Virtual Perceptions

By Tom Ffiske // 22 April 2020New to the newsletter? 

"Tom, why is this newsletter suddenly blue?""A small way to liven it up; if you like it, let me know. And if you don't, I'm sure you'll let me know loudly."

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THE BIG STORY

VR memorials have flashy perks. Not everyone can have planes fly over, for example. But at times like these, when the most basic of services cannot be attended, there's something beautiful about connecting with others. The sense of presence feels more real when shared with others. 

PEOPLE MOVES

• Dana Xavier Dojnik is SVP, Atlanta Chapter Community Development at VR AR Association. The organisation keeps on growing.

• Edward Eremyan is Co-Founder & CEO. TELEPORT is a brand new immersive experience that showcase a collection of installations in an innovative first-person narrative. 

• Erol Kentli has joined the REWIND team as Director of Art. Erol joins REWIND from Splash Damage, where he was leading and directing a variety of critical projects, including Dirty Bomb and Gears Tactics.

If your company has a significant move, send me an email and I will add it to the next edition. 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS

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OTHER STORIES

• It's not lost on me that, after Ubisoft made the universally-panned Assassin's Creed: Unity, the company unveiled a 360-degree video that shows the future of Notre-Dame. Though instead of climbing it and jumping into a convenient hay bale, people can look at the project. 

• Oculus Connect 7 will be virtual. This surprises no-one. At least, I hope it doesn't. 

• In 2019, VR hardware sales in the UK were down by 12 per cent to £65.8m, according to UKIE. 

VIRTUAL PERCEPTIONS STORYHAS COVID-19 BOOSTED INTEREST IN VR? (ANALYSIS)

‘May you live in interesting times’ is an old English expression traditionally sourced from a Chinese curse. While the phrase may convey positivity, the sentence contains two sides. People much prefer living in ‘uninteresting times’ when the status quo would be tranquil and predictable. When times get ‘interesting,’ trouble rears its head. Safe to say that the virtual reality (VR) industry is going through some exciting times as well. Anecdotally, Virtual Perceptions has seen a spike in interest. More people are searching online with terms like ‘Is VR worth it?’, where the site comes up. The report has received a significant uptick in clicks, indicating a rise in interest. The same goes for articles about games for kids and free Oculus Quest experiences available now. The interest coincides with the situation, indicating that people are interested in VR more than ever. The ‘interesting times’ are profitable for companies working in immersive as well. Despite its common usage as a ‘Chinese curse,’ there is no evidence that the phrase links to any Chinese texts. It’s a false link. The same parallel can be drawn to the current pandemic when some call it the ‘Chinese virus’; COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate by nationality. Still, COVID-19 has massively impacted the supply and demand of VR. This article will explore and analyse why.

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OR LEV-COHEN - THE IMMERSIVE WIRE INTERVIEW

The Immersive Wire Interview profiles the people behind the industry. The podcast focuses less on the company they represent, and more on the people working in the background. What makes them tick? What are they passionate about? How has their personal life been impacted by their work? On the first episode of the interview series is Or Lev-Cohen, a final-year Industrial Design student from Tel-Aviv. Lev-Cohen is looking into how immersive tech can be used with drones to provide people with a flying experience that they can control. In particular, he focuses on where his passion comes from, the intricacies for designing products for fringe audiences, and his views on the future of immersive flying.

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