How I fell back in love with Virtual Reality
Meta shows a glimpse of the future with the Meta Quest 3
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
I had my first experience trying the Oculus Rift DK1 prototype Virtual Reality headset. It was 2014, and I’d been invited back to Microsoft to visit the late, great Bill Crow, a former Live Labs colleague who was working on a super secret project that I was later to discover was the “Microsoft Hololens.” This was my first time experiencing any VR outside of early forays with VRML back in 1994 at IBM Hursley’s Research Labs.
The DK1 experience was nauseating as I clunkily moved around a beautifully rendered virtual penthouse. It was heavy, hot, and yet despite all that, I was hooked. This was something new. A peek behind the curtains of a sci-fi future I’d dreamt about since I was a child.
The next day I spoke to my business partner William. We’d been struggling to find a True North for our innovation lab, 8ninths. By necessity, we took on many different projects of different types for different clients as we struggled to keep the lights on and revenue flowing into our growing business. The popular wisdom was, “pick one thing and do it well,” and while we were doing great work, we were doing many different things.
This was compounded by digital agencies becoming more prevalent both domestically and offshore; if we wanted to raise capital and get to the next level, we’d need to differentiate. After many hard and sometimes heated discussions, we picked a direction. We will become early leaders in Virtual and Augmented Reality.
And so we pivoted the company and retooled the entire 8ninths business. None of us were experts in 3D at the time, and VR experts just didn’t exist. We hired a creative director (the amazingly talented Heather Raikes of NeoPoetics), a former dancer with a degree in Digital Arts and Experimental Media who understood the nuances of spatial computing and composition. We brought on an incredible 3D modeler and animator, Thomas Huang, who had worked on Hollywood movies and could translate Heather’s direction into something living and breathing. Our talented designers, developers, and project managers all rolled up their sleeves and embraced the new direction. In a matter of months, we were defining and publishing design patterns for describing our ideas to one another in this exciting new medium. We later heard that schools like the Pratt Institute were incorporating our patterns into their fledgling courses.
By 2018, post-acquisition, we had created dozens of experiences across multiple headsets with clients in Automotive, Aerospace, Education, Retail, and Entertainment.
It was an exciting time. We felt we were not only on the cutting edge but leading the way through fresh snow where there was no prior art.
But. . . the medium was fading. All of the companies in the space were battling the limitations of the hardware. Small fields of view, battery life, heat, discomfort, motion sickness. Outside of Zuckerburg investing billions of dollars and continuing to push the vision of gaming and the Metaverse, it seemed like AR/VR had been a flash in the pan.
I found myself being disillusioned with the medium, and for the most part, my Oculus Quest 2 sat on the shelf gathering dust.
Fast forward to the present day, I think we’re in for a resurgence, and I’d like to share why.
A New Hope
Firstly, we have the $3499 Apple Vision Pro headset about to hit the market early next year. From what has been shared, my prediction is that it will have mind-blowing visuals and typical, refined Apple integration across its established ecosystem (Communications, Productivity, and Entertainment). It will be bootstrapped by enthusiasts, executives collaborating with their teams, and professional digital creators. It will be democratized as people start to literally see the value and the hardware price points drop. I’ve not spoken to anyone personally who’s tried the device yet, as it’s still under closed doors with select developers, but I’m looking forward to seeing it, and I suspect I’ll be impressed.
However, Meta has not been complacent. Having spent some time consulting with the computational photography team at Meta on the Rayban Stories glasses a few years back, I’m a believer in their talent and vision.
A couple of weeks ago, Meta unveiled the Meta Quest 3 at their Meta Connect event.
Initially, I was a “meh.” Another incremental update focused on gamers playing rhythm games like Beat Saber and shooters. Pass-through video . . . sure . . . who cares? Increased resolution and field of view . . . OK . . . I guess.
But then, in the last week or so, people started to receive headsets.
WOW.
/r/oculusquest lit up with amazing mixed-reality videos. People were transforming their homes into virtual playgrounds. People were:
Cooking and cleaning their homes while watching a show.
Learning piano, DJ’ing, and playing virtual drum sets.
Playing table tennis and pool in their living room.
Playing PlayStation while watching movies, TikTok, and checking email.
Exercising with virtual sparring partners
Watching sports and movies together with their distant friends and relatives on giant virtual IMAX screens.
I rushed out to Best Buy, picked one up, and I have to say I’m kind of floored by how reinvigorated and excited I am about where this is going.
I’m not going to give a full review of the hardware itself. There are plenty of folks who’ve done a stellar job at that (Check out Norm from Tested’s review). Rather, what I hope to do is pique your curiosity and explain how and why I find it enhancing my life. With a bit of luck, I’ll hopefully have you come join me in the Shepiverse!
In the past week, oftentimes with my wife (with me using the Quest 2), I’ve:
Explored a life-size cadaver to help diagnose some sciatica
Gone fishing at exotic locations around the world
Learned the basics of pottery and pottery painting
Worked out on a rowing machine and exercise bike while watching a streaming video
Worked out even harder playing Beat Saber, sparring with a boxer in my basement, and doing calisthenics
Learned to oil paint with Bob Ross
Meditated as I floated through the solar system
Fought through dungeons with random strangers
Watched a 3D movie in an IMAX theater with my wife that was better than the actual theater
Sung karaoke
Listened to and participated in thoughtful VR Chats with smart people talking about current events
Now most of these experiences were technically possible with the Oculus Quest 2. But it was never truly a joy to do so for all the reasons I’ve listed earlier.
I believe the Quest 3 is a tipping point. The combinations of a powerful processor, excellent 4K optics, impressive and intuitive pass-through color video, lightweight, enhanced comfort, and an active and dedicated developer community have produced something unique. You’re essentially getting an experience pretty darned close to what Apple is touting for a fraction of the cost (128GB - $499.99 / 512GB $649.99). While not “cheap,” you get a lot for your money that you could offset from a gym membership, hobby lessons, big screen TV, gaming console, or travel upgrade. If you can afford it, I’d say err on the side of the 512GB version. The storage fills up quickly, and there’ll be a lot more apps and content that will eat up the space. More storage will save you from juggling installs.
The challenge of VR / Mixed Reality is that it’s very difficult to convey the experience unless you’re actually in the headset. It’s a multi-sensory experience that doesn’t translate well to 2D. In addition, I think Timothy Leary’s advice on psychedelics from the 60’s of ‘set and setting’ is just as important for these digital hallucinations. Your mindset and the environment you’re in are important to getting the most out of an experience. If your experience to date has been a rushed 5-minute demo at a conference with hundreds of people watching you, you haven’t truly experienced VR.
If I’ve sold you on purchasing and you’d like a referral, please do use my link: https://www.meta.com/referrals/link/ashepp/
You can buy it from any retailer and we’ll both get $30 store credit to purchase apps.
I’ll be posting some ‘Shep Shorts’ videos on a regular basis of some of my favorite experiences across a variety of tech. You can find the first video on the Medical Holodeck by clicking the image below. Warning: Medical Holodeck includes high-resolution models of cadavers, so use your best judgment if you’re sensitive to that content.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and I’d love to hear below if you’ve got ideas for how Virtual & Mixed Reality might be relevant to your own work and areas of focus.
Shep Report Notes
Be sure to check my bite-sized snippets of tech, media, and just plain fascinating things I’ve found on my digital travels at https://www.theshepreport.com/notes
This week’s highlights: