The Evolution of Virtual Reality by 2025

Until recently virtual reality wasn’t a reality, it was a fantasy of story tellers and scientists. It was thought to be fiction, but now VR has evolved and its no longer a fantasy to be in the virtual world.

Imagine a world where you can become the leading actor of your favorite movie and instead of streaming your favorite movie on streaming service, you’re able to participate in the movie and play the lead role!

If the technological advancement continues at the current pace, the days are not far off where we’ll immerse ourselves in a virtual world of our choice.

At 00:36 the narrator talks about stats, reporting that the global box office revenues for the film industry was worth $41.7 billion in 2018 while the gaming industry generated $43.4 billion revenue in the US alone and the home entertainment revenue was $136 billion.

What it Means for Actors?

At 01:05 the narrator talks about the changing dynamics of acting, how job security for actors has become more challenging because the cost of CGI has become lower compared to hiring actors.

But there’s the good news for the actors that CGI is still in development and it has its pros and cons but if the CGI advances with integration of artificial intelligence the profession could be the first casualty. Instead of human stars production companies will use digital art developed with AI that would work 24-hours and perform all the stunts in a computer simulation.

Gaming Industry

At 02:21 the narrator starts talking about the gaming industry. According to him the acting won’t die overnight because actors will be paid for their work in the gaming industry, which is growing at a much faster pace because there is an increased demand for very high-quality graphics in games.

02:40 narrator talks about Unreal Engine 5, revealed by Epic Games in May 2020. The engine supports all the existing and next generation gaming consoles such as Xbox series X and PS5, and allows developers to create virtual gaming worlds without spending time on creating detailed assets because the engine takes care of everything.

Virtual Reality

From 03:53 the narrator talks about VR, where graphics are one component of VR to achieve the immersive experience. Human senses play an important role and to emulate the real experience the big thing that software companies have to work on is to incorporate a sense of touch in the VR.

At 04:21 he talks about different VR companies working on tactile technology such as avatar VR, Hi-5 VR glove, HatpX, and VR free, etc. Big games such as Undead Citadel, Halflife Alex, and Medal of Honor are expected to give the VR industry a big push.

When the trailers of these games were released the community started seeing the potential of the VR industry and what it can offer. Today we’re impressed by the trailers of these games but in 2025 VR will be at the next level and we’ll wonder why we were impressed by them.

Challenges

From 05:28 narrator talks about the obstacles faced by the VR industry that needs to be overcome and that is ‘locomotion’. The common locomotion techniques used by the industry are joystick walking and teleportation, which due to effects like motion sickness are the worst methods for the users to move from one place to another.

For an experience more akin to ‘The Oasis’ visualized in the movie Ready Player One, VR needs to address this, and one possible solution is to use omnidirectional treadmills. Cat VR a Chinese VR company that has developed such a treadmill, which offers a different range of motions such as running, walking, moving backward, and crouching. In 2025, the hardware such as VR treadmill, Tesla suit, and haptic feedback gloves will enhance the VR experience.

The Future of VR

06:48 the cost of VR is another challenge VR must overcome to go more mainstream. The prices of VR related accessories have to go down so that everyone can afford a VR headset like a smartphone.

The future of the VR industry is bright, and it is estimated that revenues of VR will reach $88 billion, as many industry use case solutions are developed. For example at 07:19 the video explores the education industry, which could become a key driving force for VR adoption.

Suppose you have the assignment to learn about the Egyptian pyramids, so you put on your VR headset, go back in time, learn about the pyramids and get entertained too. You can learn anything you want such as science and history via the virtual world.

Another scenario explored from 07:52 is that remote working is growing in 21st century, and jobs that require physical presence can be performed via VR and a robot connected to the employee. Self-driving vehicles will become normal and remote working will be transformed and become much easier.

08:34 the video starts to conclude. There are big tech giants that are working on the development of VR such as Sony, Samsung, Microsoft, and Facebook. Today Sony is leading the VR business, with a key milestone being if they announce a PS VR2 headset, they’re expected to lead the competition.

In near future, the VR headsets won’t require a PC or smartphone to deliver a VR experience. Headsets like Oculus have built-in processors, GPU, sensors, battery, and much more. The improvement of 5G and cloud-based systems will eliminate the use of PC or smartphones.

Behold the bright future of VR is waiting to unfold.