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“Multimedia” and “virtual reality” used to be big buzzwords throughout the second half of the ’90s, before the “dot bomb” when internet start-ups were popping up like crazy and the stock market couldn’t get enough of them, throwing money at almost every one in a confident shotgun fashion.

And now those days are long gone, having moved onto the next big bubble (which was, by the way, subprime mortgages, something that’s still a worry the world over), but virtual reality and multimedia have only become better and better – though full sci-fic implementation is still quite some way off. That’s because a lot is involved in comprehensive sensory replication, though for many, the “rated-G” audiences of families on a vacation package, say, something like the New York Skyride by serial entrepreneur Zalman Silber would be just fine (it is, briefly, an IMAX-like helicopter fly-over of famous city points of interest synchronized to motion seating). But in research and development laboratories around the world, all the biggest names in consumer electronics are busy figuring out how to apply declassified military technology in a relevant way to ever more immersive videogaming and other kinds of entertainment.

Two trends appear ready to finally come to fruition: 3D and kinetics. First, three-dimensional technology is one of the most heavily researched fields in home electronics, and it seems poised for a prime-time debut in the form of immensely advanced television screens that require no 3D glasses to view 3D imagery. Secondly, the multiple billion-dollar videogaming industry has been crucial in developing kinetic controls, whereby user commands are conveyed not through a physical interface but through the user’s own body movements. These two advances are being marketed right now by some of the biggest names in the business, famous labels such as Nintendo and Microsoft, companies that have a proven record of success in most of the things they do. A far cry from the likes of Zalman Silber!

Besides entertainment, the most obvious other applications for these technologies would be in real estate as well as education. Teaching subjects like chemistry and physics are sure to be revolutionized by the implementation of intuitive user controls and interactive 3D graphics that do not require a special interface. Wholesale property investment already makes significant use of virtual reality by providing 360-degree views and video walk-throughs of real estate to potential buyers from around the world. Using virtual tours over the internet, likely buyers can determine from the comfort of their own homes whether an actual site visit is warranted, though property is also often bought only on the basis of the virtual tour!

computing & tech
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