The first VRLA Meetup was held last week and drew some 160 virtual reality enthusiasts to Digital Domain’s motion capture stage where the event was hosted. Videos of the VRLA keynote presentations are now available online for your viewing pleasure.

VRLA prepared this overview of the event for Road to VR:

VRLA is a monthly meetup event bringing together the very best of the virtual reality community and the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Our first event last week was a big success! About 160 people converged at Digital Domain’s motion capture stage to try out the latest VR offerings from companies like Condition One, Epson, and Gameface (amongst many other developers).

Cosmo Scharf, founder and organizer of VRLA, gave opening remarks and a talk on the implications of Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus. Jonnie Ross, another organizer of VRLA, gave a presentation on where VR fits into mediums of the past. Philip Rosedale, creator of Second Life, gave a keynote presentation about his new virtual reality startup called High Fidelity.

While the date for the next event is not set, we expect to host VRLA #2 late May or early June. You can stay updated by signing up for our newsletter at VirtualRealityLA.com or by joining the Meetup group at Meetup.com/VirtualrRalityLA.

Karl Krantz, who runs the more northerly based SVVR Meetup, attended the event and told me that the event was filled with entertainment-industry folks. “Hollywood is definitely interested in the space,” said Krantz.

See Also: Rev VR Podcast (Ep. 57): Discussing the First VRLA with Founder Cosmo Scharf

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VRLA #1 Keynote Presentation Videos

vrla meetup #1

Thanks to the folks from VRLA, even if you weren’t able to attend the event, you can watch the keynote talks online. Below you will find opening remarks from VRLA founder Cosmo Scharf as well as a discussion on the implications of Facebook’s Oculus purchase. Following that is a great overview of the power of virtual reality as a medium from Jonnie Ross. The second video is a very interesting overview of High Fidelity by Second Life creator, Philip Rosedale.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Karl Krantz

    Also, this must have been the first-ever VR Meetup with valet parking. SVVR has to step up it’s game!

    Cosmo, John, Jonnie, and everyone else involved did an amazing job putting this together. Congrats guys!