An Introduction to Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) is a fully immersive computer-simulated environment that gives the feeling to the user of being in that environment and the user feels that he/she is actually experiencing the environment. Global consumer brands have shown a lot of interest in AR VR app development services since they were first introduced. 

It can be used to create imaginary worlds or in other words, it can be used to create immersive games. A lot of video games have ready to develop the technologies to put the user in the interactive world like the driver seat of the car, war on the battlefield or even you are in a little town.

Key factors used to create a virtual immersive experience

There are a few key factors that are used to create an immersive experience. One of the most popular ways to experience virtual reality is through a headset as compared to all other display methods. 

Headset device is a stereoscopic display used to gain a 3D view and provide depth to the image or 360° video experience. However, the stereoscopic display is not an immersive experience. It has the ability to track user’s motion particularly, their head and eye movements which allows the image or 360° video to display in the headset. So, when you move the head left, the display will render whatever is on your left in that environment.

Hardware requirements

1. Daydream:

A daydream is when your mind wanders and your attention shifts from the task at hand.  Daydream consists of little videos of yourself in the past, future and present events. It may be something like replaying certain events repeatedly or dreaming of future events. It is noted that about 30 to 47% of our conscious day is spent spacing out, drifting and daydreaming.

There are two types of daydreams. 

• Positive-Constructive Daydreams are usually upbeat and include imaginative thought.

• Dysphoric daydreams include visions of failure and punishment.

You’ll need a Daydream-ready phone and a Daydream View for immersive virtual reality experience.

The daydream-ready phone is built for virtual reality experience with a high-resolution display, smooth graphics, and high-fidelity sensors. Daydream-ready is a term that Google uses to define devices with all the necessary specifications required to effectively run Daydream Content. Daydream-ready smartphones are designed to run high-quality virtual reality experiences through Google’s Daydream View Headset.

Below you can find a list of some Daydream-ready phones available in the market or may come to market soon:

• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL
• ZTE Axon 7
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe
• Motorola Moto Z
• Motorola Moto Z Force
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
• Huawei Mate 9 Pro
• Porsche Design Mate 9
• ASUS ZenFone AR
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• LG V30
• Google Pixel 2
• Google Pixel 2 XL
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
• LG V30/V30 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy S9
• Google Pixel 3
• Google Pixel 3 XL
• Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• LG V40

Daydream View is the name of Google’s virtual reality(VR) platform. The actual device is the Daydream View, a lightweight fabric headset into which you insert your compatible Android smartphone. The Daydream view has high-performance lenses, which result in better image clarity and a wider field of view.

2. Cardboard:

Cardboard is virtual reality hardware developed by Google. It is used with a head mount for a smartphone that gives a high-level of virtual reality experience.

How to create your 360° media

There are two types of 360° media:

• camera-generated
• computer-generated

You can purchase or rent a 360° camera. If you want your app to be based on actual reality you can contract a digital agency. You should contact an expert to fabricate the entire virtual reality. The expert should have experience with common computer graphics software platforms, like Adobe Photoshop, or Autodesk 3ds Max/Maya.

Let’s take a look at each of the options a little more in advance:

360° camera  – There are several popular lower-end cameras like Samsung Gear 360, Ricoh, Nikon KeyMission Theta, and many more. Or you can opt for mid-level to a more expensive camera, like the Insta360 Pro or Vuze, where the image or video quality will be better. And, you can consider premium event-level cameras too. For instance- Nokia Ozo.

Renting a 360° camera rig – If you want to experience ultra high quality 360° media to use it for an important one-off event, it is recommended to rent a GoPro rig. The image or video quality is better than the consumer-grade 360° cameras. And the cost of renting is less as compared to buying. The problem is that you really limit your time frame for media capture if you're renting, which for some companies can be a major issue.

 

Hiring an agency – InstaVR works with many clients who are digital production experts, either branching out into VR production or only focused on it. A few years ago, you might have had to do a small research to find a local company that specializes in 360 media. Now, assuming you are close to a major city, you will have many to choose from Or feel to contact InstaVR if you’d like us to recommend a company we have worked with before.

Computer-generated 360° media – An immersive virtual reality world built completely on a computer can be very powerful. For some industries, like Construction/Architecture/Engineering, it is the main form of media being uploaded to our platform. But even if you are not in a CGI-heavy industry, you may consider using 3ds Max or Autodesk Maya to create a virtual environment which will be awe-inspiring and memorable for your VR audience.
    

New technology makes VR more immersive than ever

One of the core values of virtual reality is immersion. It makes you feel like you are in a location, as opposed to just watching a standard video. It is memorable and impactful precisely because of the immersive technology.
    

