VR is getting there … slowly. But give it time, I’m sure it will be the norm of the future.
Two years into the rise of modern virtual reality, following the launch of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, the medium might seem as if it’s losing a bit of its luster. Headsets are cheaper and easier to use, especially with new Windows Mixed Reality devices, yet VR experiences are still a mixed bag. That’s understandable, since we’re stepping into an entirely new art form, but consumer adoption depends on VR creators figuring out their storytelling language soon.
Luckily, that seems to be a trend at the Sundance New Frontier Exhibition this year. We’re moving beyond the initial “wow factor” and toward more mature experiences that take advantage of VR’s unique ability to immerse you.
“When VR started, everyone started these lists of things you can’t do,” Oculus creative producer Yelena Rachitsky told Engadget. “They always talked about explaining who you have to be as an audience. For example, you have to be a dead person, or someone who came out of a coma. The thing with all of these [new experiences] … each one has you as a role of the audience all being completely different from each other, but they all work in their own way… I think creators are getting that much better at that blend of interactivity and storytelling.”
Masters of the Sun, meanwhile, takes the narrative of a traditional comic into a virtual world. Instead of flat panels, you have meticulously detailed 3D environments to explore. You progress by looking at specific characters or objects, which is similar to how you’d look for speech or narration bubbles. And it uses the power of VR to put you right into the perspective of certain characters. At one point, I found myself looking through the glasses of a drug-dealing comic-book-store clerk right before he was attacked by a zombie.
Source: Engadget
