James Cameron believes the current state of virtual reality is rather boring

[Shawn Knight]

Facebook was certainly sold on the current state of virtual reality when it agreed to acquire Oculus VR for $2 billion earlier this year. The same can’t be said for others, however, like renowned film maker James Cameron.

On the subject of virtual reality during a recent interview at a Wall Street Journal event in California, Cameron said there seems to be a lot of excitement around something that, is a yawn, frankly.

The question that has always occurred to him is when is it going to be mature, when is it going to be accepted by the public at large and when are people going to start authoring in virtual reality? Thus far, he (correctly) notes that there aren’t any VR applications that allow the user to do much more than look around at a virtual world.

If you want to move through a virtual reality, Cameron added, it’s called a video game and they’ve been around forever.

While it’s hard to argue with those points, it’s also a bit surprising that they’re coming from the man who took special effects to a whole new level in the 1991 hit film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He spent more than 10 years working on Avatar, a film that was supposed to debut in 1999 but got postponed because the technology didn’t yet exist to create the movie how he’d envisioned. 

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https://www.techspot.com/news/58643-james-cameron-believes-current-state-virtual-reality-rather.html

 

[Guest]

James Cameron has spoken, all the virtual reality companies/startups should start packing their bags.

 

[VitalyT]

Maybe it's just simple and plain bushing? The man is jealous that once VR spreads, people won't be going to cinemas anymore?

 

[davislane1]

Maybe it's just simple and plain bushing? The man is jealous that once VR spreads, people won't be going to cinemas anymore?

I think he's spot on with his analysis. All current VR tech does is give you a stereo perspective with... wait for it... a controller or M/KB in your hands. Beyond the visual, there is no added immersion into virtual worlds. On that basis, the tech, while interesting, will likely remain a gimmick for the majority of games. VR won't take off until somebody develops a practical and comfortable companion device that mimics a holodeck, such as the various 360 degree treadmills engineers have been working on.

 

[cliffordcooley]

James Cameron has spoken, all the virtual reality companies/startups should start packing their bags.

Maybe it's just simple and plain bushing? The man is jealous that once VR spreads, people won't be going to cinemas anymore?

The two of you make it sound as if he doesn't want VR. That is not how I am reading it. I'm reading he wants it, but development is stagnated. I tend to agree with his assessment.

 

[davislane1]

The two of you make it sound as if he doesn't want VR. That is not how I am reading it. I'm reading he wants it, but development is stagnated. I tend to agree with his assessment.

Indeed. Cheap but effective VR would be a boon for special effects-heavy movies, both in theaters and at home. A lot of films released in 3D tend to be very hit or miss visually. Wave filtering multiple images only works so well. With the capabilities of systems like the Oculus or Morpheus, 3D films like Avatar would be stunning.

 

[WangDangDoodle]

The man does have a point. It's not much more than strapping a TV to your face at this point. The ability to look around is a far cry from actually moving around in a virtual reality. I don't get why people are frothing at the mouth over Oculus VR. The best visual experience I've had in my entire life is by far triple screen gaming.

 

[wiyosaya]

Maybe it's just simple and plain bushing? The man is jealous that once VR spreads, people won't be going to cinemas anymore?

I think he's spot on with his analysis. All current VR tech does is give you a stereo perspective with... wait for it... a controller or M/KB in your hands. Beyond the visual, there is no added immersion into virtual worlds. On that basis, the tech, while interesting, will likely remain a gimmick for the majority of games. VR won't take off until somebody develops a practical and comfortable companion device that mimics a holodeck, such as the various 360 degree treadmills engineers have been working on.

Exactly! What is needed is a holodeck. However, the technology to just morph atoms into solid objects just does not exist, and, IMHO, there is no known way to perform that feat at this point in time. The closest thing, IMHO, is 3D printing, but, as we all know, once you print something in 3D, it is "stuck" in that form forever, unless the process uses plastics and you grind up what you printed, re-melt it, and print it into something else. And, there is nothing on even the remote horizon, that I know of at least, that would allow morphing atoms from one object to another. While one might imagine that the principle for doing such a thing is somehow based in quantum mechanics, if you were to ask even the leading QM scientists of this day how to accomplish that feat for real (meaning a real solution based in currently available technology) I expect they would all shrug their shoulders and say, "I have no clue." (At least they should anyway, IMHO.)

So whether Master Cameron likes it or not, that is the state of things for some time to come. Even if there were a room anyone could install at their home to take the place of 3D goggles, it would still be a form of 3D goggles with projections on the walls.

However, I think we have much better things to do like figure out advanced propulsion systems to do manned interplanetary exploration or, perhaps even manned interstellar exploration. Or figure out how to live in peace with our fellow humans...

 

[TS-56336]

Of course James Cameron isn't impressed by virtual reality. In the real world, he's James Cameron. No virtual world can compare with the real world of James Cameron.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I think he's spot on. A lot of people aren't sold on this VR thing yet and I'm one of them. Maybe I'll get there one of these days.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Or figure out how to live in peace with our fellow humans...

That's easy! However, very few actually want to live in peace.

 

[Lionvibez]

James Cameron has spoken, all the virtual reality companies/startups should start packing their bags.

lol you would figure he would have more comment sense.

You need to take baby steps mr Cameron.

What did he expect someone was just going to make the holodeck from star trek.

