Sony PS VR head: The so-called VR killer app does not exist

Every time a new platform emerges in the technology industry, there will be discussions about the platform's "killer app", and VR is no exception. Many people believe that VR still lacks a killer app, while others believe that Tilt Brush developed by Google is already one. However, in the opinion of Richard Marks, head of Sony's PlayStation R&D department, VR does not have a so-called killer app.

Marks believes that the killer app for PlayStation VR is "presence". "Presence" is not an app, it means the feeling of traveling to another place, which can be described as "sense of presence" in Chinese.

Many platforms have killer apps, such as Super Mario 64 on Nintendo 64 and GTA3 on PlayStation 2. But Marks believes that VR is different, and any game that can give you that sense of presence can become a killer app and make consumers embrace VR.

Marks divides the elements of creating a sense of presence into the following five points:

1. Stable image quality: The image needs to be realistic enough to see if there is a "sand window effect" and whether it is smooth enough;

2. Head tracking: The screen display changes with the movement of the head. If the helmet cannot highly restore the head movement, it will cause the user to be lost and motion sickness;

3. Hand/body virtualization: VR should make you feel that your body exists in the virtual world. For example, when you look down, you should be able to see your own (or your character's) hands, and when someone approaches you, the size of the character should be able to change accurately;

4. Continuity of environmental response: The virtual world you are in should be stable and continuous. For example, when you put an object on the table, leave, and then look back, it should still be there.

5. Social: Other people should also exist in the virtual space, which makes it feel more real for both of you.

In the end, one thing is certain: unless you actually experience VR, it's really hard to make a purchasing decision.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.