Category: #VR

How virtual reality will transform online games #VR

It was not so long ago when the possibilities of what virtual reality could do were only seen in science fiction movies. However, technological advancements now mean that it is now part and parcel of our daily lives in one way or another. Virtual reality continues changing the way we experience life, and yet it still holds a lot of potential for future growth. It is being used in several industries ranging from communication, transportation, medical, research, and education, among many others. Virtual reality is also finding its way into the online casino industry, where it promises to be a game-changer. Some of the popular casinos, such as Leovegas, are now using technology to provide an immersive and interactive gaming experience for players, which can almost be compared to playing in a brick and mortar casino establishment. Here are some of the ways virtual reality is transforming casino games.

How virtual reality works in casinos

 

Virtual reality in casinos is simply a 3D computer-generated environment that allows players to interact with their surroundings in a lifelike manner. One way casinos are taking advantage of virtual reality is through adopting Optical Character Recognition technology. This allows legit and popular casinos such as Leovegas to offer live casino games with live dealers. It is now possible to play real-time with dealers in games such as blackjack, roulette, and poker among others, by using a VR headset such as Oculus Rift, which brings the feel and experience of being in a traditional casino establishment.

 

Features available with virtual reality casinos

 

VR headsets allow users to walk through and explore the detailed and immersive gaming rooms. Users are also able to display their body and hand gestures as they enjoy realistic online slots. Players can also be able to pick their seats and enjoy authentic live gaming experience in a casino such as Leovegas, with the only thing missing being the tuxedo or cocktail dress present in brick and mortar establishments. While most gamblers will play at home on their own, virtual reality means they can chat with each other and the dealers, thus enhancing the casino experience. With virtual reality, the experience is further enhanced through the use of sounds as would be in a real casino to make it more lifelike.

 

Why VR is the future of casino gaming

 

Popular casinos understand the value of entertainment when it comes to betting and gambling. This is why you will find many popular casinos such as Leovegas offering attractive bonuses and promotions. Nonetheless, the future will see casinos competing with each on the experience they offer to their customers, with virtual reality expected to be a big driver. Virtual reality will also be an increase in the use of cryptocurrencies as a payment method. It will also see more integration of Artificial Intelligence, which will boost the security of players by monitoring their behaviour and ensuring they are safe. By monitoring their spending behaviour, AI can detect unusual activity and alert the casino and player to ensure they do not fall into the hands of hackers. Since different clients have different needs, integrating VR and AI will help casinos better at providing a higher level of customization for their customers. Casinos will also be able to provide more immersive games, and the growth potential also holds the promise for a better mobile casino gaming experience. As virtual reality continues to improve, so is the software and hardware, which makes it’s future even more attractive.

Dublin’s First VR Center Announces Major Expansion #FutureShock #VR #VirtualReality

Future Shock has today announced their plans to expand and move their virtual reality centre to a much larger location, to tackle growing demand and open up new target markets. Known for being Dublin’s first virtual reality arcade, having opened in October 2017, the expansion will enable the addition of VR escape rooms (via an exclusive license with Ubisoft), an esports gaming centre, educational school tours and large sized corporate group events. 

 

Moving to a brand new facility custom designed from the ground up for their specific needs, the new location will become a world class entertainment centre for the local and wider Dublin community. Being located in The Arena Centre, Tallaght offers ease of access with free parking while also still being accessible from the Luas line. They expansion comes with a description change to ‘tech entertainment centre’ compared to the original ‘VR arcade’ title. This is to reflect the increased product offerings available, such as augmented reality educational courses and non VR entertainment options. The facility size will increase from 1900 sq ft to over 4600 sq ft with expected guest numbers of 25,000 per year. 


Commenting on the expansion, Future Shock founder Conor Gannon said “Our new centre will offer us the ability to hit strong growth targets and go after new markets that were never available to us previously due to size limitations. The educational market is a major untapped market as there is no facility in the country that can offer such cutting edge technology to a large student group.

The ability to tie in our content with the students curriculum can be a major learning aid for the student, as virtual reality has been shown to in some studies to achieve a 125% increase in an exams pass rate  (90% pass rate with VR lessons, 40% pass rate without)


We haven’t forgotten our entertainment roots however, and will be implementing a strong expansion on this side of the business also. As well as expanding our standard VR options, we’ll be introducing a much more sophisticated free roam VR system, a premium VR escape room experience and a more traditional gaming centre with a focus on esports. 

 

Commenting from Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Patrick Fedler, the chief customer officer of Ubisoft Escape Games had this to say; “We are delighted to hear of Future Shock’s expansion, they have shown a consistently excellent customer experience throughout their time running our content and we’re eager to see them bring our team focused escape experiences to a new audience”


Construction has already begun on the new facility, with an opening scheduled for April of this year. More info can be found on their website at http://www.futureshock.ie

 

Virtual and Augmented Reality Market Volatile But Promising. #VR #AR

The market for extended reality products, which comprises virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices, will enjoy 21% growth in 2019, to slightly more than 10 million devices, according to the latest forecast by technology analyst firm CCS Insight. Marina Koytcheva, vice president of forecasting, notes, “Although this growth rate might seem disappointing for a market that has had so much hype, it should be assessed pragmatically. Right now, there are still just a handful of successful devices, and a lot rides on every new iteration or new model brought to market by the established players Sony, HTC and Oculus”.

CCS Insight believes that Sony is on track to record a solid 2019, and Facebook has also started gaining meaningful revenue from its Oculus devices. HTC, however, despite leading in the premium end of the market, looks set for less growth in 2019. But Koytcheva notes, “It’s still early days in the nascent VR market and I have positive expectations for this exciting product category”.

The recently published forecast projects that market demand will grow sixfold to 60 million units in 2023. Leo Gebbie, senior analyst at CCS Insight, covering wearables and extended reality devices, explains, “Our optimism is supported by our consumer research of early technology adopters: those who don’t yet own a VR device show a strong willingness to buy an extended reality device within the next three years, particularly as more attractive and affordable products with richer content and experiences become available. I believe this is particularly good news for entry-level devices like the standalone Oculus Go headset, which retails at less than $200”.

CCS Insight also notes that the variety of VR devices is growing. The company expects new products in 2020 from Oculus, HTC and others, including the highly anticipated Sony PlayStation 5, which is widely expected to be accompanied by an updated PlayStation VR headset.

A further boost to the VR market is coming from the advent of 5G mobile networks. In South Korea, currently the most advanced 5G market in the world in terms of adoption, mobile operators have successfully positioned 5G as a technology that can deliver an attractive VR experience. “Operators in other markets should be encouraged by the success of their South Korean counterparts, and we expect more consumer offerings to be built on the coupling of VR and 5G in the near future”, says Koytcheva.

China will also play an important role in the growth of the VR market. The Chinese government’s initiative to be a global leader in VR and AR technologies by 2025 will have an impact in the near future. Education is being targeted as one of the major sectors where VR should be adopted. This tallies with CCS Insight’s prediction that extended reality will become a standard educational tool in schools in at least two countries by 2025.

“All these trends support our view that the VR market is just heating up. Some quarters will be better than others, but the direction of travel is onward and upward”, concludes Koytcheva.

When it comes to AR, adoption by business users is picking up, although the numbers are currently very small. CCS Insight expects about 150,000 AR devices will be sold globally in 2019.

Adoption of AR devices in logistics and remote assistance continues to rise, and other industries are also starting to follow suit, with important vertical markets such as medicine, entertainment and travel beginning to show signs of growth. Importantly, end-to-end AR solutions, consisting of hardware, software and support, are also improving, making adoption much easier than it was a couple of years ago.

The consumer market for smart AR glasses, however, is still a few years away. Gebbie comments, “We’ve seen some very exciting products starting to emerge, but they’re generally prototypes or early iterations of future device designs. It will be some time before mass-market products capable of delivering significant volume hit the market”.

CCS Insight also notes that component miniaturization remains a major challenge. Unlike warehouse workers and other enterprise users, consumers are unlikely to be willing to accept anything heavier than and much different in appearance from traditional eyeglasses in their everyday lives. However, Gebbie concludes, “We’re confident that this technology will improve rapidly, and predict that by 2022 a major consumer electronics brand will enter the consumer smart glasses market, opening the gates for strong growth in years to come”.

More details of CCS Insight’s extensive VR and AR research service can be found at: https://www.ccsinsight.com/research-areas/virtual-and-augmented-reality/

Review – Zero Latency Player VS Player SolRaiders. #Gaming #VR #SolRaiders

Zero Latency have just launched a new game and there is more to come too by the way and their latest installation is SolRaiders which it is a PVP set-up is certainly one not to miss and we have checked it out and love it.

I was invited to check this out some time ago and could not wait which was the same as my first visit to their HQ in Dublin out in Sandyford. I am a big VR fan but it has died a death being honest in the real world and I had lost all interest despite having many headsets and games there just seemed to be not advance in it and more focus on AR and MR.

