Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 12:40:22 -0500 From: "Sandy Ressler" Subject: Re: Is VR dead? In-reply-to: <3C727046.7010003@ptc.com> Sender: To: <3d-ui@hitl.washington.edu>, "Ian Hooper" Message-id: <1014140422.3c728e068ebd3@email.nist.gov> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Importance: Normal X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 References: <000701c1b912$e3c51b20$c829ef82@BINKY> <3C727046.7010003@ptc.com> X-Authentication-warning: torch.hitl.washington.edu: majordom set sender toowner-3dui@hitl.washington.edu using -f X-Priority: 3 (Normal) While I agree that VR is not dead, its stilted existence is due (IMHO) mostly to a lack of compelling needs and applications. I really don't want to see the results of my search in an obtuse 3D visualization, I'm happy with a relevant list of links, thank you very much. The question is what types of data and interaction is appropriate, useful, fun in 3D. Geographic information placed in the context of real spaces or maps works fine. Medical information placed on top of actual body parts is fine also. I don't really want to travel around a space that represents my virtual desktop, unless I'm feeling very bored. HMDs and gloves and all the various input/output devices generally work badly but are improving however unless a market develops the companies developing these devices will have a hard time. Increased graphics processing power and better devices are definitly helping but I still think compelling content is the key. Sandy Quoting Ian Hooper : > I agree that things have not moved as quickly as we all might have > thought 5 years ago, but far from being dead, I think that VR is on the > verge of another renaissance. However, our definition of VR may need > some flexibility. For an example of developments on either end of the > spectrum, I point to the European > Astrophysical Virtual Observatory and > at the other end, there is the fact that Sony is now marketing the > Olympus Eye-trek for use with its > Playstation 2 game system. Certainly this second example does not > include head tracking, but it represents a mass market interest in HMDs > again. Coupled with the decent horsepower of the new game boxes, and > there is a real possiblity for some growth here. Add to this mix the > spread of high speed internet and the maturity of 3d chat environments > like Moove's online community > , and I think many pieces are > coming together. > > Thanks, > Ian > > Anders Backman wrote: > > >Hi all. > > > >After working a couple of years in the VR community it seems that things > >have changed, a lot. > > > >Someone said: - The failure of gloves and goggles. > >Refering to that using an HMD and goggles (with trackers) was supposed > >to change the way > >Of life. But it has failed. Due to sloppy hardware, latency (sloppy > >hardware?) > >Cables, high costs etc... > > > >I can see some areas where VR is still alive: > > > >* Visualizations using Powerwall (car industry, research, oil) > >Usually in the car industry no trackersystems are used, they just don't > >work. > > > >* Driving simulators www.oryx.se is a good example of that. > > > >Ok, there are some applications using HMD:s too, but are they really > >making a profit? > >How many are they? > > > > > >I can see some trends: > > > >* A lot of VR companies are struggling to survive. (some are already > >gone) > >They still try to charge a lot of money for products not delivering what > >they should. > >People blaim interaction methods, bad hardware, bad software. > > > >* In the latest Medicine meets VR conference a lot of researchers were > >using game engines such as Unreal, Quake etc.. > >They are for free (but beware of the monster warning. Some research > >results show that test subjects are afraid that monsters will jump to > >them behind the next turn, just because the "feeling" of the > >environment.) > > > >* Try to find a decent HMD nowdays, its impossible. None is doing any > >development in this area. Nothing really new. (VRT will change the way > >of life, anyone heard thatone before?) > >It seems that company research in the VR-hardware area has stalled? > > > >* Vrsource website, not much new there compared to gamasutra and all the > >other game sites. > > > >* A lot of research institutes have VR websites dated 00 and older. > > > >* More and more research seems to directly be aimed at gaming and > >animation (more money?) > > > >So Im looking forward to a discussion here. > >(I will probably also publish this onto the Vrsource webforum!) > > > >I really look forward to the VR2002 conference. > >I really don't want VR to be dead. So prove me wrong. > > > >Is VR dead? > > > > > >________________________________________________________________ > > Anders Backman Email: andersb@cs.umu.se > > HPC2N/VRlab Phone: +46 (0)90-786 9936 > > Umea university Cellular: +46 (0)70-392 64 67 > > S-901 87 UMEA SWEDEN Fax: +46 90-786 6126 > > http://www.cs.umu.se/~andersb > > > > > > -- > * Ian Hooper > * User Interface Design Specialist 416-595-8308 > ************************************************************ > > > -- NAME: Sandy Ressler TELE: (301) 975-3549 USMAIL: National Institute of Standards and Technology FAX: (301) 975-5287 100 Bureau Drive STOP 8940 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8940 EMAIL: sressler@nist.gov WEB:http://ovrt.nist.gov/people/sressler/sressler.html Open Virtual Reality Testbed: http://ovrt.nist.gov