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I get extremely strong 3D movies vibe from this. I honestly think this is probably a worse way of watching this content than just viewing it as a movie. You mig

I get extremely strong 3D movies vibe from this. I honestly think this is probably a worse way of watching this content than just viewing it as a movie. You might watch this as a gimmick but I don't think it really presents any value above real movies. Having said that, I wonder if Facebook will start to engage in the content war, trying to ramp up their spending on original video content for their VR. It's an extremely expensive route to go, but it's certainly a possible strategy.

seemaze 5y ago
I think that's an issues with this medium in general. The utility decreases as the barrier to entry increases. With this title in particular, I'd just as soon spend my resources (time, energy, money) to GTFO the couch and climb something in Reality™. As a side thought, can you imagine how boring skydiving in VR would be?
- aronowb14 5y ago
  I agree, I climb a lot IRL and yep, VR can't come close to touching that experience :). But yeah as far as what VR is good for, there are definitely places where it sings: and where people tend to make a mistake is thinking that it can be a 1-1 with reality and is supposed to replace existing experiences, like climbing or skydiving. I think it's more of a creative medium that will need a really long time to develop (think film, which has had over a century to get its feet under it). Anyway as an example: this video is kind of the inverse of skydiving, (360 camera on a balloon floating into space), but definitely an interesting experience that can't really be replicated on traditional media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCve1w1GFOs&ab_channel=SeekerVR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCve1w1GFOs&ab_channel=Seeke... Another really interesting one: https://tenderclaws.com/theunderpresents https://tenderclaws.com/theunderpresents
ahelwer 5y ago
I watched the first half. Having watched many (too many?) climbing vids it was actually incredible by comparison. The scenes are a series of statically-positioned full-sphere 3D shots where you can watch him climb through a sequence or turn and look out at the mountains. Scale is conveyed in a sense not possible with your standard 2D video, especially of both height and the actual geometry of the rock he has to move through. Very similar experience to watching someone climb as a belayer or when hanging next to them on a rope. Greatly enjoyed. Anyone who has tried to take a photo of a climb they've just completed will know how difficult it is to really capture the climb and what was interesting or difficult about it. So much so that people will often resort to visual tricks to make the photo of the route look steeper, to match their non-photographic perception (you can pick this out by looking at the angle of trees in the background). It's also notoriously difficult to match a real-life climbing route to a photo, as anyone who has stumbled around a crag squinting at a guidebook will attest. I think this form really does capture what it's like to be looking at the route in real life.
tyrfing 5y ago
Watched it and it's nothing like a movie, the effect is absolutely incredible. Some of the transitions were a bit jarring and device/bandwidth limits mean graphics aren't amazing, but overall really good.
thebigman433 5y ago
I disagree with this. Some VR content is definitely bad, and not worth using the headset for, no doubt about that, but when the content is done well, it is significantly better than watching a movie imo. The 3d effect is significantly better, and with actual volumetric content that you can move around in, the experience is totally different. I think there is definitely room for quality VR content along with "regular" movies, since they are both just different experiences.
baby 5y ago
I’m guessing you never tried a Quest

seemaze 5y ago

I think that's an issues with this medium in general. The utility decreases as the barrier to entry increases. With this title in particular, I'd just as soon spend my resources (time, energy, money) to GTFO the couch and climb something in Reality™. As a side thought, can you imagine how boring skydiving in VR would be?

aronowb14 5y ago
I agree, I climb a lot IRL and yep, VR can't come close to touching that experience :). But yeah as far as what VR is good for, there are definitely places where it sings: and where people tend to make a mistake is thinking that it can be a 1-1 with reality and is supposed to replace existing experiences, like climbing or skydiving. I think it's more of a creative medium that will need a really long time to develop (think film, which has had over a century to get its feet under it). Anyway as an example: this video is kind of the inverse of skydiving, (360 camera on a balloon floating into space), but definitely an interesting experience that can't really be replicated on traditional media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCve1w1GFOs&ab_channel=SeekerVR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCve1w1GFOs&ab_channel=Seeke... Another really interesting one: https://tenderclaws.com/theunderpresents https://tenderclaws.com/theunderpresents

ahelwer 5y ago

I watched the first half. Having watched many (too many?) climbing vids it was actually incredible by comparison. The scenes are a series of statically-positioned full-sphere 3D shots where you can watch him climb through a sequence or turn and look out at the mountains. Scale is conveyed in a sense not possible with your standard 2D video, especially of both height and the actual geometry of the rock he has to move through. Very similar experience to watching someone climb as a belayer or when hanging next to them on a rope. Greatly enjoyed. Anyone who has tried to take a photo of a climb they've just completed will know how difficult it is to really capture the climb and what was interesting or difficult about it. So much so that people will often resort to visual tricks to make the photo of the route look steeper, to match their non-photographic perception (you can pick this out by looking at the angle of trees in the background). It's also notoriously difficult to match a real-life climbing route to a photo, as anyone who has stumbled around a crag squinting at a guidebook will attest. I think this form really does capture what it's like to be looking at the route in real life.

tyrfing 5y ago

Watched it and it's nothing like a movie, the effect is absolutely incredible. Some of the transitions were a bit jarring and device/bandwidth limits mean graphics aren't amazing, but overall really good.

thebigman433 5y ago

I disagree with this. Some VR content is definitely bad, and not worth using the headset for, no doubt about that, but when the content is done well, it is significantly better than watching a movie imo. The 3d effect is significantly better, and with actual volumetric content that you can move around in, the experience is totally different. I think there is definitely room for quality VR content along with "regular" movies, since they are both just different experiences.

baby 5y ago

I’m guessing you never tried a Quest