This however is different, totally different and paves the way forward for VR and Gaming together and it has more than one benefit than just a gaming experience. On arriving I was greeted again by a great crew and given the lowdown,you sign in go for a brief and you will need to pay attention to this one,you get suited and booted and then brought into the area which is cool, You can see our previous review on that HERE.

When you walk into the arena you are given a spot to stand on then pick up your weapon and then walk to a pod and then get a trial session of how the game works and once again pay attention because I didn’t at the start being too nosey looking around but eventually listened. This game is more energy consuming than others we have tried and it will also keep you on your toes and fit, You wont come out dry as a bone either so perhaps bring a spare top with you as you will be kept on the move throughout the entire game,there is no time to sit back and relax as it is you against the rest and not a team player game.

The game is action packed without a doubt involving skills or all sorts and will see you test several levels and climb them too with elevators and so on and you have to hit a main target before the rest which makes it more fun and less friendly compared to other games but you do have fun in doing so having said that it is really enjoyable. I am not a huge gamer nor have the time to do much gaming of late but this is something I would make time for going forward in the gaming scene as it has many benefits compared to gaming at home sitting on your couch.

You are on a radar and so is your fellow players in this game and you might often feel like you will bump into someone, at times during the game you have to run back to your pod to juice up which is cool and that is when I felt the most times I felt like I was going to knock someone over but it does not happens I think perhaps the gun is also a way to detect as you can swing it around or stab it forward just to be sure, You also have to shoot out doors and then you are attacked from above which is interesting and again active and if you get killed its when you need to return to your pod to refresh your energy. You cant hide behind walls or behind a door and if the door happens to shut on you its game over and refresh time.

The social element again is one thing and another reason to keep in touch with old friends and workmates and there is a fitness aspect to it too which does you no harm I clocked up some amount of steps via my fitness tracker and came out soaked after around 30 mins of gameplay but felt energised and it was also nice to meet others there who where in to test out the game,check the video below as to how it looks It would be nice to record your gameplay for download perhaps just to see the level of fun it is and the graphics are unreal too which really places you inside the game rather than be sat at home playing a game on your TV. For me this is the forefront of VR Gaming and if it was to reach mass production with a headset of some kind which I hope the company gets to that stage I would be on it like a light and so would anyone else,this is the future of VR gaming and a good one.

Check out https://zerolatencyvr.ie/ and their other games if you have not you are missing out on a new movement and one for the better.

360 degree VR app ArtPassport gets you up close to the world’s greatest works of art #Art #VR

GalleriesNow.net is upgrading its five-star rated virtual reality exhibitions app to offer art enthusiasts an even more immersive viewing experience of the world’s best contemporary art.

Users will now be able to use a new pinch-to-zoom feature to get a better look at individual pieces of art or sculpture and will be able to search through international exhibition listings and gallery guides to find specific shows. It will also include a ‘NearMe’ button so users can search galleries local to them, wherever they are.

The free app that was first launched in 2017 and received 25k downloads in the first week, presents regularly updated listings of over 500 public and private exhibitions in 40 cities around the world and includes 90 per cent of the world’s top 50 galleries. ArtPassport’s technology means that literally thousands of people can view each exhibition – an order of magnitude more than can make a physical visit, helping to support gallery and artist while introducing new audiences into the artworld.’

The technology works by taking 360-degree photo spheres – multiple images taken from a single viewpoint with a extremely wide-angle lens – which are then processed, joined together and viewed through a special interface, either via the app or on the website. The resulting high-res images can be panned around on a computer, viewed on a phone, or slotted into a viewer for the full VR experience.

Tristram Fetherstonhaugh, CEO and Founder of GalleriesNow said ‘We love gallery exhibitions and have always been about trying to communicate the gallery experience. VR has turned out to be the perfect way to do this. Since launching we’ve taken VR of over 800 exhibitions and we are now delighted to be launching an updated version of the app with great new functionality.  We see this technology as a way to let more people visit more exhibitions – virtually’.

