Exploring Virtual Reality’s Role in Internet Entertainment

Innovation in the entertainment industry has taken shape in many different forms. These range from multi-player online games and interactive films to immersive entertainment. 

At the forefront of this innovation is virtual reality, an immersive technology. In the past few years, virtual reality has quickly become a buzzword. It is being employed in games, education, movies, and concerts to make them more immersive.

Everyone wants to jump on the VR bandwagon. Moreover, the release of Apple Vision Pro took the tech and the VR entertainment industry by storm. So, with virtual reality, we are also seeing other technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality coming to the forefront.

Virtual reality’s most obvious application is in the world of internet entertainment. Let us explore these in more detail.

Understanding Virtual Reality

Before we get into how it has transformed the domain of internet entertainment, let us get into understanding virtual reality a bit.

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation that immerses the user in a virtual environment. This environment does not exist in the physical world. Users can interact with it in real-time. With virtual reality, users can visualize and explore environments for a variety of purposes. These purposes can range from playing games and learning concepts to performing surgeries and interacting with people from around the world.

Virtual reality blends 3D graphics, spatial audio, and positional head-tracking. The illusion of presence in a virtual world depends on VR developers working tirelessly to create life-like simulations of the real world. It requires harmony between head-mounted displays, motion-tracking sensors, and 3D graphical rendering for a seamless user experience. 

The user’s interaction with the digital world in a first-person narrative is what sets virtual reality technology apart. Since the user interacts directly, it also has an emotional impact on the user. 

How Does Virtual Reality Work?

Virtual reality uses three components to allow the user to experience the virtual world.

• Hardware: this involves all the devices and gear used by the user. Headsets, screens, speakers, haptic feedback, sensors, and Graphical Processing Units (GPU) work together to provide an immersive experience to the user.

• Software: Software runs the show from behind the curtain. It processes the input from the hardware into simulations for the user. It translates real-world motions and gestures into their virtual versions. 

• Human Perception: Virtual reality is heavily based on human perception and how our senses perceive the real world. Only then can developers recreate how different things stimulate a range of physical and emotional reactions in users.

In other cases, Artificial Intelligence is also used in virtual reality to create 3D models, audio, and other components to create virtual environments. It is also used in predictive analytics to predict a user’s actions and adjust the virtual world accordingly.

How Does It Improve the Internet Entertainment Experience?

Amidst the many applications of VR innovation, virtual reality in the world of Internet entertainment has gained a lot of popularity. We can see a rise in VR games, VR events, VR concerts, and even VR apps. Its ability to immerse users in the forms of entertainment they already enjoy has made it a popular choice.

Virtual reality’s rising popularity in online entertainment has paved the way for more innovation in user engagement, storytelling, and user experience. This is creating more opportunities for virtual reality to be incorporated into other domains, creating areas for more investment. This is precisely why there has been a boom in the total worth of virtual reality. In 2022, the global virtual reality market was estimated to have a worth of $59.96 billion.

Virtual reality technology takes different shapes within the online entertainment world. Let us explore them in detail.

• Virtual Reality Games

VR games are the most popular application of virtual reality. Traditional gaming is fun but immersive gaming has a certain charm as well. In virtual reality gaming, there has been a rising trend in multiplayer and social games. These involve social interactions as the game progresses, which is akin to playing with your friends in a playground.

VR games allow users to do a variety of activities like shooting, racing, and fighting in simulated environments. Due to their immersive nature, it gives an adrenaline rush to the players, as if they are inside an actual racing car or a fighting ring.

There are a lot of gaming platforms compatible with VR games, like Play Station VR, Steam VR, Meta Quest, etc. In fact, it also has its own headset, PSVR, which enables players to have immersive gaming experiences.

Some of the popular VR games are:

• Half Life: Alyx
• Grand Turismo 7
• Tentacular
• No Man’s Sky

Additionally, most VR games require a high-speed, low-latency internet connection. Xfinity Internet is a popular choice for gaming. If you are a gamer and want to give VR games a shot, you can look into Xfinity’s high-speed internet plans. To sign up, all you need to do is call the Xfinity customer service number.

