Foreign technology website theverge editor Dieter Bohn recently wrote about Google's virtual reality (VR) strategy.
The original text is now compiled as follows:
In the coming months, news about virtual reality will flood the media. In recent weeks, we have been paying close attention to news about PlaystaTIon VR; on March 28, with the official release of Oculus Rift, we will experience its features for the first time in four years; soon after, HTC's Vive will be available for sale. . The three virtual reality helmets that were unveiled at the same time represent the most exciting virtual reality technology we have experienced in the past few years. They are generally powerful, immersive, and will break through the technical demonstration phase to bring practical applications and games to users. If you think that's not enough, Samsung's Galaxy S7 will be available next month. It is the latest version of the mobile phone that supports the virtual reality helmet Gear VR.
Starting next month, let's start to meet the explosion of virtual reality news. After the wave of virtual reality information, the Google IO Developers Conference will be held on May 18th, when VR will become the theme. It is widely speculated that Google's virtual reality will break through the Google Cardboard level at this year's developer conference and enter a new stage of development. The biggest suspense at the moment is whether Google is focusing on expensive, high-performance devices or prefers mobile devices that are as simple and portable as the Samsung Gear VR.
VR wave is coming soon
I think that Google's new product should be a compromise between the two types of equipment. It can do what mobile VR devices can't do in the past – these things can only be achieved with virtual reality helmets connected to expensive PCs or game consoles via data cables; Google's new products should use mobile phones, just The technical parameters of this product are weaker than other virtual reality helmets. In any case, Google will join the VR war with practical actions. In fact, Google's virtual reality has already begun to appear at the developer conference last year. I have the opportunity to try Google's Project Tango, and I personally believe that it will become the core of Google's virtual reality development.
The craziest demonstration I have experienced at the time was to tie a tablet to my face and start walking around the room. No need to connect to a computer or the help of a camera, the tablet automatically draws a virtual scene in the room. I can enter a illusory space with white numbers and floating heads. Even more intriguing is that the same room Google employees, including Tango project leader Johnny Lee (Johnny Lee) also appeared in the virtual space. I can see them, they can see me too, and they are the same as the actual position in reality. When I touched one of the virtual avatars in the virtual space, my hand also touched Li's shoulder in reality. It's really crazy!
Before moving on to Tango, let's review some of Google's progress in VR projects. First and foremost, according to a report in January, Google has formed a complete virtual reality department within the company. The head of the division is Clay Bavor, with the title of VP Vice President. Bavo was previously the vice president of Google's App division and is currently responsible for the Cardboard project and some other virtual reality projects within Google.
Last year, I discussed Barboard and another project called Jump with Bavo. The latter is an open source virtual video design that creates omni-directional stereo 360-degree video content through Google's cloud computing platform. Personally, Jump is the most realistic virtual reality mobile project. Now, as the "most talented and most executionable" person in Google, Bavo will lead the team to continue to delve into virtual reality.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported on the next steps in Google’s virtual reality. According to reports, this year Google will release a product similar to Gear VR. The product will be equipped with better sensors, lenses and a more rugged plastic housing. At the same time, Google will enhance the virtual reality function in the new version of the Andriod operating system. By making full use of the powerful computing power of mobile phones, we can solve the problems that have often appeared in mobile virtual reality and bring a better experience to users.
Problems facing mobile virtual reality
Although it sounds good, there is still a major problem with mobile virtual reality. Although both Gear VR and Google Cardboard can detect the movement of the user's head through gyroscopes and compasses, the accuracy of these sensors is not high. Even more tricky is that they are unable to determine the specific location of the user's head in space. Helmets such as the Rift and the Vive can detect the position of the head in space. The user can dodge and record the real movement track in the virtual space.
High-end virtual reality helmets can solve this problem with an external camera or laser array. They can determine the position of the user in space by tracking the sensors on the helmet. This “outside-in†tracking method is the best and most accurate tracking method in the virtual reality field, which ensures that the user's behavior in real life is consistent with the behavior of the virtual space. However, the implementation of this method requires additional hardware and configuration, and the matching helmet can only be used in the specific space where the device is installed.
However, if the helmet itself can track the position, that is, to achieve "from the inside out" tracking method, it will be much better. Users no longer need extra hardware and can be used in any space. So far, no consumer-grade hardware products have met this requirement. Five months ago, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey said on Reddit that "the inside and outside of virtual reality on mobile devices is almost impossible."
However, this argument is open to question. For example, the Tango demo project I mentioned earlier can achieve "from the inside out". In Google's virtual reality experiment, the specific camera and sensor of the device are composed of an array, and the device tracks its position in space through the array. It maps the room and its objects, and more importantly tracks its relative position, all without the need to rely on external cameras and sensors. This approach has clearly broken Raj's so-called "impossible" argument.
Tango is Google's virtual reality secret weapon
According to my guess, the better sensor mentioned by the Financial Times should be the sensor used by Tango. Currently, Google has not publicly demonstrated Tango's virtual reality capabilities. Most of the demos disclosed are demonstrations of real-world enhancements including indoor maps and navigation. At last week's MWC, Google showed it to the public again. But Tango's virtual reality capabilities are more exciting than real-life enhancements.
Li once told me that Google’s ambitious goal for Tango is to make Tango-enabled sensors the basic configuration of smartphones, just like the GPS and compass that mobile phones currently have. Li Zeng pointed out last year, "Now you will not buy a mobile phone without GPS. Similarly, I hope that the popularity of Tango can reach the same level."
However, at present, only a small number of models support Tango. These include Lenovo and Qualcomm products. For Google, it would not be wise to wait until the Andriod phone began to accept virtual reality sensors. This strategy is better if the sensor is implanted in a helmet to develop new features and is directly tied to the new Andriod operating system. In addition, if you develop a helmet that incorporates a mobile phone, you can develop a stand-alone helmet that does not require mobile phone support. It sounds good.
But these are just my personal guesses, and Google declined to comment. But these should be correct. From a strategic point of view, since Gear VR is already on the market and there are more and more applications and games supported, if Google fails to distinguish its products from Gear VR, it will be difficult to make a huge impact. Like Rift, Vive, and PlayStaTIon VR, Google's products face the problem of how to connect to a computer or mobile phone without using a data cable.
Google already has the technology to develop mature products
Maybe my prediction is wrong or immature. Still, I think Google will showcase its new products at this year's developer conference and let developers learn how to use it.
Last year, I asked Bavo why Cardboard is always in the testing phase, when will Google be able to take virtual reality technology seriously. Bavo told me, "Cardboard is just the tip of the iceberg of virtual reality, and it is no longer limited to experimentation. There is still a lot of things behind it."
If Google is smart enough, one of the things behind it should be a virtual reality helmet with sensors that support Tango, and the new version of Andriod can be directly supported. This is Google's wise move.
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