Helmets are far from enough. Virtual reality is about comprehensive strength.

In 2015, with the bombardment of information from various channels, virtual reality is no longer a strange term to most netizens. When you think of it, you may imagine a big, bulky black box worn on your head.

Indeed, among all the news related to virtual reality, the “big black box”, or what we often call virtual reality helmets, occupies a large part of the topic, whether it is product releases, investment and mergers and acquisitions, or technical dynamics. This has also led to a misunderstanding among people: virtual reality is just a visual technology.

Let’s start with the definition of virtual reality

The origin of modern virtual reality technology can be traced back to the 1960s. It is worth mentioning that the first patent, "full sensor simulator", which is considered to contain the idea of ​​virtual reality technology, has no direct relationship with vision, but simulates two senses: vibration and sound.

In the more than 50 years of development, the concept of virtual reality has been constantly changing with the progress of theory and application. So far, it is still difficult to find an accurate and comprehensive definition. From the perspective of virtual reality systems used in professional fields such as military and medicine, at least a few points can be determined:

1. A complete virtual reality system needs to be able to perceive multiple information such as sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste;

2. Users can perceive the above information autonomously and interact with objects in the virtual world;

3. Making users unaware of the virtual location is the ultimate goal of virtual reality;

The characteristics of virtual reality technology, such as multiple perceptions, autonomous interaction, and immersive experience, will not change because of the lower rigor of the consumer market. Today's virtual reality technology is exaggerated by CEOs, investors, and the media, and the public has unprecedented high expectations for the disruptive nature of this technology. If the virtual reality application that consumers experience for the first time is very different from the previous description, it will lower the credibility of the entire virtual reality industry. Therefore, entering the consumer market requires further strengthening these characteristics of virtual reality, and the simultaneous improvement of multi-dimensional perception technology may be the first step.

References for this section:

Zhou Siyue and Gong Zhenbang Discussion on the Definition of Virtual Reality Computer Simulation Vol. 23 No. 9

Zou Xiangjun, Sun Jian, etc. The Evolution, Development and Prospect of Virtual Reality Technology Journal of System Simulation

Zhang Zhanlong Luo Ciyong What is Virtual Reality Technology Overview Computer Simulation Vol. 22 No. 3

A brief analysis of the acquisition trends of giants

In this round of virtual reality craze, Facebook's acquisition of Oculus is definitely a milestone event. Not only does Facebook have expectations for this company to "create the next generation computing platform", but many virtual reality startups also regard its dynamics as an industry trendsetter.

Judging from the acquisition trend, Oculus has already started to lay out beyond head-mounted display devices. In June last year, Oculus acquired Carbon Design, which had developed game controllers and the first Kinect camera for Microsoft Xbox 360; later acquired Nimble VR, a company focusing on gesture tracking depth sensors; in May this year, it acquired Surreal Vision, a company focusing on providing 3D scene reproduction for augmented reality; in July, it acquired Pebbles Interfaces, an Israeli company specializing in high-precision gesture recognition technology; in addition, there are reports that the first Oculus Rift VR headset will be available in the first quarter of next year.

Not long ago, with the official launch of the PS VR project, Sony has also stepped up its follow-up of related technologies. The acquisition of Belgian somatosensory technology company SoftKinetic is one of its important deployments.

These developments all point to the same signal: virtual reality is a complete solution covering spatial positioning, gesture recognition, motion capture, and audio-visual technology. It is probably difficult to control the future of virtual reality with just one of these technologies.

It is still difficult to find a mature VR full-industry chain company. They can be roughly divided into two categories: those focusing on head-mounted displays and those focusing on content. In China, the number of the former is far greater than the latter. The first category of companies with certain strength and sufficient financial support will often continue to deepen and expand in both technology and content, such as acquiring related technology companies or investing in the development of specific content as mentioned above.

This seems to suggest another way to join the virtual reality industry, which is to focus on the development or integration of other related technologies. It is expected that the scale of the global virtual reality industry will exceed 100 billion US dollars by 2020, and those technology companies that are acquired due to the layout needs of giants can at least get a share of the pie.

Having said that, without the support of these technologies, the virtual reality experience will be greatly reduced, and it will also limit the development of the entire industry.

Industry insiders pointed out that one of the biggest shortcomings of the current virtual reality experience is that it is not naturally integrated with the real world. When players put on the virtual reality headset, they are completely isolated from the real world. It can be said that you can't see your fingers when you stretch your hand out and your feet when you look down. This is obviously inconsistent with the real experience in life. In addition, the scope and form of players' activities are also easily restricted by the equipment.

Ideal mobility should include any possible mode of movement, such as crawling, jumping, and climbing, and adapt to any possible scene changes, such as ups and downslopes, stairs, sand, blind paths, etc.

Companies that have noticed these technical issues can also be divided into two categories. The first category provides corresponding solutions starting from one point, such as PERCEPTION, which focuses on professional motion capture systems, and K-Labs, which focuses on interactive technology; the second category tends to integrate these technologies effectively, such as G-Wearables, a company that focuses on overall virtual reality solutions.

Last month, the company released StepVR, an interactive virtual reality device that integrates a head display, a backpack wireless processor, a full-body motion capture sensor, a hand recognition sensor, and a spatial positioning device. The application prospects of this product may be inspired by The VOID, the world's first virtual reality theme park, which opened its first wave of experience qualifications this month and the tickets were sold out within a few hours.

On the future of virtual reality

To quote a sentence from a researcher of virtual reality technology: Virtual reality space-time creates a space for humans that is both physical and psychological. Its essence should be "the sensory space where human imagination is put into practice."

This coincides with the view of G-Wearables CEO Guo Cheng. In an interview with reporters, Guo Cheng said that the greatest charm of virtual reality technology is to bring people "real experiences" that are "impossible" in real life, such as close contact with giant dinosaurs, pushing open the big bronze door in "Grave Robbers' Chronicles", and traveling to the battlefield of Normandy to fight...

It can be imagined that in addition to vision, these experiences also require the linkage of touch, hearing, position and other senses, which requires the cooperation of various auxiliary technologies such as materials, body sensation, recognition, positioning, etc. The future of virtual reality also leaves enough room for companies that focus on these technologies and their integration.

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.