Virtually There: The History of Virtual Reality (documentary)

Summary

This video script delves into the fascinating history of virtual reality, from its conceptual roots in ancient storytelling to the modern era's technological triumphs. It chronicles the evolution of VR, highlighting key milestones such as the pioneering work of Edward Link, Morton Heilig's sensory simulations, and Ivan Sutherland's 'Ultimate Display' concept. The narrative traverses through the '90s VR boom and bust, leading to the resurgence with the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR. The script underscores the current challenges and future potential of VR, positioning it as a transformative force in gaming, social interaction, and various industries.

Takeaways

• 😎 The speaker claims to have the largest private collection of head-mounted displays (HMDs) with 42 unique units.
• ⏱️ A key threshold for VR is around 20 milliseconds latency for the brain to perceive a stable world, which many past VR systems failed to achieve.
• 🎮 The modern consumer VR era began in 2017 with the release of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, despite facing challenges like high costs and limited content.
• 🌟 Virtual reality has the potential to revolutionize gaming, social communication, and various business and design fields.
• 📚 The concept of VR dates back to ancient storytelling, but the technology began with early flight simulators like the Link Trainer in 1929.
• 👓 The first fictional depiction of VR was in a 1935 short story, 'Pigmalion Spectacles,' which described interactive experiences with all five senses.
• 🛠️ Morton Heilig's Sensorama in the 1960s was an early VR system with 3D display, sound, aroma, and motion, but it lacked financial backing for wide distribution.
• 👨‍🔬 Ivan Sutherland's 'The Ultimate Display' concept in 1965 and the subsequent development of the Sword of Damocles HMD in 1968 laid foundational work for modern VR.
• 🚀 In the 1980s and '90s, VR advanced with NASA's Virtual Environment Display System and the Visual Programming Lab's commercial VR products.
• 🎢 The early '90s saw a boom in VR with arcade machines by Virtuality Group, but most consumer VR products like Sega VR and Atari Jaguar VR failed due to technical limitations.
• 💡 The 21st century saw a resurgence in VR with the development of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, driven by improved technology and investment from tech giants.

Q & A

What is the significance of the 20-millisecond threshold in virtual reality?

The 20-millisecond threshold is significant in virtual reality because if the system can update the display within 20 milliseconds of a physical movement, the brain perceives the virtual environment as stable and continuous, enhancing the sense of immersion.

What were the key challenges faced by virtual reality in 2017?

In 2017, virtual reality faced challenges such as high costs, limited content, varying quality of experiences, and low public awareness.

How did the concept of virtual reality evolve from its early days to modern-day VR?

The concept of virtual reality evolved from early flight simulators like the Link Trainer in 1929, to the first head-mounted displays in the 1960s, and through significant technological advancements in the 1980s and '90s, leading to the modern-day VR systems like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR.

What was the role of NASA in the development of virtual reality technology?

NASA played a significant role in the development of virtual reality technology by creating the Virtual Environment Display System in 1985, which featured a helmet-like HMD with twin LCD displays, and later transforming a building into a dedicated VR research and development space known as the VR lab.

Why were the early '90s virtual reality systems not successful in the mainstream market?

Early '90s virtual reality systems were not successful in the mainstream market due to limitations in processing power, which led to low frame rates and high latency, causing motion sickness, headaches, and eye strain for users.

What was the contribution of the Visual Programming Lab (VPL) to the field of virtual reality?

VPL contributed to virtual reality by developing a data glove and the iWand, and was the first company to commercially sell VR HMDs and tracked gloves.

How did the film industry capitalize on the public awareness of virtual reality in the early '90s?

The film industry capitalized on the public awareness of virtual reality in the early '90s by producing movies such as 'The Lawnmower Man,' 'Virtuosity,' and 'Strange Days,' which featured VR as a central theme.

What technological advancements allowed for the resurgence of virtual reality in the 2010s?

The resurgence of virtual reality in the 2010s was due to advancements in processing power, the introduction of touchscreens, higher resolution and faster refresh rate mobile phone screens, and the development of low persistence displays to prevent ghosting during quick head movements.

What was the outcome of Facebook's acquisition of Oculus in 2014?

Following Facebook's acquisition of Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion, the company released the Oculus Rift development kit 1, which led to the eventual manufacture and release of the consumer version of the Oculus Rift in 2016.

How did the collaboration between Valve and HTC influence the development of the HTC Vive?

The collaboration between Valve and HTC led to the development of the HTC Vive, which utilized Valve's tracking technology and was announced at the Mobile World Congress in 2015.