The crux of virtual reality content: what is missing besides technology

Unlike the underlying hardware and software, there are not many opportunities left for entrepreneurs in the extremely critical content area of ​​virtual reality.

Taking videos as an example, as far as 3D film copyrights are concerned, it is difficult for ordinary companies to obtain first-hand copyrights for popular movies and TV series, and the establishment of VR video libraries still needs to rely on video websites; and in terms of games, the high production costs mean that most VR games are still demos (samples), and it is difficult for individual developers to develop mature and complete game versions.

This situation is quietly changing with the increase in VR awareness and the increasing maturity of the relevant industry chain. In terms of video, iQiyi began to build a VR video library in January this year, and the resources have now begun to take shape. In terms of games, Giant is officially entering the VR game field through "3D Journey". Prior to this, Shanghai Lexiang, a VR hardware manufacturer established 9 years ago, announced in an exclusive interview with a reporter that it will launch an FPS work in July or August with a domestic first-line terminal game manufacturer. In addition to the game manufacturers themselves, Touch Technology, which provides engines for mobile game developers, has also publicly stated that it will invest in VR engine production.

Industry insiders said that if the VR industry is compared to a barrel, after experiencing this wave, the last plank of VR may be filled in. However, how high the "water" in the barrel can reach is another matter.

VR video library: Convert first, then look around

As one of the earliest manufacturers to deploy VR in the video field, iQiyi said that since it started its layout in January this year, the website currently has hundreds of copyrighted VR film sources, including a large number of popular blockbusters, and the VR video library has begun to take shape.

But for iQiyi, there are also some frustrating difficulties.

IQIYI Chief Architect Yang Chen told NetEase Technology that, except for a small number of films that have both 2D and 3D sources, many films only have 2D sources and still need to rely on post-production conversion to convert the source to 3D. Compared with native 3D, the effect of converted 3D sources is somewhat reduced, and the user experience is not ideal.

"Although it's helpless, the current 3D film sources still have to be supplemented by post-conversion and native 3D. It will take more time to fully transition to native 3D," Yang Chen added.

This is not what iQIYI wants to see. Native 3D depends on film and television companies that are upstream of video websites, but many film and television companies do not use the surround viewing technology that is essential for native 3D in their filming. If you don’t shoot something, you naturally can’t see it, which is an inherent defect of post-production conversion.

As for why surround view is not introduced, Yang Chen attributed it to cost factors. "In fact, the current production cost of 3D movies is still high. From shooting, special effects production, post-processing, editing and other solutions, it is much more expensive than 2D movies."

Based on this, iQiyi is currently developing a complete set of 3D movie shooting solutions to provide to upstream film and television companies, so as to focus on the shooting process and increase the number of 3D movies.

Helping upstream film and television companies to achieve panoramic shooting is only the first step, and there is still room for technical expansion. Yang Chen believes that users can only look around at a fixed point and cannot truly simulate the environment. "In the future, three-dimensional perspectives will be introduced in some panoramic live broadcasts, and users can watch the panoramic view at multiple points. At the same time, more interactive methods will be introduced, such as gloves, to improve the sense of presence of the scene."

Ultimately, iQiyi, which has taken the lead in VR content, still hopes to establish a VR industry alliance and a set of industry standards, and to work with existing players in the VR industry to build an open VR collaboration platform. In the short term, iQiyi's position on this VR platform is still just to provide 3D copyright resources required for VR, while also providing related technologies to reduce filming costs.

VR games: technology and cost constraints

In addition to VR videos, in the field of VR games, another important component of VR content, in addition to the recognized technical issues, the cost issue seems to be becoming more and more prominent.

Hou Yingtao, senior vice president of technology at Touch, told NetEase Technology that although the threshold for the VR mobile game industry is high, the technical threshold is not high. Sometimes a VR game can be made in a month. However, the reason why there are so few VR games is largely due to the high costs.

"The effect of converting ordinary mobile games to 3D is generally not good. VR mobile games need to be specially produced, but the corresponding difficulty may be more than doubled, and the production cost is also greatly increased," Hou Yingtao believes that game companies are concerned with business, and mobile game manufacturers dare not act rashly in a field where there are no successful cases yet. "To put it bluntly, it is still not profitable, and there are too many pitfalls."

Regarding the pitfalls in VR mobile games, Hou Yingtao explained that on the one hand, the technology itself is still immature, and on the other hand, user awareness is still in doubt. Mobile game companies do not know whether consumers will buy into VR games - this is a considerable risk for many mobile game companies.

Because of this, most mobile game companies are still watching the VR industry, and few have produced finished products. Chukong's layout for VR engines is still in its early stages; in the future, as the industry develops, Hou Yingtao said that Chukong's Cocos engine will provide services to the entire industry, not just limited to the previous cooperation with Baofeng Technology on VR.

In addition to VR mobile games, PC game manufacturers such as Giant have publicly stated that they will enter the VR game industry. However, unlike mobile games, PC games with higher entry barriers have encountered more technical difficulties.

Dong Xiaogang, chief developer of Giant's "3D Journey", said that the global VR PC game R&D level is generally not high, and Giant had to make some attempts and breakthroughs during the R&D process. "It can be said that we are crossing the river by feeling the stones. There are still some problems to be solved in motion tracking, product interaction, hardware interfaces and many other issues."

Regarding the adaptation issue, it is reported that "3D Journey" will be adapted to Oculus Rift, and is currently working hard to cooperate with more equipment manufacturers, even including somatosensory bracelets for interaction. Giant will provide underlying adaptation and system services for it, but this also requires a lot of time and effort.

However, even though there have been some technical setbacks, Dong Xiaogang believes that VR games will definitely be a major trend in the future, and that this attempt to bring a better user experience is worthwhile. "Game visual exploration, scene easter eggs, hidden NPCs, etc. developed based on VR will all increase players' sense of immersion after the game is developed."

Content manufacturers: The industry is taking shape soon, but it may be too early to explode

In addition to paying attention to the current status of the VR content industry, some content manufacturers have more or less some expectations for the industry. However, compared with the optimism of many VR hardware manufacturers, content manufacturers may be "relatively pessimistic" about the explosive growth period of the VR industry.

In terms of video, Yang Chen believes that video providers like iQiyi will release some video sources before next year to alleviate the problem of lack of content for VR hardware devices. However, this number is still far from supporting the explosion of the industry.

In his opinion, after owning some content resources, more incentives can be given to further optimize the experience in hardware and the underlying system. "Only when all aspects are done well can there be a possibility of explosion. No single aspect can be a shortcoming. This is a process of mutual support," Yang Chen added.

He predicts that the VR industry will see a blowout in 3-4 years. “After all, it takes time to educate users. By then, more 3D videos, not just movies, will appear, making the entire ecosystem more prosperous.”

As for the game industry, although not many companies have announced their entry into VR, industry veterans told NetEase Technology that it is not that game companies have ignored VR. On the contrary, many first- and second-tier mobile and PC game manufacturers are secretly working on VR technology and talent reserves and keeping track of the VR industry. Some companies have even consulted VR teams on acquisition prices and have identified VR as their next focus.

It was revealed that a mobile game company had previously acquired a VR game team, which was conducting research and development in a relatively remote park. Relevant sources said that the company's CEO would wait until the team's mobile game had overcome technical difficulties and produced a finished product before releasing it to the public.

"Everyone is afraid that the VR boom will come but they are unprepared. This is a common idea among manufacturers of this type. However, it is not realistic to invest too much manpower and material resources before the boom comes," the industry insider added.

In fact, except for cases like Giant's "3D Journey" where more than 50 people in the R&D team of more than 200 are dedicated to VR R&D, most game manufacturers do not invest much in VR. The main reason is that it is difficult to see significant returns in the short term.

All of this will take time to prove.

Some analysts even believe that VR may be very similar to the ever-popular Html5. Although every year is called the year of Html5, Html5 is still a long way from being truly popular. On the other hand, VR will eventually become a hot industry, and hardware, underlying infrastructure, and content all need to be reserved, but it is still difficult to predict which part will bring the opportunity for the explosion.

"The prototype of the industry may appear next year, but it is really hard to say whether it will really explode," a gaming industry insider told NetEase Technology.

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.