The technology has to start somewhere!

 

[9Nails]

I'd tend to agree with him. At this point, a 2D image in a video game is our "Virtual Reality". Some games offer the use of "3D glasses" to give the illusion of depth. As a content creator, this is as far as James Cameron can see. And it's not that exciting. We want more! This is changing to stereoscopic lenses when Oculus Rift releases a consumer product. But that's still tricking the eyes and ears that you're somewhere else. A good illusion though.

For the big screen, and Cameron's point, the best you can do with Rift is project two screens into the viewer's eyes. If the user tilts their head side-ways the illusion is broken, because the cameras were fixed at a perspective/field of depth.

 

[Mikymjr]

He is right about it. Basically the virtual reality oculus rift tries to sell you, is a washed down version of the real deal. If you can't use almost all 5 of your senses in a virtual world, then it's basically not virtual reality. I'm seeing that in the medical world they already have great ideas to use brain waves as the base for movement and senses. So we'll just have to wait on that to become a standard and who knows if we can use those to control robots or an avatar in a virtual game. I'd love the idea. And even after that, using that technology, and developing it even more, we can get it into reading gestures more accurate for systems. Imagine an operating system being used by just using your mind, with some gesture inputs on demand at home or on your phone. Offcourse security will be of importance and with this system, there should be no loophole; that's why it takes time to develop something. Most of these companies want easy buck out of it; Their choice

 

[risc32]

James Cameron has spoken, all the virtual reality companies/startups should start packing their bags.

lol you would figure he would have more comment sense.

You need to take baby steps mr Cameron.

What did he expect someone was just going to make the holodeck from star trek.

The technology has to start somewhere!

that's just it. it didn't just start, it started like 30 yrs ago, and all the baby steps that have taken place since haven't really done much of anything. I played a VR game in the early 90's. guy guys were pitted against each other with a weird gun type thing that lobbed darts at each other. you could look around and there was some awkward way of moving forward. I haven't used a current system, but they sound the same, just with better graphics, and somewhat smaller equipment. it's lame. I really don't think james c (he permits me to call him that is against it, he's just being a realist.
like that other guy said, I'll take a triple monitor setup over this vr stuff all day long.

I'd love to be in the "danger room" but until then, no thanks. in fact I don't even want to be told about it until we are really there. I'd prefer not to hear about everyone of the microscopic baby steps. it's just depressing. the other day I was reading an old mid 80's science/tech mag and it was talking about the robots that these guys were making and how we are just around the corner from the jetsons. well, here we are in 2014 and we have a...... roomba..... yeah, great..... but again, we can show the world a pic of the food we are about to eat, and that seems to be more important to most people.

 

[Guest]

For those of you putting down the new VR tech (like Oculus), have you actually used it? It is an amazing experience that is so far removed from how we interact with our stationary 2D screens. While I agree it would be just that much more awesome if you could be fully immersed in terms of body movement, pair a Hydra up with a Rift, and I promise you that the experience is incredible. Some of the demos that showcase how your body can be fooled into thinking you're going to fall (you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach), or that something is about to hit your head (you either duck, or you really, really want to), or that the virtual objects right in front of you are really there (it's so hard not to want to reach out to try to touch stuff). At any rate, having experienced most forms of "VR" since the late '80s, I can tell you that there is something fundamentally different in this latest crop of gear (snd this is coming from someone who was extremely skeptical prior to receiving my Rift). As they say, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

 

[Timonius]

Maybe he should put his money where his mouth is and actively support VR development.

 

[Guest]

So basically it's like him going back to 1983 and saying , home computers are a bit **** and not what my imagination wants them to be.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Why is everyone throwing rocks at him. He is not doing anything the boss man of every company doesn't do on a daily basis. He is telling people they can do better, not to become comfortable with the current state of VR. Besides he is entitled to his opinion just like everyone else. The reasoning behind his opinion is all truth, no matter how you look at it.

 

[nikiwonoto]

James Cameron is sadly correct..
Watch the anime "Sword Art Online" if any of you guys are really interested in what the *REAL* Virtual Reality should be..

 

[nikiwonoto]

The current Virtual Reality is boring,.. and "Reality" is even much more boring ..

Real world / real life / reality is boring , mundane , very LIMITED, and sucks !

 

[Guest]

Hes just mad that everyones getting into other technology these days and not going the cinema as much as they once where due to the amazingly high rise in prices for cinemas, I would go the cinema more often but its too expensive, and you can get a decent 3D 1080p HD projector these days for around £300 so people like myself have our own studio, also, cant remember the last time I enjoyed a james cameron movie, avatar was a pile of trash and hes not been that great since he did terminator, even titanic people rave about he just stole scene for scene from the original movie, not overly special that, just a complete remake.

 

[LNCPapa]

There is nothing wrong with him thinking it's boring - everyone is entitled to their own opinions. There are plenty of us who are thrilled with the current direction of VR and can't wait to see each and every step in the development of this technology. I've already started planning the acquisition of the Vive and already have 2 DK2s and a GearVR. I was a huge fan of the ViewMaster when I was young and when I got older I even purchased the VirtualBoy which I still have in perfect condition. Sure, we all want a holodeck but it's not something that is going to happen overnight or even over 30 years. It will be baby steps until we approach and eventually surpass the idea of a holodeck.