Real life is overrated. There, we said it.
Who wants real life when there’s a whole virtual world where you can be anyone you want and do almost anything you want. The truth is, we all need a break from time to time and while movies and video games can take our mind off deadlines and stress, virtual reality redefines the concept of immersion and brings it to a whole new level.
With HTC’s recent price announcement at Mobile World Congress for its consumer Vive VR headset, it seems that virtual reality is finally going mainstream in 2016. At its current price, the Vive will come with two wireless controllers and two location sensors, along with the main headset.
But aside from its obvious role in consumer entertainment, the dawn of “practical VR” has far-reaching implications for businesses as well. VR is currently being used across multiple industries, including automotive and retail, ranging from uses in engineering and designing to sales and marketing and virtual training.
For 20 years, Dassault Systèmes has been a pioneer in virtual reality technology and has successfully developed Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) systems, which are full-room spaces that bring virtual worlds to life via projectors onto walls and 3D glasses. The technology has enabled companies like Disney to strategically build rides and attractions for its theme parks. Despite its practical usage, CAVEs still comes with some limitations. For one, CAVE systems limit the view and mobility of its users as, as the walls displaying the images are static. And, as explained by David Nahon, director of immersive virtuality lab at Dassault Systèmes, the initial cost and maintenance of CAVE systems are high.
So how can the HTC Vive benefit businesses and consumers alike? To start off, the introduction of consumer headsets like the HTC Vive means that users can explore their surroundings and walk around virtual objects. Oil industry employees, for example, can deeply benefit from virtual training for plant operations and emergency situations without putting complex equipment at risk. On the retail side, the promise of a “virtual store” that customers can walk through without leaving their homes seems closer than ever to reality. Furthermore, designers and artists can adopt virtual reality to create and manipulate complex sketches as shown in our 3D Dream Sketcher experience that was compiled from CES.
With a price and a glimpse into the developer’s kits and potential applications with the HTC Vive, virtual reality is looking quite promising. At Dassault Systèmes, we’ll continue our own groundbreaking work in 3D visualization software, which is going to be a key supporting-element of the VR revolution being driven by the likes of the HTC Vive.
