This was a very interesting BUZZ that I found today and wanted to share with you.
Epic Games’ Fortnite is steadily moving from ‘just’ a massively popular battle royale game to a cultural touchstone for hundreds of millions of players.
On Saturday, February 2nd, the title was host to an in-game performance by world-class EDM DJ Marshmello; attended by some 10 million concurrent users, the virtual concert offers a potent glimpse of what virtual events and virtual reality will mean for the future.
The reason this is such a big deal is because more and more businesses have been working with a virtual event consultant to organize annual events in recent years and if they keep becoming more popular, they might replace trade shows altogether! Trade shows can only be attended by people in the local area or by those willing to travel for it but people from anywhere in the world can attend virtual events and attendence limits are a thing of the past!
Lasting for just over 10 minutes, the concert simultaneously attracted over 10 million concurrent players worldwide (across simultaneous instanced performances of less than 100 players each) For comparison, Guinness World Records holds that the largest ever concert was attended by 4.2 million people.
The event also boosted Marshmello & Bastille’s collaboration track, “Happier”, from #8 to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
The production was quite a spectacle, boasting a virtual lighting system that could rival the complexity of top EDM stages from real events such as Insomniac Events’ Electric Daisy Carnival.
And it was all surprisingly lifelike for something rendered in the Unreal Engine, led by a motion-captured performance of Marshmello behind the turntable. You can watch it below.
While Fortnite players happily shot off their favorite emotes and dance moves from behind ‘flat’ gaming devices (like PC and Xbox), it’s transparent that similar virtual events could be deeply enhanced with the addition of VR.
Imagine feeling the electricity of Marshmello’s live performance flowing through your veins as you dance and fly around Pleasant Park. But instead of sitting behind a screen while holding a controller,
you’re moving and shaking your entire body with friends from around the world. And when you look around, you’re treated with a rich visual landscape that fills your entire field of view.
You aren’t looking through a window: you’re there. Such an experience is already possible with today’s VR technology. Players in VR apps like VRChat are already hooking up body tracking accessories to bring their real-life dancing into VR in real-time.
VR events have not taken off in any meaningful way yet, but the potential for their popularity in the future is as ripe as the circumstance that allowed Epic Games to hold a concert in Fortnite in the first place: the gaming industry now fosters a massive audience of young people who are regular inhabitants of social virtual worlds.
Epic Games has both proved and improved that notion through its consistently smart integration of pop culture trends, for which the company has now confirmed over 200 million Fortniteplayers (as of November 2018).
And as the VR headset adoption rate grows in the coming decade, notable developers will likely follow suit and provide experiences of high production value to players who don headsets and take the next step up in immersion when visiting their virtual world of choice.
What is 360 VR Video?
360 video is a video that is recorded in all directions at the same time with multiple cameras. The videos are stitched together either internally in the camera or externally using special software.
It then forms one spherical video that is controlled by the viewer, enabling them to look up, down, right or left at their discretion.
Is 360 Video Virtual Reality?
I want you to be the judge.
Recommended MicroSD Card for use with the Fusion 360 camera
How are you watching your 360 VR Video?
Are you watching on your PC?
Is it Facebook? YouTube? Veer.TV ?
Or better still, are you using your Samsung Galaxy Smartphone with your Samsung Gear VR Headset?
Or are you using another smartphone with a Google Cardboard? Google Daydream?
Leave a comment below. Let us know what you like or don’t like. If you have seen a 360 VR video that you think is awesome, tell us, and we will feature it.
What type of VR Headset do you own? Or do you watch with your computer? Smartphone?
Do you have a VR camera? Ricoh Theta S? Ion360? Samsung 360 gear? Insta360?
And if you are looking for 360 Video Production Services, contact Al Caudullo exploretv@gmail.com
With 37 years of Media experience, we can Deliver More for You in 360 Video. Click here to see what our customers say about our work
Utilizing state of the art technology, Al Caudullo, and his team has been delivering award-winning compelling productions spanning the globe. Exotic destinations blended with unique cultural experiences give viewers an experience like no other.
From vibrant American cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas to the isolated mountains of Mongolia. From ancient civilizations of Cambodia and Myanmar to the lush resorts of Southeast Asia and beyond. All from the comfort of your living room.