Gary Waterston, Director of Gagosian Gallery, London describes it as: ‘a gamechanger – helping inspire those locally to come and engage with our exhibitions whilst opening up a more in depth view of the installation to those unable to visit in person’

New Features v2

  • An enhanced VR experience with new navigation, pinch zoom and access to individual artworks
  • Searchable international exhibition listings and gallery guides in over 40 cities around the world, including New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Zürich, Hong Kong.
  • NearMe button, letting you find art just around the corner
  • The ability to ‘favourite’ certain exhibitions and receive personalised updates and notifications

 Original features

  • 360°VR photography as a great way to experience the gallery and make the experience more immersive
  • Exclusive 360° images of exhibitions with zoom-in capability
  • Exhibition details with descriptive texts
  • Visitor information with maps and directions
  • 360°s taken by GalleriesNow and available exclusively on the ArtPassport app and GalleriesNow.net website
  • Well-established and international galleries, such as Blain|Southern and David Zwirner, as well as up-and-coming galleries like Annka Kultys
  • Galleries on the app are carefully curated using GalleriesNow.net’s proprietary algorithm, and represent the leading galleries in the world
  • Features new and archived exhibitions for those wanting to preview shows before attending, can’t attend or missed it completely.

ArtPassport is available iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artpassport/id1220878305?mt=8

Yondr launches platform featuring brand new courses and editorial on VR. #VRTL #VR #Yondr

VRTL has launched its course platform to help video professionals and filmmakers as well as virtual reality enthusiasts around the globe learn about VR.

A brand-new field, virtual reality is starting to take off. Last year saw a production (Spheres) command a seven-figure deal for the first time. Hollywood A-listers are starting to dabble in VR, including Alejandro G. Iñárritu who won an Oscar for the virtual reality project Carne y Arena in 2018.

While there are still milestones to overcome, VR/AR is on the verge of going mainstream with the convergence of the smartphone, mobile VR headset and AR glasses into a single XR wearable. This will necessitate significant and meaningful VR content and the talent to produce it.

With few schools offering instruction in the new medium, VRTL steps up to the plate with courses designed to help those curious about VR or those wanting to make the transition from video or traditional filmmaking.

VRTL is a both an online editorial magazine and education platform. The Academy offers several types of courses ranging from introductory to hands-on skill courses, all led by accomplished professionals and/or award-winning creators. The Magazine runs stories, profiles and interviews with international makers & creators and hosts podcasts with top leaders in the industry, such as Nicolás Alcalá, Liz Rosenthal, Canaan Rubin, to name a few.

Magazine articles and podcasts are free and the Academy uses a pay-per-course model with special plans for schools & large corporations.

VRTL is a new venture of yondr, an immersive media agency from Beveren, Belgium founded by Dave Roox, Mathias Van Dosselaer, and Pieter Van Leugenhagen. Yondr has been a VR pioneer since 2014 and the Academy was built as an internal onboarding tool to develop VR skills currently lacking in the marketplace.

After discussions at more than 20 global events, colleagues and competitors from media, entertainment and advertising showed interest in yondr’s concept for knowledge development. VRTL was then conceived as a full-fledged brand, with a separate user experience and business model to meet the industry need.

Co-Founder Dave Roox says, “We want to help VR creators not make the same mistakes we did. By providing guidance from the best, accomplished professionals on storytelling, technique and workflow, we hope to prepare VR makers the world over in this exciting new medium.”

“The market will continue to expand,” believes Co-Founder Pieter Van Leugenhagen, “with standalone VR headsets like Oculus Quest offering more freedom and generating more interest in the creative possibilities.” The need for expertise in how to transfer skills from the traditional video to VR/360 will grow, too. “VRTL will help with high-quality content and a great look and feel that is both affordable and easily accessible.”

Van Leugenhagen is at SXSW in Austin, Texas to launch VRTL during the virtual reality section of the film track at the world’s largest innovation festival.

Review – The future of gaming is here with #ZeroLatency. #VR #ZeroLatency #Gaming

I have been a huge of VR fan since inception and having worked on some really cool projects including science,health,fitness and more over the years alongside trying out the latest hardwear too it had me sold.. However it has died to some extent over the last year or so and I lost interest mainly now because the focus on AR MR and AI which is fine and great but VR has much more to offer than one might seem and after testing out the latest idea called Zero Latency this changes everything in more ways than one and could be the next big thing…

Zero Latency officially opened on Wednesday and due to work commitments I could not make it in before the opening day and boy if there is a time to say “better late than never” this is it. I arrived in anyhow on the launch day and it was an experience I will not forget in a hurry and it is not often I get to say that something new in tech is mind blowing.

Zero Latency is based in Sandyford Dublin which for some might be a distance for some to travel but it will be worth it,trust me and it is a free roam VR environment with proprietary games, this is a custom built setting with the best equipment there is at hand and it also has miles of CAT 6 cable from talking to the owner RONAN CUNNINGHAM afterwards who shared some insights and thoughts about going forward and indeed the idea itself and all in which I agree on and looking ahead this is an exciting idea on many fronts.

