Collaboration online has become more popular in recent days. The new technology using XR enables for interesting and exciting interaction that has not been possible before. Ever since Covid-19 came around, it has more or less been a necessity to be able to collaborate online, for safety reasons. 

One application that can be used for this is Mozilla Hubs which is an open-source social virtual reality platform. It is accessible on desktop, mobile or with VR-headset and it creates collaboration in a fun way. To start a meeting, simply create a room and share the link with your friends or colleagues. You can either select a premade room with just a click or create your own room from scratch using the 3D modeling tool Spoke. When inside the room, you can move around using the keyboard or a joystick, depending on what device you are logged onto. Hubs have the basic video conference settings such as screen sharing, draw, muting/unmuting mic and react. But you can also place 3D objects in the virtual space. Before I go into more detail about Hubs, it is worth to mention that I’ve only tried the application on a computer.

So why would you use this application? One reason for using it is that it feels like you are actually interacting with people during the meeting, and they must participate actively in the meeting. For me at least, there is nothing more boring than just talking to a screen while everyone has their camera turned off and not paying attention. But when someone is sharing a screen in Hubs for example, you have to walk up to the screen to see what is being shared. Everyone also gets to choose their own avatar, which makes it feel more personal.

The spatialized audio also makes it so that you have to be in proximity to the one you are conversing with to be able to hear them. This is clever because you can easily break out into smaller groups by just distancing yourself from the group. What I especially like about it is that is widely accessible for everyone. It works on all devices as I mentioned before and there is no installation requires which allows for an easy set up. However, if you want to spend more time on setting a room up, there are many opportunities for customization.

Another feature that I like is the object panel where you can find and edit all of your objects. Because when you are in a 3D world, it can be hard to keep track of all your placed objects, so it is nice to have an overview of them. But of course, to not take away from the immersive experience, you can interact and edit them with your avatar as well.

Although I think it is a good application, there is some features that could be further developed. One example is that it is hard to position the objects that you are placing in your room, like a shared screen or a 3D-object. When placing an object, it appears in front of your avatar and then you have to manually place it if you want to reposition it. Since the objects have no shadows, it is hard to perceive where you are placing the object. One suggestion to make the placement easier is to add a shadow under the object, or just a small marking on the floor that follows your object so you have a reference point. 

To sum this up, I think that Mozilla Hubs is a good VR application that is easy to use, and it is for everyone. 

Zombie-slaying gameplay isn’t something new. We’ve seen them in PC games and even in arcade stations. Deadwood Mansion takes the experience to a new whole new level. Players have to don haptic suits and body trackers, giving them a fully immersive experience.

Deadwood Mansion is the first hyperreality escape experience ever created by Sandbox VR. They utilise a wide range of technology: Hollywood motion capture cameras, 3D body precision trackers, haptic suits, etc and are built by engineers from EA, Sony and Ubisoft. They have franchises across USA and Asia (one in Singapore!) that we can visit. The price of a ticket is surprisingly more affordable, ranging from SGD 32 – 42 per pax.

What drew me to Deadwood Mansion was the idea of really bringing us into a different world and letting us feel like we are living in it. As exciting as VR is, a part of me would always remember that what I saw isn’t reality. I also loved the multiplayer aspect — up to 6 players are allowed in the room. You can physically interact with everyone inside. You could even choose your choice of weapons, from dual pistols to rifles and guns.

Despite being a heavy shooter game, Deadwood Mansion does a great job of incorporating a narrative to the experience. These are achieved with voiceovers under the pre-tense of calls from the team’s intelligence. Other than that, the game uses HUDs sparingly. Like standard shooter games, hand reference frames are used to show statistics on their weapons. There are some UI placed in the environment when the group receives “calls” from the intelligence or the villain.

Sandbox VR also records several videos for each session: each player’s POV and a room-wide view of all players with and without the virtual environment. Each group can sit down together to watch these footages after their session. Some of the videos really looked like the players’ real bodies got transformed into virtual bodies.

There is also a world wide leaderboard for game scores. I find that it gives some level of competition outside the game.

Besides Deadwood Mansion, Sandbox VR also provide many other worlds, some notable ones are Star Trek and UFL. Star Trek: Discovery lets players handle a Starfleet Phaser and find a lost Starfleet ship. UFL, on the other hand, lets people split into teams and battle in a gladiator fighting ring.

While I haven’t had the chance to experience it myself, there seems to be a lot of gears for player to put on before the game. I think that could potentially be a hassle before and during the game, depending on how heavy these equipment are. While it would be great to reduce the size and number of gears, that would probably require a lot more research and development before it can be achieved. After all, hyperreality VR experience is isn’t easy.

