NCC Goes Virtual!

by Beth Ritter-Guth (Associate Dean of Online Learning and Educational Technology)

On March 11, while everyone was enjoying the daisies of Spring Break, the Jedi Mistress BRG was busy testing multi-person virtual reality in AltSpaceVR on the Oculus Go!

Testing new technologies is one of BRG's most favorite things to do, and hosting an "inworld" Meet & Greet for educators around the world allowed her to see the potential of using the Go! at NCC. Immersive VR (the Oculus Go!, Oculus Rift, Gear VR, and Vive) is the newest form of VR extending from 2D platforms like Second Life and Open Sim. These realities stemmed from environments like the Sims.

The Hololens, another very cool tool, supports Augmented Reality. This device overlays interactivity to physical objects and also requires a headset. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can often be combined for a richer experience. AltSpaceVR is a product of Microsoft, and is currently in its earliest development format. It is available on the Rift, the Go!, and the Gear. In general, BRG loves the possibilities of the space, but hopes the graphics improve for avatars.

The "locations" in AltSpaceVR are well designed (meeting rooms, homes, campfires, retreats), but the avatar designs are cartoonish. The personal security features are nice, though, and include the ability to mute, ignore, and ban griefing avatars. There is also a personal space bubble that allows your avatar to remain free from physical pushing inworld. This is also a nice feature.

In the test event, posted at the last minute, five people attended from around the world. This allowed BRG to observe the chat capabilities in the space in addition to the inclusion of physical assets like web pages and video. All of these elements worked well.

The Oculus Go! is an affordable solution to personal immersive VR, but is limited in some ways that the Oculus Rift is not. In general, the graphics in the Go! are pretty good, but the field of depth (a fancy concept for VR design) doesn't have the same sophistication as the Rift. So far, this has not impeded the use of it.

Immersive technology is still in early development stages. For example, most of the content available is in the form of video, and BRG doesn't know that watching VR videos is any more beneficial than watching video on a regular screen. Spending a lot of money to watch video in VR that will look the same without VR seems like a waste of money. Other environments like AltSpaceVR and the Human Anatomy Suite are excellent environments because they allow a person to do what (s)he can't do in 2D reality.

Unlike Second Life, creating content for the Oculus tools is not easy. A person definitely needs a certain skill set. In SL, a person can learn fairly quickly. Because this skill set is needed to develop Immersive VR, the content is slow in coming, and this is a reason to be cautious in purchasing the larger tools like the Rift.

To run the Rift, you will probably need a new computer with a high-end graphics card. Even really good newer computers struggle with the graphics. Purchasing a gaming machine is a hefty investment (3000 USD total for Rift and computer set up). The Rift is also not portable, as sensors have to be placed in various locations and the headset is tethered to the machine. The Go!, on the other hand, is cheaper (199 USD), is wireless and can easily be transported via backpack. The benefits of the Go! outweigh the lesser quality of graphics. Students can still get all the benefits of immersive VR without breaking the bank. If history serves well in the arena of technology, the graphics will improve quickly.

The Jedi Mistress is thinking of new and engaging ways to use this technology at NCC. She is working with Microsoft to host a monthly fireside chat with educators from around the world, and you will all have the chance to have a front row seat! She is toying with the idea of offering April's Happy Bookers Bookclub in AltSpaceVR. Finally, she is learning to develop environments (called the SDK) so she can build custom environments for NCC's professors and students.

If you are interested in this kind of technology, please reach out to her at britter-guth@northampton.edu.