you remember the first 360 VR Cameras? Back in 2016, 360Degree cameras were heavy, uncomfortable and expensive. About half a kilo in weight and working only when connected to an external computing device, a gaming quality PC, smartphone or game console, and roughly the price of $400 per headset.

Despite bringing an exciting technology, for years, VR technology have required huge computation power, the creation of complex simulation using proprietary software and expensive, tethered goggles in order to view the experience.

With the growth of 360Degree camera market, driven by extreme sports cameras like GoPro for example, the entry of all in one Android VR headsets, and options like Google Cardboard, the Virtual Reality world has gradually changed becoming far more affordable. The evolution that’s occurred in this technology, means it’s now ready for greater industry adoption.

VR for everyone – but how?

Affordability

Thanks to the innovation of technology and the lower cost of production, the cost of devices has greatly decreased making the prospect of VR much more affordable. HTC, HTC Vive, Oculus VR and Pico, are manufacturing and selling the hardware at far lower price levels and this has driven much momentum in terms of VR adoption. Oculus’s pricing cut in the summer of 2017 demonstrated consumers had a big appetite for VR at lower prices, starting a boom what was widely followed by other businesses. This trend culminated in the launch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets at the end of last year, together with the announcement of multiple standalone VR headsets (where the price range varies from $80 to $500).

An approach to immersive Reality

An approach to Immersive Reality

The second way to make VR more affordable for the public is embracing Immersive Reality. While Virtual Reality is the presentation of an artificial environment that replaces the users’ real-world surroundings, Immersive Reality experience starts with filming the real world. So, why create a fully virtual world, when you can film the real one and overlay an interactive layer, delivering a truly immersive experience, to a large audience for a fraction of the cost?

View an immersive reality video here

 

The evolution of technology

The increasing production of more Virtual Reality hardware both in terms of comfort and efficiency, at a wider range of price points than ever before, is bringing VR into the tech mainstream. Compared to the first 360 headsets, today there are compact, comfortable standalone devices available on the market, that provide better quality videos and can be purchased at more affordable prices.

The next VR’s challenges – The future of Immersive Reality –

There are still a number of challenges VR should overcome in order to become a true mainstream consumer technology, such as getting more content, lowering prices even further, and upgrading the quality of their devices. But thanks to the Immersive Reality approach, the affordability of the cameras and the adoption of standalone hardware, we are confident VR will keep growing and it will be ready soon for a mass-adoption. It’s reaching an exciting tipping point.
According to market predictions, VR is set to become a $38 billion Industry by 2026 and at 360dgrees we believe this is already happening, with VR driving massive change in the way we work, train, apply information, and interact with people.

Explore 360dgrees.com and start creating some powerful Immersive 360 Videos. Visit 360dgrees.com

The 360dgrees.com Platform Now Supports Flat Video Gamification

Gamification
by Max Harris, Media Producer at 360dgrees.com
  • 360dgrees.com’s Interactive Reality platform empowers anyone to create immersive, interactive experiences
  • The platform now supports flat videos, allowing users to augment non-360 video with POS and interactive links between videos that the viewer can control.
  • The process is simply, easy, intuitive and powerful.

As Mixed Reality has rapidly expanded into the mainstream in 2017, devices and software platforms have become increasingly accessible and affordable. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive dropped in price significantly (triggering major market share booms), consumer-grade headsets like the Oculus Go were announced, and development platforms like Apple’s ARKit and Nvidia’s Holodeck were opened.

360dgrees.com is committed to bringing Interactive Reality further into the mainstream with a video platform that empowers anyone to create dynamic immersive experiences. Simply upload 360 degree video content and augment it with interactivity through a simple and intuitive interface.

Now 360dgrees.com is excited to announce the introduction of flat video functionality, meaning that anyone, with any camera, can easily and quickly create and gamify dynamic, interactive, flowing experiences.

This is achieved by placing interactive hotspots into your videos – points of sales that can open forms, link to websites, or transition to other videos – empowering the creation of flowing narrative paths that the user can choose between. These hotspots can be moving or static; invisible or represented as virtual objects. The implication is that you can gamify your content, and create decision-based interactive videos that can be used for entertainment, education, or training. You can insert custom or preset icons, badges, timers, text, picture-in-picture interfaces – and the possibilities are limitless. The platform also provides analytics and insights into how users respond to the interactivity and the choices that they made.
Check out this interactive video created for Sydney Aquarium on the 360dgrees.com platform which employs both flat and 360 degree video. Click the interactive hotspots in the video represented by the shark and the “buy” graphics to trigger different sections of the video.

To sign up or learn more about the platform, visit 360dgrees.com. Our experts are waiting to empower you to create your own interactive experiences.