Future of 2019 is seeing a great leap forward in terms of immersion. In particular, we saw at CES both Vuze routing and Insta360 easy-to-use, powerful 360-degree cameras appropriate for a wide variety of VR uses.
    

The new Vuze XR camera captures in 5.7K resolution at 4K at 60 fps or 30 frames per second (fps). It also converts to a 180-degree 3D camera, with images and videos that can be imported into InstaVR for VR-180 app.
    

Insta360 was literally giving away its new Insta360 One X prosumer camera for people who recycled an existing 360 camera. Read our review of the Insta360 One X, which retails for as low as $450.

    
For those with higher budgets, Insta360 announced the new Titan camera. It will capture 10K stereoscopic video and 11k (!) monoscopic.
    

On the headset side of things, we will see in the next six months the Oculus Quest, which provides even greater immersion than the Oculus Go, but with a mobility level that separates it from tethered Oculus Rift.
    

Other immersive mobile VR headsets that should see greater distribution in the US and abroad this year include the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Vive Focus.
    

All in all, we are taking great leaps forward in immersion without any more complexity, the same apps you author in InstaVR for the Oculus Go will work on the Quest, for example. It is a great time to create an incredibly immersive virtual reality.
    

VR Predictions for Future:

Last year was a time of immense growth at InstaVR, in terms of funding, clients, and features. This year, it is expected that VR adoption expands both in terms of use cases and users.

InstaVR’s goal is to empower creators to easily distribute and develop VR experiences. 

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Virtual Reality And The Emerging Trends of 360 Degree Videos

Let’s take a look at our three top predictions for the role of Virtual Reality in 2019 and future:

1. VR use will expand within organizations

2017 was the year for “early adopters” in VR world. We had just seen the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive get wide releases, and Gear VR was seeing strong usage.  

2017 was also a year where a lot of people approached us at trade shows and events to experience their first use of Virtual Reality. Last year most of our visitors were telling us about how they were first introduced to virtual reality at their company and how they were using it. Putting on a virtual reality headset was no longer a novelty.

2018 was a transition to more and more groups within companies using Virtual Reality app development services. No longer was it likely a sole virtual reality enthusiast at a company “playing” with the technology. We saw L&D and HR and sales/marketing departments at forward-thinking organizations using the technology.
      

This year we are expecting those successful VR users within organizations to spur greater adoption throughout companies, at every level. Rather than have a small group being the guinea pigs to test the effectiveness of virtual reality, we’ll see whole departments at companies (or the entire companies themselves) adopt the technology to make them more effective.
    

Witness Walmart, which bought 17,000 Oculus Gos to train associates using virtual reality. It evolved from doing a proof of concept virtual reality application to train select employees for Black Friday to ensuring training for all customer-facing employees. 

In 2019, we will inevitably see virtual reality touch more departments within companies, as the ROI of immersive and memorable virtual reality applications becomes more obvious.
    

2. Oculus Quest will have a significant impact in Future, just like Oculus Go had in 2018

     
Oculus Go is a big hit within the B2B/Enterprise VR world. The story from journalists around consumer Oculus Go adoption has been fairly muted. The truth is the headset is perfectly built for businesses. It is easy-to-use, affordable, and mobile. We have heard a ton of great Oculus Go customer success stories from clients, like Galago Vision.
    

This year, we will see Oculus launch the Quest. Like the Go, it is a mobile virtual reality headset. But it is even more powerfully immersive, owing to its six degrees of freedom functionality, which tracks your movements that same way you would with a Vive or Rift.
    

The price point is a little bit higher than the Go, but we think companies that are very serious about virtual reality will be willing to make the investment. The extra features and computing power make it one of the most intriguing headsets out there, and a worthy successor to the Rift. It would not be unusual to see companies with a handful of Quests and a large fleet of ‘Go’.
    

InstaVR is actively working to enable our clients to make compelling, powerful Quest applications.
    

3. Companies will start to integrate more interactivity into their Virtual Reality content, making it more valuable to users

InstaVR has enabled interactivity such as Hotspots and Navigation since we publicly launched in 2016. But has many users who are creating passive Virtual Reality, mainly as a vehicle for watching 360-degree videos. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, particularly if the videos are well shot.
    

Yet to truly unlock the power of Virtual Reality you need to make VR apps interactive. That is why as Virtual Reality developers using InstaVR become more sophisticated, we expect to see a lot more interactivity. We are also rolling out some more interactive features over the next several months which we know you will be excited to see.
    

With Virtual Reality being used for education and training and presentations, the benefits gained from adding interactivity, namely better recall and more active learning, will help demonstrate the true power of the technology.
        
So do not be surprised if you find yourself engaging with 360 images and videos more often in 2019.