Virtually There
Back the Virtua View Indiegogo Now!
Chris has set his funding goal at $50,000 with a duration of 30 days and has told us that this will enable to continue expanding the development team to push on and complete the first version of the product.
His pledge tiers and rewards range from $5 (Reward: A Huge Thanks!) to $15,000, which gets you the entire 1st floor of the Virtual Lounge.
Virtual Meetings
We’ve been privileged to try Virtua View a couple of times over the last few weeks and on both occasions it left quite an impression. The latest playtest (which you can see featured in the campaign’s video above) involved a spin around the standard cinema, various fantastical meeting rooms (including a lovingly AV Boardroom in space) all realised in glorious Oculus-Rift-o-Vision. In addition to the immersive visuals, Virtua View also incorporates full Razer Hydra support and is used to enhance communication in game. Want to wave ‘hi!’ to a friend in game, make the motion and it appears, illustrated via your avatar’s virtual hands.
“..the immediacy of the experience transcends anything you might have felt before.”
This seemingly simple feature has so much impact when in Virtua View because, when you’re in a virtual space via Virtual Reality, the immediacy of the experience transcends anything you might have felt before. Yes, we’ve all had Skype calls and we’ve all played an online First Person Shooters, but the connection you feel to your friends / colleagues whilst ‘plugged in’ cannot be overestimated. It has the potential to become the bridge between online and physical meetings.
The potential too for leveraging the power of VR for educational purposes via Virtua View is huge. Indeed, Chris includes a virtual meeting room designed to illustrate this. As seen in the campaign video, we’re transported to a huge planetarium, suspended in the vastness of space complete with 3D orbiting planets. Pupil engagement via this medium, perhaps enabling teachers to reach those finding it difficult to connect with the material, is of particular interest and one which Chris is keen to emphasise.
Dedicated
Chris has spent the last 6 months pouring his time and his own money into this project, one in which he passionately believes. But development is expensive. He’s now in need of investment to ensure his project and the myriad ideas tied up in it see the light of day.
We’d love to see this project funded and to have a chance to see that vision realised. If you have some spare cash and are interested in helping a genuine, first-of-its-kind software project ‘happen’ head to IndiGogo via the above link and pledge away.
We’ll have a more in-depth look at Virtua View in a forthcoming article, including some exclusive video playtests. Stay Tuned.
