Taking the example of esport and the public interest towards
video platforms such as Twitch and YouTube to share the experience of enjoying
video games, this kind of entertainment is getting popular thanks to the social
aspect. But the VR concept itself is quite the opposite because it is generally
intended to isolate the user and bring him to the virtual world.
But in the near future, it is no longer an issue. A startup
from Seattle provides an interesting solution: Virtual Reality Entertainment
and Livestreaming or VREAL. As the name implies, the developer is trying to
integrate the trend of live-streaming and social interactions into virtual
reality world. In short, VREAL is Twitch of VR. But of course, its application
and the technology behind this platform are not that simple.
VREAL not only allows user to live stream contents, but also
takes the user to enter the game via virtual reality. For example, if you are
playing Surgeon Simulator in VR, you will also see the same scenes using the
headset, as if standing along with the streamer. Additionally, user can walk
around there for seeing it from another angle.
Uniquely, if streamer wants it, he can see or hear the
comments of the audience. In the other hand, the viewer can also do the same
thing: showing or even hidden from the streamer.
Live-streaming element, social interaction and virtual
reality indeed sound familiar, but when all three are combined, the result is
completely new. The Surgeon Simulator's scenario above illustrates how VREAL
blurs the boundary between creator with the viewer.
VREAL not only forwards the recordings, it also synchronizes
the virtual world in the host with the audience. The viewer gets content with
high quality visual and also a freedom to move there. VREAL requires special
integration between platform and application via the SDK, it has been equipped
with Unity and Unreal plug-in, compatible to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Reportedly, VREAL beta program will start in the middle of this year.