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November 18, 2016
Intel Unveils Broad AI Vision
November 15, 2016
Ready or Not, We’re Entering an AI World
November 11, 2016
Oculus Software Update Lowers PC Requirements for VR Headset
November 8, 2016
The Best Automotive Tech Opportunity? Make Existing Cars Smarter
November 1, 2016
It’s Time for an IoT Security Standard
October 25, 2016
The Indefatigable PC
October 21, 2016
Tesla Hardware Upgrade to Enable More Autonomous Cars
October 18, 2016
Can IT Survive?
October 14, 2016
Sony PlayStation VR Brings Virtual Reality to the Masses
October 11, 2016
Galaxy Note 7: The Death of a Smartphone
October 4, 2016
Service Providers Still Act Like Utilities
September 30, 2016
Google Updates Their Cloud Offerings
September 27, 2016
The Andromeda Strain
September 13, 2016
Apple's Missed Audio Opportunity
September 9, 2016
Traditional IT Companies Announce Major Changes: Dell, HP Enterprise, Intel
September 6, 2016
Rethinking Smart Home Gateways
August 30, 2016
Ridesharing Impact Dramatically Overstated
August 23, 2016
Consumer Interest in Auto Tech? Slower Than You Think
August 19, 2016
Intel Focuses on Automotive
August 16, 2016
The Utility of Cloud Computing
August 12, 2016
Intel Purchases AI Chip Vendor
August 9, 2016
The Digital Identity Dilemma
August 2, 2016
IoT Strategies Going Vertical
July 29, 2016
Yahoo-Verizon Deal
July 26, 2016
Creating New Worlds
July 19, 2016
The State of Smart Homes
July 15, 2016
US PC Market Shows Improvement
July 12, 2016
Pokemon Go is an AR Watershed
July 5, 2016
Car Wars: The Battle for Automotive Tech
July 1, 2016
Microsoft Announces Windows 10 Anniversary Update
June 28, 2016
Digital Audio Progress Highlights Tech’s More Human Future
June 24, 2016
HP Inc. Offers Thinnest Notebook
June 21, 2016
IoT Faces Challenges with Scale
June 17, 2016
Snapchat Opens Up New Options for Marketers
June 14, 2016
Apple Drives Apps into Services
June 7, 2016
The Evolution of Cloud Computing
May 31, 2016
Voice-Based Computing with Digital Assistants
May 24, 2016
Turning Makers into Manufacturers
May 20, 2016
Google Brings Android Apps to Chrome
May 17, 2016
Virtual Reality Brings New Life…to Desktops?
May 10, 2016
The Biggest Question for IoT…Who Pays?
May 3, 2016
Learning About Deep Learning
April 26, 2016
The End of Hardware?
April 19, 2016
Enterprise IoT Drives Indirect Savings
April 12, 2016
TidBits About Bots
April 5, 2016
VR in the Cloud
March 29, 2016
IOT Will Drive Tech Outside of IT
March 22, 2016
Apple Moves to Middle Age
March 15, 2016
The Invisible Platform
March 8, 2016
Bringing Makers to Business
March 1, 2016
IOT Coming Into Focus
February 23, 2016
The Devices Formerly Known as Smartphones
February 16, 2016
Can Web Music Survive?
February 9, 2016
The Growing Choices in Wireless Connectivity
February 2, 2016
What if Twitter Died?
January 26, 2016
Smart Home Safety Evolution: Physical to Digital
January 19, 2016
The Promise and Confusion of USB Type-C
January 12, 2016
The Hottest Computing Device? Cars
January 5, 2016
Top Tech Predictions for 2016, Part 2
December 30, 2015
Top Tech Predictions for 2016, Part 1
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November 22, 2016
By Bob O'Donnell
Sure, the gaming side is cool.
Battling space aliens or shooting bad guys with virtual reality products like Google’s new DayDream VR, Samsung’s Gear VR, Sony’s Playstation VR, or PC-driven systems like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift is a blast. But despite all the focus, I don’t think gaming will bring VR into mainstream acceptance.
In fact, having recently had the opportunity to spend some quality time with an HTC Vive headset powered by one of first notebooks certified to support high-quality VR—the Alienware 15 from Dell, powered by nVidia’s GTX 1070 GPU—I am even more convinced.
The challenge is that much of the VR-based games are designed for and targeted towards hard-core gamers, which only make up a fraction of even those who play computer or smartphone-based games—let alone the general population.
Instead, to reach a wider audience, VR experiences and applications like virtual travel need to take center stage. There have already been some very interesting case studies done with bringing these types of non-gaming VR experiences to the elderly. I’m certain people of all ages will quickly become attracted to VR once they get a chance to try these devices with the right kind of applications.
A great recent example is the newly released Google Earth app for Vive, an awe-inspiring example of how powerful and transformational VR can be. As with other iterations of Google Earth, you can explore any location on the planet, leveraging the impressive collection of satellite imagery Google has collected, or you can view some pre-designed “tours” of famous locations around the world. With the VR version, however, instead of just looking at these locations, you start to get a sense that you’re actually in them. In fact, once you’ve tried the VR version, you realize the whole Google Earth concept was really made for virtual reality—it just won’t be the same anymore on other platforms.
As impressive as it is, however, Google Earth VR also highlights some of the challenges of current VR devices and experiences, particularly around the display resolution of current headsets. Some of the 3D buildings in cities, for example, look a bit “cartoon-like” because none of these systems have the graphical resolution (nor the data resolution behind them) to create a life-like viewing experience. Don’t get me wrong—it’s still great, but you can tell that we’re still in the early stages of VR technology development for some of the really demanding applications.
The challenges of the hardware setup also highlight that PC-based VR is not quite ready for the mainstream yet either. Though the Alienware notebook is certainly a lot easier to move around than the big desktop rigs that have been necessary for VR until very recently (and the smaller new 13” Alienware VR-ready notebook is lighter still), all the wires that the HTC Vive headset and its various accessories require makes mobility an unlikely option. HTC did just announce a new wireless accessory for Vive in China, but while it removes the direct wired connections from the Vive headset to the dongle box that plugs into the PC, there are still a lot of pieces that need to be powered and connected.
Despite some of these hassles, the result is worth it: the all-encompassing 360° view that the Vive/Alienware combo provides can be quite impressive, particularly on content specifically designed for VR.
A surprisingly compelling example of this comes from Jaguar’s new introductory experience for their upcoming electric car. Though it’s essentially a VR product brochure for the newly announced vehicle, the application does a remarkable job of utilizing current generation VR technology to let you truly get inside and experience the car. Not only do you get to see via 3D models how different elements of the car function and come together, you can also view and explore the car’s interior design and layout. Jaguar used this VR experience at the car’s recent launch event in LA, but it’s just as compelling now for anyone who wasn’t there. More importantly, it highlights how companies will be able to leverage high-quality VR for creating some very persuasive marketing materials.
The educational opportunities for VR are also enormous. From explorations of human anatomy, to science lessons on how atoms work, to virtual field trips, it’s easy to imagine the kinds of applications that high-quality VR devices will start to enable. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing these kinds of applications show up on Sony’s PlayStation VR—despite its gaming heritage.
Once more people have the opportunity to see and experience the kinds of new possibilities that non-gaming VR can bring them, I’m certain we’ll start to see the market grow well beyond its currently modest size.
Here's a link to the column: https://techpinions.com/virtual-experiences-will-drive-vr-devices-to-mainstream/48066
Bob O’Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a market research firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.
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