It can be nauseating to be driven around the streets of Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show. Is it possible to do so with a virtual reality headset? It's a recipe for disaster
I pack Dramamine wherever I go because I don't have the best stomach. With more than a little fear, I agreed to experience morning traffic on The Strip in the back of a car while wearing a virtual reality headset at the Consumer Electronics Show.
This was more than just a car and a system for virtual reality. In this context, the car was notable for its lack of technology, even though it was remarkable in so many ways. Thankfully, it didn't need seatbelts, but it did lack them. A $199 add-on that allows you to get in-car virtual reality experiences was included with the headset.
Tim Stevens is the image's author.
The company's tech was integrated into its cars last year.
The retrofit kit makes for a huge expansion of the product's market reach, according to the CEO. It is an easy way for people to equip their car without having to buy a new one.
You don't need a place to mount the device, just a place to connect it to the Vive Flow. You can turn it on if you stick it on the car. The various app experiences provided by Holoride include some sort of visual cue to prevent motion sickness.
Tim Stevens is the image's author.
While sitting in the back seat of the Cadillac, I was able to sample what the retrofit pack had to offer.
I started with a book. The spin-off of the darling is called Holoride. You are playing a 2-D platformer on a virtual handheld gaming system, sitting in the back of a virtual car while your parents chat up front.
As you drive through traffic, the game makes you feel like you're in an idyllic neighborhood. It doesn't look like the same thing as Sin City. When the real car stops at an intersection, the virtual car does the same thing. The game is simple but fun.
Cloudbreakers: Leaving Haven is a rogue-like shooter where you pilot a giant robot through digital clouds and blast wave after wave of geometric opponents. There are sweeping lines around and underneath you. The game moves left or right when the car makes a turn.
I never felt a bit sick while playing those experiences and more. After 10 minutes in the back of a cab, I got more car sick than I did in the 30 minutes I wore a virtual reality headset.
The good news is that most of the titles are not compelling enough to justify the monthly or yearly fee. A rate of new content will be added to the library every two weeks.
It is possible that more of these simple experiences aren't the answer. There is a killer app here. If you exit the games, you can use your phone as a virtual reality headset. It's possible to enjoy your content without distraction and motion sickness by using the Holoride software.
Are the next steps? The plan is to have a native movie app or streaming app where you can download the latest movies or TV shows and then just relax and watch on a virtual 180 inch screen.
The retrofit kit is a great way to bring this tech to a larger audience.
The focus of the company is to make integration as seamless as possible, according to the man.
Adding support for cars with high-quality gps doesn't require a lot of software.
For car manufacturers, it is an attractive solution for their passengers that we lowered the barrier. It's an additional revenue stream for mobility data. We share the data with them.
It sounds like a good win-WIN.
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