Another idea that I felt might make the game more immersive is having more than 1 room. Perhaps in between some zombie waves, the group could proceed to another room as part of the narrative. It could be something like the villain planting a bomb in the present room and the team has to escape it to avoid the explosion. I think might give a better sense of story/game progression.

Overall, I think Sandbox VR did a great job making hyperreality VR well, a reality. Personally, I see this as a one-time novel experience and not something that I would want to try again and again. Despite that, I think it offers a really fun and interesting activity that many people would be excited to try out.

IKEA, one of the largest home furnishing businesses in the world, has further extended its service into the realm of mixed reality to provide users better shopping experience while purchasing home furnitures.

In 2017, IKEA launched a mixed reality mobile app that lets customers drop virtual furniture into their own homes and view it through their smartphone camera. It makes uses the ARKit developed by Apple and the quality of imagery and the realism is exceptional.

I particularly like this application because it breaks the norm of online shopping where users purchase items only based on media files and description and they have no idea how the product will actually fit before receiving them. Mixed reality however, brings more possibility into this market and bestows greater freedom into users hands. They are now able to perform tasks that used to be impossible, such as fitting all kinds of furnitures into the users rooms during selection and easily moving and rotating furnitures using only fingers. This greatly improves users shopping experience and leads a future trend of mixed reality application into the online shopping market.

In particular, this application has a few new features that make it very useful. 

1. It is able to scan and detect the home environment to make the AR furnitures to interact with the real world and hence well fit into the room. This avoids the troublesome of using rulers to measure the areas of the space and compare with the furniture sizes. With the use of phone device, scanning is also an easy task with camera pointing to the space.

2.  It is able to adjust the posture and position of the virtual furnitures before placing them onto the floor. This can be achieved by using fingers just like how users use their phone cameras to zoom in and out. By speaking users language, user would find it familiar and easy to use without much guidance and assistance, which offers a great user experience. Moreover, with a clean ui design, user could solely focus on how the object interact with the real world environment without being distracted by the app interface.

3. It is easy to follow with just four steps: browse – scan – adjust – drop and users could easily perform all the tasks with simply a few taps. The simpleness and the optimised performance speed ensures the fluidity of using the application and ensures the user experience. The final outcome is also high quality that resembles the reality, making it useful to become the reference before users make their purchasement. 

However, there are still space for improvements to further satisfy users’ needs. For example, user might want to purchase multiple furnitures and find out whether different furnitures fit with each other, but the current app only allows single selection at each time which makes this user task impossible to achieve. To meet this requirement, the app could introduce a “shopping cart” feature for which user could select multiple items to be put into the scene and interact with each other. The application could even introduce a feature where multiple items can be auto placed by its relative orientation and sizes.

Nevertheless, the Ikea XR application is a breath-taking innovation that dives into the market that are very suitable for the use of XR technology. While there are still room for improvements, this could potentially lead to more extensive and in depth application of XR in all the online shopping platforms.

What do I like about it?

Many VR applications uses human sensory to provide immersion for e.g. sight and touch. However, there can be also other ways to allow users to feel that they are present in the VR experience. One of which is the use of emotions and more specifically, the use of fear. Fear is especially effective as it is common that fear overwhelms the user and their perception of reality. It is true even for real life situations like going to haunted houses at theme parks. Even though we know that things are staged, we can’t help but still experience excitement and fear.

What features can be improved and how?

There were a few improvements that can be made from the users’ feedback in the video. One of the users noted that “I have the same setup in the room I am in now”. This can be very effectively in providing presence to the user. It would be good if the VR game can capture the surroundings before the game and provide the in-game experience of the player walking through some place familiar. The game can also have popular locations so that the user will associate the location with the real world and be truly immersed.

Another thing that can be improved on is the controls. As it is a horror game, users are likely to run away in real life. Below shows a video of an average consumer playing the game. Even though she was holding a controller, she constantly moves from her position and her family had to hold her in case she knocks into her furniture. This can be solved with an omni-direction threadmill which is probably too expensive currently. Apart from the VR headset itself, there should also be improvements in other aspects supporting the VR experience.

Personally, I also feel that the VR headset is bulky and therefore, would affect the user experience. To have a better VR experience and immersion in the game, the user should feel comfortable, and the weight of the headset should not affect the touch (stress on head due to weigh of headset). Like Elon Musk said, for now, I do not see users strapping on to VR headsets for a long period of time because it looks uncomfortable and the weight of the headset would probably cause some level of neck ache. Luckily, there are active development of lighter headsets which include the HTC flow.

For now, I feel that the horror genre provides the most presence for the user and I would like to research more about using emotions to provide the user with the same level of presence in the VR other than using fear. The use of other emotions like sadness, anger and joy are probably more difficult to invoke the same experience as fear but they are worth looking into to give users other VR experiences.

Adi Kamaraj

Sound design in VR is a staple of what makes a deep and immersive environment able of captivating an audience and also for that environment to express emotion and spatialization relevant to the scene it describes. In providing entertainment in VR, often the senses that are able to be utilised are limited to sight and hearing and therefore audio design is important in providing the end user a great experience.

There are many forms of audio design that can be used to effectively used to convey genre and emotion. One VR game that does this well is a game called “Phasmophobia”. The general idea of the game is that of an investigative horror game played from a first person perspective where the player works alone or in a group to complete a contract in which they must identify the type of ghost haunting the specified site. Players can use various basic equipment such as spirit boxes, video cameras and UV flashlights for example in order to complete this goal.

Phasmophobia, although not next generation in it’s visuals, graphics or narrative, is elite in conveying fear and horror using it’s well designed audio soundscape and the developers have not overlooked audio as element that is essential in delivering that heightened sense of immersion.

One technique they utilise well is the implementation of wide spectrum sources and a borad spectrum of sounds including wind sounds and high frequencies to spatialize effectively and provide a lot of frequences for the HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) to work with, also helping mask audible glitches resulting from pan and attenuation. The high frequencies are heavily used by humans for sound localization.

The developers have also leveraged 3D audio spatialization which provides much more accurate spatial cues, including height, and with this improved accuracy, in addition to volumetric sources, these audio techniques truly create a terrifying space when you are in the game. With the environment emanating such eery noises that lock you into the immersion of your surroundings and aware of the genre/emotions the game is trying to express, the developers also add ghosts with their own immersive sound design. The use of the doppler effect that changes a sound’s pitch as the source approaches or recedes makes the movement of the ghost (when heard) keep you always attentive.

The influence of an ambient nature soundscape and movement-triggered step sounds are also used to further drive that feeling of presence. Using the ambience as an auditory stimuli is great in influencing presence and creates a virtual environment that feels alive and immersive. The sounds of walking interact with the environments in their sounds and tempo giving the user a feeling of direct interaction with the surroundings. As these audio cues and implementations get better, we move towards even greater presence where the user is under a more believable impression that they are in a virtual environment with less awareness of a mediating technology, such as a game.

As mentioned before, interactive sound is one of the most important things in audio design when trying to deliver a feeling of presence. The game does this really well with its constant reminders that you are in the environment as all interactions with the surroundings provide responsive dynamic audio, such as footsteps and opening doors for example.

In VR, hearing is the only sense able to provide full spatial information going beyond our field of view, including elevation, 360 degrees and depth, allowing us to guide our decisions and behaviors as well as understanding our virtual surroundings. Not only is audio unique in being able to provide spatial information for the brain to analyze but also tell a narrative.

For me, playing this game really highlighted the importance of audio in immersion in the virtual realty space. However much a visual experience can paint a narrative, the sound design is what really adds the dimension that makes you believe you are living that experience. It can create tension, emotion and a sense of spatialization that is an important channel for information about their environment and creating presence. It is not going unnoticed as realistic and responsive spatial audio is quickly become a cornerstone for investment and key to the development of the so called metaverse by big tech companies. I for one am curious about the future of audio in VR and hope many new immersive audio technologies are used to create a deeper more believable virtual reality.

Skyrim VR

When I laid hands on the first fantasy game that I had ever played, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I was immediately hooked. The open-world game was rich with lore and diverse regions to explore. Coupled with great soundtracks and well-designed ambience, Skyrim was able to draw players in with its deep immersion – only limited by its technological interfaces at that time. After all, despite its best efforts, players could only interact with the game through a mouse and keyboard, and see the expansive world only through a 2D screen. However, all this changes with the introduction of virtual reality.

For the first time, players were able to truly walk around and explore this world with new eyes. They could stand in the middle of a wide open plain and “look around” at the scenic views the game had become well known for.

Combat was enhanced in particular through the use of VR. Gone were the days of button mashing and remembering the keyboard shortcuts for combat. Now, players get to hold weapons and shields in their hands, or actually wield magic should they choose to. They now come face to face with their enemies and feel as though they are truly in battle – presented with a level of immersion impossible without VR.

However, intense immersion may come with a few drawbacks in such an immersive combat fantasy game. Experiences that were once far removed, may now actually feel “lived” by the player.

Draugr depicted in the image above, are zombie like creatures in the game. Imagine the scare players may experience when they feel like they are actually placed in the world. They go about minding their business and find themselves stumbling right into such a creature. Such experiences may feel much more vivid in VR, and game designers will have to take this into account.

Blade and Sorcery VR

Another VR game that I really like is Blade and Sorcery. Unlike the story and immersion centred Skyrim, Blade and Sorcery is a multi-player combat game that allows players to duke it out in an arena. While realistic combat is difficult to come by in games, Blade and Sorcery is at the top of its class in providing it. Combat and magic are realistic, and allows players to relive their childhood fantasies with its wide array of mods. Players can battle with lightsabers, or in medieval gear and with magic. The game also allows players to perform “trickshots” in combat, and have become an increasingly popular sub-goal in playing the game.

Despite its ability to bring realistic combat to the player, its visuals do seem clunky, and movement may not always be very natural. Players have complained of weird perspectives in game regarding their in-game limbs, which do break immersion for some players. Overall, it is an enjoyable game to play and sets the foundation for VR games of the future.

About the APP

SkyView is a lightweight stargazing app available on iOS and Android devices. The augmented reality technology allows users explore different constellations, planets, star clusters, stars and other celestial bodies in the night sky through their smartphone’s camera. Simply pointing the smartphone to the sky, then SkyView will identify the stars and other objects in the view.

Why do I like it & Why it is engaging?

Have you ever imagined a date with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you guys take a walk along the beach, and then she or he points to the sky and tells you what constellation that is? Romantic, isn’t it?

I never imagined that until I met a boy who loves boys, we walked on the west coast park and identified all the constellations we could see. Still romantic. Hence, I find I can have such romantic experience without a boyfriend or girlfriend. I can do this by myself, with SkyView.

I downloaded the App months ago, and I found it is easy to set up and use. It brings a fascinating view of night sky to users with the stylish UI and the well designed graphics. The main function and interaction of the application are quite simple, so that many parents also use this as the stargazing education for their kids.

What features are well done & What can be improved?

The main function of the app, the AR stargazing camera, has simply interactions. A short description of the star or other objects will be shown on the side of the screen when you click on the object. This helps users connect the star on the screen and the star they see in the sky quickly.

Users are also allowed to increase and decrease the magnitude visibility of planets and stars, this make it easier to see the stars and the brightness of them for users who are in a region of high light pollution.

However, the night mode is not clear as the usual mode. The filter is not very user friendly and covers some views in the camera. The same planet and star size settings lead to the less brightness of stars. The color of the filter can be changed to green or other light colors instead of red. The size setting of objects could be larger so that it will be clearer in the dark.

Overall, SkyView is a fascinating and romantic AR stargazing application which is easy to start and use.

There are so many amazing places that one would like to visit during one’s lifetime. With a bit of luck and resources, one may be able to travel to a few of them. However, to travel to all of them would be impossible… or would it?

With Google Earth VR this could be possible.

The industry of Virtual Reality (VR) is growing at a fast pace. Its many different applications are not only recreational but may also be educational and be more than just a distraction. The Google Earth VR application allows the user to strap on a VR headset and start exploring all the wonders of the world from the comfort of one’s room.

Why they are engaging?

During the rough times of COVID-19, the possibilities of travelling have been severely limited. With the use of VR technology, the world is opened up again without the risk of transmitting the virus. Google Earth VR uses the 3D model of Google Earth, which has mapped 98% of the World. However, it is not just Google Earth ported to VR, it is a completely new experience. All the interactions have been redesigned and the VR application allows flight as the mode of travel, both at different locations but also in-between them.

This allows a very engaging experience for the user. The application is fast-paced and allows for many different amazing sights in just a couple of minutes. But it is not only that the user gets to tick off locations from their bucket lists at a pace not possible without this technology. While travelling in VR, the user also gets to experience the location in a brand new way, from many different perspectives which would not be possible if physically present.

With the application, one can fly over any city and experience them in impressive VR, stand at the highest mountain peaks of the world and appreciate the view in all directions, walk along streets in remote destinations you never thought you would get to visit, and much more.

What features are well done?

The Google Earth VR application is impressive in many ways. The sheer scale of the project is unimaginable, as Google Earth covers almost all parts of the world on a real-life scale. The controls and the straightforwardness of the application allow the user to effortlessly explore the world in an immersive way as if one was there in person.

What features can be improved and how?

However, the features of Google Earth VR are not all perfect. Due to the scale of the project, Google has been required to do a lot of optimization for the experience to be enjoyable. The 3D models are procured from combining enormous amounts of 2D images and layering everything onto 3D space. As a consequence of this, the detailing is not very accurate and sometimes certain graphics appear as blocky smudges of colours.

Improving this while still maintaining the scale of the project is hard. For the user, going to ground level (which activates Google Street View’s POV) results in much more details than the approximations in the bird’s view. As for what Google could do, this seems to be a project that does not get that much care anymore. However, with the use of Artificial Intelligence, Google could aim to do some photogrammetry repairs of textures, for example by combining the detailed Street Views with the textures in the Google Earth view.

To summarize, Google Earth VR allows the user to travel to incredible places across the world. At its current state, it may not be detailed enough in order to replace real traveling. It does however offer an immersive sandbox experience with new sights to explore anytime.