• Virtual Reality Events

Virtual reality tech has successfully replicated the exhilarating feeling of attending a live concert. Despite being a fairly new concept, we are already seeing so many virtual concerts. Imagine being able to see your favorite singer’s 3D form, up close but at your home. Seems like a dream for fellow introverts.

VR events have the artist performing as an avatar in a virtual setting. However, for specifically VR events, the artist performs in a studio with specialized cameras recording from all possible angles. This happens before the event date. On the date of the event, fans tune in through a specific website and attend as virtual spectators. Apart from specialized cameras, VR events also have high-quality, spatial audio that replicates an actual event’s feel.

There are also live VR events that have specialized 360-degree cameras set up on stage. They record and render the footage in 3D in real-time, for the virtual audience. These cameras record from every possible angle, so fans can get a 3D feel while moving around.

There are a lot of apps and platforms that specialize in VR events:

• Amaze VR
• Melody VR
• Next VR
• Ceek VR
• Soundscape VR

Some examples of successful VR events are:

1. Ariana Grande’s performance in Fortnite Metaverse
2. Billie Eilish’s performance at the Governor’s Ball Music Festival streamed on Meta Quest
3. Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience in Wave

4. Virtual Reality Films

Virtual reality in film and cinema is also gaining popularity as well. Watching a film is one but being part of the film is an exceptional experience. You must be familiar with the immersive Netflix film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. You become a part of the film and get to choose the course of the plot. VR movies, however, are similar yet different. You are part of the film, in the sense you are inside it, with the characters. 

VR films are more than observational, they are experiential. The viewer experiences the plot, the characters, and the storytelling, through the VR headset. VR films are shot through 360-degree cameras, and special mics, and have different post-production than traditional films.

VR film takes the concept of 3 films and makes them more immersive. From the spectator’s perspective, they need three essential components. A VR headset for head tracking and viewing, a stereoscopic display for 3D images, and an interactive environment. 

However, there are different viewing experiences in VR films based on the tech used in creating the films and the gear used in viewing them. These are 3D viewing, 360-degree viewing, or fully immersive VR viewing.

There are a lot of platforms that have VR movies. These include:

• Netflix VR
• CineVR
• Meta Quest 2

VR cinema is still a developing domain. Many filmmakers and studios are experimenting with it. Therefore there are still very few fully VR films. Some of these are:

• Gloomy Eyes
• The Limit
• The Great C
• Battlescar

These are just some ways in which virtual reality is being used for internet entertainment. There are growing avenues like virtual reality theme parks and virtual reality social platforms.

Limitations in Virtual Reality for Internet Entertainment

Despite being an old concept, virtual reality only became popular a couple of years ago. It is still a developing technology that has yet to work out a bunch of limitations. The future of virtual reality is highly dependent on how the industry addresses these limitations.

• Cost

VR headsets are expensive, there is no doubt about that. We are not talking about high-end VR gadgets like Apple Vision Pro. The supposedly affordable VR headsets are not affordable to everyone. The entire VR setup, which allows you to have the VR experience, demands a huge investment as well. High cost is also the reason for less accessibility which means this technology is not for the average consumer.

• Production Quality

A top-notch virtual reality experience is highly dependent on how the content is produced. However, the sad reality is that there is still a long way to go for virtual reality content creation. Since it is a fairly new technology, not everyone has mastered the art of producing the content needed for an immersive VR experience. The focus is mostly on visual and auditory experiences leaving the sensory aspect completely neglected. 

• Motion Sickness

This is a physical limitation of the virtual reality tech. Many people complain about experiencing motion sickness when using VR equipment, especially VR headsets. It is common to feel disoriented with other symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and headache after using VR gadgets. The reason this happens is that the user is essentially completely disconnected from the real world and has no sense of what is happening. 

• Potential Damage to Eyes

This is another major concern related to virtual reality. Users can feel eye strain after prolonged use which raises the question of its long-term side effects on human health. It causes strain on the eyes because the human eye is forced to adjust to the screens positioned right in front of it. Virtual reality also demands a lot of focus, which heightens the eye strain and the resultant discomfort.

That being said, virtual reality is a highly transformative technology that has reshaped entertainment. It tends to enhance immersive user experience like never before. Despite the obvious challenges, the progress in VR tech is rapid. This will soon eliminate the major limitations that will turn VR into a major player in the entertainment industry.