On arriving you will be greeted by the team and you will sign in and from even here its technical with cool looking tablets and a cool interface yet simple then you get a session with on safety your Leader which is all pretty simple and straight forward yet worth noting as this is really immersive and there is good reason for the age cap at under 13s You will see some health clauses but nothing to serious and you are good to go so just be wise and adhere to the briefing for your own good.

We tried two games on the night and even the basic game left me leaving with a smile on how good it was executed.   So the equipment is whats next.. You get the best there is A Backpack,VR headset, Controller and Headphones which all work together quite well with great sound,feedback and makes it feel like you are there..

Once suited and booted you are good to go..  You walk into the arena and when the headsets are turned on begin to be amazed……

First up was Engineerium which reminded me of Kula World for some reason but this is a walking adventure and puzzle experience set on a fantastical ancient alien world, suspended above an ocean, where gravity does not function as expected.

Walk among flying whales and parrot rays and connect the platforms to progress through the puzzle. Colourful characters and bright, friendly music accompany you on the journey. Teamwork is key in this unique virtual reality game that lets you walk up and down ramps and twisty, curvy walls, defying gravity. Engineerium is suitable for all ages and is the first game to use VR to experience physics-based puzzles. For me this game is the ideal entry level experience as it will give you a feel for VR if you have not tried it and you would be surprised how many have not and if you are not sold after this game,you need to get out some more… Given how this game looks simplistic its how immersive it is and how you react to the environment around you its just great..

Second game we tried was Zombie Survival – Your team is trapped, bunkered in a fort, amidst the chaos brought on by a zombie outbreak. A rescue team is on its way but you must defend the fort and hold on until they arrive. You and your team must put down wave after wave of zombies and rebuild barriers to protect yourselves while you wait. Again this is like any FPS game but this is more a team event rather than a single player.  You get to experience close up encounters with Zombies go up and down elevators and use multiple weapons with great accuracy I might add and overall a really enjoyable game..In this game communication with your team is important

When you are done you get a debrief/rundown of your scores on screen in another room on the way out and not only that you get these emailed to you so you can keep tabs and improve the next time around again this is in a stylish setting and overall pretty cool..

Why is this better than gaming at home??

OK I was once a HUGE gaming fan and now have little time to do it but do get some hours in on the weekends and I still actually use the Nintendo Wii for fitness and a non lazy couch approach,not that there is anything wrong with it that’s just my opinion..This is a great idea for getting out and a way of getting exercise too and in today’s world it gives the social element too it and you will not realise how much running and walking around you will do playing these games where as you can to an extent in your house, Your gaming space at home is no match for this full stop.. You could argue you can communicate today whilst gaming online but that is a moot point in my book because we are too busy with our heads shoved into a TV screen or mobile phone this idea gets  you out and face to face and also there is an exercise element thrown in.. Trust me its worth it..

The Price..

OK so you will hear the cheapskates whinge and moan because its €39 to play.. Get a grip folks.. This is the only experience of its kind here in Ireland simple as that. This is a new experience and perhaps not so much for current gamers but once you try it you will want more, For those who have not tried VR this will open up your mind as to what the future has on offer and what you have missed since VR came to fruition, Zero Latency is on the cusp of something bigger and better and mark my words when you try this you will thank me for it…So get out of your screens and get social,enjoy and exercise whilst at it..

ZERO LATENCY – https://zerolatencyvr.ie/

 

 

Meet Ronan Cunningham, the Dubliner who went on his honeymoon, and came back with a business! #VR #ZeroLatency

While on his honeymoon in Tokyo last year, entrepreneur Ronan Cunningham stumbled across a little-known free-roam virtual reality game called Zero Latency.  So impressed by it, Ronan persuaded his wife to cut their honeymoon short and detour to Australia where he convinced the game’s founder to sell him the exclusive rights to Dublin and London. Having already brought FootGolf (footee) to Ireland six years ago, Ronan is now preparing to launch Zero Latency in Dublin in the spring.
 
Ronan says, “Having experienced Zero Latency first hand while I was in Tokyo on my honeymoon with my wife, I knew instantly that this was a fantastic opportunity to bring a totally new type of business to Ireland and the United Kingdom. Going on your honeymoon and coming back with a business is something that you don’t hear everyday but it certainly adds a special element to the business venture!
I am committed to bringing new experiences to Dublin and feel both privileged and excited to be in a position to do so. In 2013, I introduced FootGolf to Ireland after enrolling in an Innovation and Entrepreneurship course at the UCD Innovation Academy. It’s been amazing seeing FootGolf’s popularity spread throughout Ireland and we cannot wait to see what lies in store for Zero Latency.’

