I am back baby! (copy 15)

Huawei and Christmas - The Virtual Perceptions Newsletter

November 22, 2018

Virtual Perceptions Newsletter

Hello everyone! Christmas is ramping up, which means lots of parties, lots of closing accounts by the end of the Quarter, and cold weather. (Which is tolerable as Christmas fever ramps up, though will become depressing as Christmas comes and goes). A few weeks ago I flew to Rome for Huawei's European Innovation Day. I love the enterprise side of innovation, and Huawei is doing some cool things (and potentially some AR, if the rumors are true...)Anyway, the Immersive Perspective Awards is still going. Deadlines are closing soon, so do take a look if you are interested in participating. The winners will be announced in December - see you all soon! Tom

Ffiske

Editor, Virtual Perceptions

 

 

VR grew steadily in 2018. Standalone headsets like the VIVE Focus and Oculus Go tapped into a new market segment and brought new people to the platforms. The heavy-hitters like the Oculus Rift and HTC VIVE kept swinging, while the PlayStation VR led in terms of hardware sales (with rumors of a new headset coming in the future). Upcoming VR headsets will build on these foundations. In case, VR in 2019 is gearing for another bruising battle for dominance.

And the future looks bright; according to ABI Research, the enterprise VR training market may make US$6.3 billion in 2022, as one example.

As the VR giants get ready for 2019, what trends will we see? How will Facebook's Oculus rise up the ranks without the pioneering visions of their original founders? Will the PlayStation VR continue their great support via first-party titles? How about the HTC VIVE and VIVE Focus away from Asia? Will there be a PSVR 2 or Oculus Rift 2?

Thirteen Cycles invited Virtual Perceptions for their first show. Starring Katy Schutte and Chris Mead, the audience plays the role of shipfarers in cryogenic sleep, watching improvised entertainment over several years. The play is improvised; several stories play out, with natural endings, though how they begin is based on the duo's interactions, lights, and placement of props.

The play celebrates sci-fi from its existential pondering to its zany adventures. While not for me, fans of the genre and improvised drama can hold hands in the unique Venn diagram, as they watch the production unfold.

Huawei invited Virtual Perceptions to their Huawei European Innovation Day in Rome, with representatives from governments, companies, and the scientific community. Huawei's official aim is to foster openness and collaboration to bring a digital Europe, including 5G, to machine learning and the infrastructure of countries. Dr. Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei's Board of Directors, highlighted the goal during his opening keynote.

Many of the talks were fascinating, from the exploration of polar codes to improve the capacity of 5G networks to the barriers of machine learning and how to potentially overcome them. Huawei's event was broad in scope, with a transnational focus. At least, far wider than the comparatively narrow immersive reality community. That said, Huawei European Innovation Day gave various insights help elucidate the issues currently facing immersive reality.