VR News
Interview with Kevin Williams: Arcade Guru
Interviews// Kevin Williams: Arcade Guru
Link to this: http://spong.com/feature/1010959521 Jun 2007 16:02
by Tim Smith
Arcade Actions
Just why is The Stinger Report’s Kevin Williams the man we look to for arcade news? Here’s some insight into what the man knows.
SPOnG: Aren't arcade machines and arcades themselves on a very limited lifespan?
KW: Wearing the rear-view mirrors, the previous industry that was 'arcade' of the Space Invaders and Street Fighter era - yes that sector is gone. Looking at the current Out-of-Home interactive entertainment scene and I personally see a very interesting market. A Sega cabinet like the latest Afterburner CLIMAX DX will look at placement in a site for over 14 months, nine of which will be at its maximum profitability.
The days of a US manufacturer releasing ten cabinets a year that sold on average 5,000 units are long gone. But sales are strong for those remaining and well worth the effort as SEGA, Namco and Betson sales figures reveal to those that look. You will hear a lot more about the 'monetisation' of the sector, and unlike consumer 'we get to see the money!'
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NTT encourage you to reach out and feel your computer
NTT's Tangible-3D display
Researchers at NTT Comware have just made virtual reality a little more real. On June 20, the company unveiled a 3D display system that reproduces the physical feel of three-dimensional video by means of an actuator glove worn on the hand, allowing viewers to literally reach out and touch the person or object on the screen.
The so-called "Tangible-3D" prototype system is built around an improved version of NTT's 3D display - originally developed in 2005 - which displays 3D images without requiring special glasses. The system relies on a pair of cameras that capture and process data about the position, shape and size of objects as they are filmed. As the two video images are combined into a 3D image that is displayed on the screen at the receiving end, the data is relayed to the glove, whose array of actuators translate it into a tactile impression the user can feel. The glove operates in real-time along with the 3D video, so the user can "feel" the on-screen image as it moves.
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OpenSceneGraph 2.0 released
OpenSceneGraph 2.0 release improves ease-of-use and scalability, introducing new osgViewer, osgShadow and osgManipulator libraries, new build system, improved multi-core, multi-GPU support.
PERTHSHIRE, Scotland - 15th June 2007 - OpenSceneGraph Professional Services announces the release of OpenSceneGraph 2.0, the industry's leading open-source scene graph technology, designed to accelerate application development and improve 3D graphics performance. OpenSceneGraph 2.0, written entirely in Standard C++ and built upon OpenGL, offers developers working in the visual simulation, game development, virtual reality, scientific visualization and modeling markets a real-time visualization tool which rivals established commercial scene graph toolkits in functionality and performance. OpenSceneGraph 2.0 runs on all Microsoft Windows platforms, Apple OS/X, GNU/Linux, IRIX, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX and FreeBSD operating systems.
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Using Computerized Sense Of Touch Over Long Distances: Haptics For Industrial Applications
Source: Basque Research
Date: June 20, 2007
Science Daily — Firstly, what is “Haptics?" This term means “of or relating to the sense of touch”. Haptic technology, or haptics, refers to the technology that connects the user to a computerized system via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations and/or motions to the user. Perhaps people do not realize it, but haptic technology is already in our lives.
Vibrating phones, gaming controllers and force-feedback control knobs in cars, like BMW’s iDrive, are examples of this technology. These days, you can turn your phone ring tone off, put it in your purse and still feel that someone is calling you when you get a vibration. On the other hand, the Nintendo Wii video game console has been a new revolution for game lovers. The controller, called Wii, provides vibrations (i.e. when you hit the ball in a tennis game) which enhances the virtual sensation.
However, these examples are only the beginning of a cutting-edge technology. In terms of user-computer interaction, touch offers a new way of interacting or manipulating our screen. We used to just have vision and sound, now we also have touch. Thanks to haptic devices, such as, the most well-known PHANToM haptic devices or hand exoskeleton devices, “you can feel or touch what you see”, recognize object shapes, textures, stiffness or grasp them and feeling their weight. Such devices are being used now for virtual modeling, medicine, education, assistive technology for blind people, as well as industrial design and maintenance. Our work addresses the industrial field.
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iZ3D to Immerse The Hollywood & Games Summit Into The Third Dimension
PRESS RELEASE: iZ3D to Immerse The Hollywood & Games Summit Into The Third Dimension
Press release supplied by Games Press 09:16 (GMT) 19/06/2007
San Diego, Calif.,-- June 18, 2007 -- iZ3D, LLC, a 3D technology development and marketing company will be showcasing its new 22” Widescreen 3D monitor at the upcoming The Hollywood & Games Summit. The monitor is a groundbreaking innovation in the growing trend of immersive 3D home video games and movies. The Summit will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. on June 26-27, 2007. The company will have monitors available for attendees to experience firsthand the fun and excitement of a true stereoscopic 3D viewing experience.