Irish Software Firm Launch Virtual Reality Learning Tool – ENGAGE #VR #IVRE #Nokia #Intel

IVRE Announces Partnerships with Nokia, Intel, Oxford & Shenandoah Universities

Immersive VR Education (IVRE), the Virtual Reality software and technology group based in Waterford, have today announced the official launch of their online virtual social learning and presentation tool ENGAGE, which provides a platform for creating, sharing and delivering proprietary and third-party VR content for educational and corporate training purposes.

ENGAGE is a powerful virtual reality collaboration and creation tool, allowing educators and corporate trainers to host meetings, classes, private tutorials, training sessions and presentations with people from all over the world, participating in a safe, virtual, multi-user environment.

It is designed to either complement and enhance classroom teaching, or for use in a standalone environment, providing distance learners with access and opportunities to connect level with their fellow students.

Speaking of the launch, David Whelan, CEO & Co-founder of IVRE,

“ENGAGE has been in production for over 2 years – it has gone through rigorous development & testing phases and is now fully functional and ready for use around the globe. We have already partnered with Shenandoah University in the U.S. and Nokia to roll out this platform to students and staff. We are also working with leading professors from Oxford University to provide content on the ENGAGE platform, and Intel are currently promoting ENGAGE throughout the US as part of their Tech Learning Lab initiative which will be touring Europe and the UK in the coming months.

 It is our mission as a company to be at the forefront of mainstreaming VR technology in education. ENGAGE is at the cutting edge of this technology’s usage in the education sector.  It is uniquely placed to do two things. Firstly, help educators visualise how the technology can positively impact their profession and their ability to influence students’ participation and performance and secondly, become synonymous with the application of the technology, through its platform and content, in the ‘learning space’ which can be applied anywhere – whether it is in an interactive museum, a second level school, a university, or a work setting.”

Initial partnerships with Nokia Corporation and Shenandoah University

Both Nokia Corporation, the multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company, and Shenandoah University, the private liberal arts university located in Winchester, Virginia in the United States, have signed up as partners to use the ENGAGE platform for training and education purposes respectively.

Commenting on these partnerships Mr. Whelan,

“The full release of ENGAGE is a transformational moment in our history and is the result of many years of hard work, cutting edge research and innovation. Being aligned to global leaders like these institutions demonstrates the potential and need for the platform.

 People today all over the world say let’s SKYPE when talking about online communications and meetings. In the future we want people to say let’s ENGAGE and enter VR to communicate in a more natural way.”

How to ENGAGE?

There is a free version of ENGAGE available to allow users to download and consume content. The paid version of the platform provides users with additional features for content creation and network capabilities. Students can use a VR headset to participate from wherever they are in the world, or can enjoy the platform through the desktop application.

There are just 3 simple steps to registration and set-up and the IVRE team are there to provide guidance on every step of the way.

Users can share their content on the ENGAGE platform for other users to enjoy.

ENGAGE has a selection of virtual presenter screens that allow users to stream in documents and media from OneDrive, Google Docs and Dropbox.  They can stream in PowerPoints, Videos, Audio and a range of different documents using a media playback system. ENGAGE also supports YouTube video playback in 2D, 3D and 360 formats.

Using ENGAGE’s virtual objects and virtual environments library, teachers can create specialised lessons which aim to improve learning retention and class interaction. Live lessons can be recorded, then reviewed and shared privately with others in a virtual classroom or uploaded to the ENGAGE platform for anyone to watch anywhere.

For example, why teach Marine Biology in a classroom when you can treat students to a virtual lesson on the seabed? Imagine how much more powerful the learning experience could be when discussing the challenges of planetary environments from the surface of Mars? Stand with a class of students in the middle of the Masai Mara during the migration season to observe the majesty of nature and the importance of protecting our natural world. It really doesn’t have to be complex to remove the very real challenges of remote learning by bringing students virtually together in an ENGAGE meeting room.

Mr. Whelan spoke of their dedication to transforming the delivery methods of education and corporate training by utilising VR technologies to deliver fully immersive virtual learning experiences,

“Our ENGAGE platform aims to fully immerse the user into their learning experience, in order to increase learning retention and engagement. It will allow people to receive the best education, from the best educators from around the world, all from the comfort of their own home using virtual reality.”