Welcoming New Members to the Road to VR Team

Today we’re pleased to introduce three new members to the Road to VR team.

I’ll be honest, when I started Road to VR back in October of 2011, I never thought the site would grow to where it is today (even if I hoped it would). But here we are. It’s nice to know that hard work can pay off—so far as we can tell, Road to VR is the biggest virtual reality blog in the world.

More exciting than the growth of one site is the growth of the virtual reality industry. 2012 and 2013 have stirred the hibernating passion of thousands of hardware / software developers and enthusiasts—2014 is poised to be a huge year for VR . This is an incredibly exciting time to be in the technology field and we love watching virtual reality grow day by day.

With that growth has come a tidal wave of news about hardware, software, services, people, ideas, demos, and so much more. There’s so much going on that it has actually become difficult to cover everything that’s newsworthy. Triage on the exciting stories is a painful process, because so many of these stories are worth telling.

To that end, the Road to VR team is expanding so that we can bring you more of the news you crave. Today we’re announcing that we’ve got three great folks joining the Road to VR team!

“Reverend” Kyle Riesenbeck

In his short time on air, Kyle has already racked up some 44 quality episodes of his Rev VR Podcast. The title of ‘The Voice of VR” is apt and deserved. Today, the Rev VR Podcast comes under the Road to VR umbrella. We think Kyle has been doing an excellent job and he will continue to direct and produce the podcast!

Based in Cincinnati, “Reverend” Kyle started his media career doing videos and tutorials on YouTube for the Android community. With a background in technology and his experience in the corporate training world, he saw an obvious transition into the virtual reality world once he got his hands on the Oculus Rift. Now, he is the host of the Rev VR Podcast which focuses on providing a voice for VR developers and enthusiasts. Although he dabbles in Unity from time to time, Reverend Kyle is far from being a developer, but he does understand the developer mindset.

Yes, Reverend Kyle is actually a real ordained minister in the great state of Ohio, and has performed wedding ceremonies for several happy couples. He hopes to someday preside over the worlds first VR wedding.

Brian Hart and Jon Tustain

Eagle-eyed readers (or at least those of you mindful enough to check the byline!) will be familiar with these names. Brian and Jon both joined Road to VR recently, and it’s about time that we give them their due! Both are well qualified technologists who grew—but never lost— their passion for VR back during the 90’s. Today they’re excited to finally see things coming to fruition.

Brian

Based in Silicon Valley, Brian’s geek credentials extend back to the early 80′s, instructing teachers at his elementary school on how to use the classrooms’ TRS-80. During his teen years he ran several BBS’s on both Apple and IBM’s, and with a variety of modem speeds and success.

In his first year at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Brian was fortunate enough to have several turns playing Dactyl Nightmare when the game visited on a college tour. Like Road to VR contributor Jonathan Tustain, he was immediately hooked on virtual reality. “Even though the graphics and sound were basic, I felt real fear when I saw another player running towards me, prepared to fire. I was fascinated that my eyes and brain bought into the experience so readily.”

While he enjoys games, Brian doesn’t consider himself a gamer. Besides a recent bout with Euro Truck Simulator 2, he hasn’t had a serious game addiction since Burning Crusade-era World of Warcraft, and Civilization before that. “I’m more interested in the immersive experiences this latest generation of VR hardware and software will allow, beyond gaming. Can VR help companies hold more effective meetings? Can it be used in treating mental disorders? Can it help families living apart feel more connected to each other?”

For Road to VR, Brian will answer those questions and more, and bring the reader articles and opinion on a wide variety of VR-related topics.

Jon

Based in the creative hub of Shoreditch, London, Jonathan found is passion in life after setting up a 3D news blog in 2010. Having been fascinated by virtual reality since queuing for over an hour to play Dactyl Nightmare at Gamesmaster Live, the new renaissance of VR could not have come sooner for Jonathan.

Currently freelancing for a company that produces virtual reality experiences for major brands, Jonathan is firmly anchored in this emerging industry, and co-runs the London Oculus Rift / VR Developer Meetup.

“I have been a daily reader of Road to VR since it started. Unlike Ben and Paul, I am not an avid gamer but what particularly intrigues me is how this technology will transform other industries, especially marketing, and the business models that will come as a result. 2014 is going to be a very exciting year and I am looking forward to writing about it for Road to VR readers.”

Special Thanks

Now is also a good time to give a well deserved shout-out to Paul James, Road to VR’s Editor, who joined forced with me more than a year ago. This site would not be where it is today without Paul’s dedication and talent.

And we would be remiss not to mention our industry-insider and guest contributor, Kevin Williams! Kevin has shared with us a series of reports from the midst of exciting virtual reality events—most recently Steam Dev Days—and has been a great asset to the site. We looked forward to his insightful contributions.