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The Immersive Perspective Awards - The Virtual Perceptions Newsletter

October 15, 2019

Virtual Perceptions Newsletter

Hello everyone! Firstly, the Immersive Perspective Awards are now open! They celebrate the very best of VR, AR, and MR in the industry, from major companies to smaller start-ups.The awards this year will be split into two areas. The first is the Editor’s Choice Awards, which will profile the favourites of the year. This will require no submission, and the winners will be approached to sort their award. The second is the official Immersive Perspective Awards across various categories. Submission will be required. More details can be found

. Meanwhile, it looks like Facebook is merging Oculus and Rift together, Google is experimenting with scanning rooms, and Raindance Immersive was excellent (as always). Have a peek below and click on what takes your fancy. As always, I am open for a chat; if you have any questions at all, please let me know! Tom FfiskeEditor, Virtual Perceptions-

VR will grow steadily in 2020. In 2019, standalone headsets like the Oculus Quest took the spotlight, selling units as fast as Facebook can make them. VR headsets for the PC were released as well, such as the Oculus Rift S, the VIVE Cosmos, and the Valve Index, each with their perks and issues. All the while the PlayStation VR stayed strong, with rumours of a PSVR 2 coming soon. VR in 2020 will likely continue the battle for dominance in a rapidly competitive market.The potential for growth is still there as companies continue to develop engagement technologies. Katherine Pearson, 5GRIT Alston Explorer and Time Traveler Maker, Flo-culture Ltd, believes that organisations in the visitor experience and tourism sector are eager to use new engagement technologies, as they are naturally progressing from their current activities. Separately, social spaces will grow in popularity as well.Exciting times lie ahead as well. Facebook announced several upgrades for its Oculus Quest which could shape the future of VR, capitalising on the early success of its standalone headset. So what can we expect next year?

Like with a lot of schools in the UK, I travelled to the Palace of Versailles to see the sights, including the Hall of Mirrors and the surrounding beautiful countryside. Google Arts & Culture has launched the VR experience of the location, which is the largest of its kind. This is similar to their previous work.According to Google, Versailles: The Palace is Yours is a new VR experience based on the largest photogrammetry capture done on location. It covers over 21 rooms and 36,000sqm of internal surfaces, and comprises of 18 virtual exhibits featuring themes in the palace, such as gastronomy.

This weekend we attended Raindance Immersive, as part of the Raindance Film Festival. The third curated by Mária Rakušanová, the festival showed a variety of experiences across VR headsets and platforms, ranging from video games to films and experiences. In one case, Bose AR glasses were used to create a new kind of story via audio. Like both years before, the festival is incredibly inspiring and fun, demonstrating the potential of immersive media to provoke emotions and incentivise actions. These are our thoughts on some of the experiences we have seen. We wish we were able to see more, though we were incredibly impressed by what we have seen.