How To... Drive VR & 360 Adoption

It was only as recent as June that Ricoh released a consumer grade 360 camera (below) and spherical photos began making their way onto Facebook feeds.

While we’re still in the initial stages of VR’s technology adoption lifecycle — the bell-curved prediction model that forecasts how new technology permeates the zeitgeist — next on the horizon, and crucial to the health of the medium, is the emergence of a more democratized creator class and the rise of (hopefully better) UGC. So, what are the forces at play that can make that a reality?

Low-Budget 360 Consumer Cameras 

The first key driver of creator-side adoption is the proliferation of low-budget consumer cameras for 360 video. Today we’re seeing options for less than $100 relative to Samsung and Ricoh’s initial offerings, both north of $300.

On the professional side, Nokia Ozo has just slashed its price tag by 25 percent. GoPro’s first 360 array, the Odyssey, has been succeeded by the company’s Omni Rig, a price drop from $15,000 to $5,000. Beyond price sensitivity, new technologies are also enabling directors to do more. Spherica’s stablization rig promises to support extended tracking shots that mitigate nausea. The Orah 4i is a four-camera array that livestreams in 4K, a low budget option for broadcast events or a valuable production tool to have on set for live preview.

Also keep an eye on Snap Inc., the social media platform turned hardware maker that just announced a pair of $130 frames called Spectacles. Following the company’s acquisition of the 3D photo app, Seene, the ability to integrate hologram selfies into your homemade 360 videos is a provocative draw.

Automated, User-Friendly Post-Production Tools

The Orah’s autostitch capabilities also demonstrate the transition from complex, post-production pipelines that require specialized skill sets to more user-friendly, algorithm-based options. Post can easily be the biggest line item on a 360 video budget due to the time and talent required to seamlessly stitch together videos from a multi-camera array.

Four to six weeks of Nuke compositing does not come cheaply. Today, cloud-based platforms will deliver a dirty stitch in just a couple of days, a huge game changer for those without access to post house facilities. GoPro’s acquisition of the panoramic software company, Kolor, was a strategic move that offers their community the tools to create and share fully immersive, spherical content. The Jump Assembler is Google’s proprietary autostitch solution, compatible only with the Odyssey camera. Jaunt also has a system exclusive to it’s One camera.

Software to Increase Efficiency and Foster Creativity

Software is not only making workflow more efficient, it’s also empowering a wider user base to flex their creative muscles. The 3D painting application, Tiltbrush (below), is a new kind of canvas for fashionistas, designers, illustrators and other artistic types to express themselves on. In the wake of its success, Oculus Story Studios, the company’s internal Pixar-esque lab, developed a similar sculpture tool called Quill that they are using as the primary canvas for the studio’s next release. Foolproof mobile apps like the VR publishing platform InstaVR, and Splash, which converts your smartphone’s camera into a sensor that can scan and document 360 stills and video, should help to up the quality standards for UGC.

The Ultimate Equalizer: WebVR 

WebVR, a browser-based virtual reality toolkit, will be a game changer for creators and audiences alike. This early-stage, hardware-agnostic API allows any computer with an internet connection to stream immersive media directly into a headset. For storytellers, content creation has been limited primarily to game developers skilled at engines like Unity and Unreal, but WebVR is compatible with various programming languages and user-friendly 3D publishing tools. It’s also a distribution channel that flows directly from author to audience, making VR a one-click play. Until now, online stores like Valve’s Steam, Apple’s app store or Google Play have been the arbiters of content distribution, typically entitled to about 30 percent of creator profits. WebVR eliminates the need for downloading and transaction fees, leveraging the democratizing powers of the internet.

Activating 360 Champions 

But perhaps the most significant promoter of 360’s creator class movement will have little to do with a killer app or device. Instead, it will be the ability to activate a specific community that’s perfectly positioned to champion DIY 360. If Google can encourage and educate YouTube Creators about best practices for its 360 browser, millions more would be exposed to the new medium and could be inspired to follow suit. Social features are gradually working their way into VR platforms. Now you can make your Facebook friends your Oculus friends. Identifying the community of early evangelists and making content creation for VR a social, shareable experience should be the strongest driver to mainstream notoriety. 

October has already been a huge month for the industry, with the launch of Playstation VR, Google Daydream, and Oculus Touch happening within a few days of each other. Hardware and software aside, we hope to see these industry heavy hitters do more to cultivate new avenues for community-building, so that we can all take part in the evolution of this exciting new medium.