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Virtual Reality in France
The newly formed AFRV [ French Association for VR/AR and 3D interaction ] is publishing some informal statistics about the state of VR in France in its “Journal de l’AFRV” (available to members). (...)
The most interesting figures are :
- ~500 people are working in VR/AR; Researchers/Teachers (51%), PhD candidates (34%), engineers & technicians (14%).
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Radiotherapy in the UK benefits from virtual reality training innovation
All trainee radiographers in England will learn how to treat cancer using Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT), a pioneering development by the University of Hull and the Princess Royal Hospital. (...)
EON Reality Opens Asia Pacific Headquarters, R&D Center in Singapore
SOURCE: EON Reality Inc.
Jun 19, 2007 09:00 ET
EON Reality Opens Asia Pacific Headquarters, R&D Center in Singapore
Interactive 3D Software Provider Launches EONExperience Lab, a State-of-the-Art Visualization Facility That Takes Online Virtual Worlds to the Next Dimension
EON Reality Inc.
IDC Consortium
IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - June 19, 2007) - EON Reality, Inc., the world's leading interactive 3D software provider, today announced that it will open its Asia Pacific headquarters with the launch of EONExperience Lab, a research and development center with a modern, three-dimensional and holographic display environment. The state-of-the-art visualization facility will be housed in Singapore's Fusionopolis facility.
"We selected Singapore as the location of our Asia Pacific headquarters because of the access to global talent, shared vision and passion for interactive digital media, and strategic business location," said Dan Lejerskar, chairman, EON Reality. "We believe that Singapore's reliability, pro-business environment and comprehensive IT infrastructure provides us with a great ecosystem to fuel our growth."
"Equally important to EON Reality is the cooperation of the Singapore government," says Sridhar Sunkad, vice president of business development, EON Reality. "The government's support of this effort shows initiative and the desire to participate in and contribute meaningfully to the global digital economy."
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Media Development Authority (MDA) are working closely with EON Reality to create a revolutionary rich-media, visual experience platform in which companies, industry, academia and the public sector can meet and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas.
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SENSIO is Awarded a Significant Contract in the Middle East for the Integration of its All-New 4D IMMERSIUM(TM) Theatre
SENSIO Technologies Inc.
TSX VENTURE: SIO
Jun 19, 2007 09:00 ET
SENSIO is Awarded a Significant Contract in the Middle East for the Integration of its All-New 4D IMMERSIUM(TM) Theatre
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 19, 2007) - SENSIO Technologies Inc. ("SENSIO") (TSX VENTURE:SIO), the inventor of the SENSIO® 3D technology, has just received its first order for IMMERSIUMTM, its all-new high-definition 4D theatre launched last November at the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions Show in Atlanta.
This first IMMERSIUMTM will be fully operational by December 2007 to visitors of GONDOLAINIA indoor theme park inside VILLAGGIO MALL located in Doha - Qatar. The agreement was concluded after the unveiling of the IMMERSIUM experience which was the highlight of the last IAPPA show with its image quality and operational reliability made possible by the SENSIO® 3D technology. SENSIO stood out against strong international competition from China, Italy and Austria, therefore putting Quebec's expertise in the specialized 3D projection market front and center.
"The exceptional image quality provided by the SENSIO®PRO 3D HD immediately won us over. Accessibility combined with the ease of integration and operation were also very convincing", states Michel Koborsi, Project Manager for FUN FAIR CO.
This contract between SENSIO and FUN FAIR CO. covers the turnkey purchase and installation of an IMMERSIUM 20s. The fully integrated 4D theatre solution includes the video server, the SENSIO®PRO 3D HD processor, projectors, the screen, the sound proofing system, glasses, moving seats as well as preliminary site plans. IMMERSIUM, available in models 20, 50 and 100, is designed for rooms of 5 to 200 people, thus meeting the requirements of specialized 3D projection in theme parks, attractions, museums and corporate presentations.
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Psychological research in virtual worlds
Monday, June 11, 2007
By Nick Yee of Stanford University
Virtual worlds (such as World of Warcraft and Second Life) have received a great deal of media and academic attention recently. While these virtual communities provide us with a new and fascinating area of study, it is also important to understand how these virtual environments provide us with new research tools.
Several lines of research in this area have emphasized the methodological possibilities of this emerging technology. One research paradigm known as Transformed Social Interaction purposefully breaks and alters the rules of social interaction in order to gain insight into communication and interaction processes. In the physical world, two people interacting in the same space necessarily share the same reality. On the other hand, in a virtual environment where users view the shared environment from their own computer terminals or virtual reality goggles, their realities need not be congruent. Thus, for example, I may perceive my avatar (a digital representation of myself) to be short while you perceive my avatar to be tall. These non-congruent reality scenarios open up a range of research questions in stereotype threat, behavioral confirmation, and self-perception theory among other psychological theories.
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