[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #537: As VR stabilizes, options--and worries--expand

Wed Apr 12 10:30:06 EDT 2017

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OPLIN 4cast #537: As VR stabilizes, options--and worries--expand
April 12th, 2017

[image: Man In Studio Wearing Virtual Reality Headset Playing Game] The
virtual reality landscape is beginning to settle, transforming from an
"emerging" technology into a "settled" one. Even if you or your library
haven't experienced VR yet, various VR devices, games and applications have
been on the mainstream consumer market for over a year. (It's harder to
call a technology "emerging" when you can simply go to Best Buy and
find multiple
options
<http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=vr&_dyncharset=UTF-8&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=&sp=&qp=&list=n&af=true&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&keys=keys>.
) Nonetheless, that doesn't mean that new things aren't happening in the
virtual reality sphere.  Quite the contrary; as VR itself becomes a more
settled technology, new issues and options are beginning to appear.
- Never leave virtual reality with HTC Vive's 'Netflix for VR'
<http://mashable.com/2017/04/05/viveport-subscription-htc-vive-virtual-reality/#Ax92rT.wdOq0>
[Mashable]
"At roughly $84 per year, that puts HTC Vive
<http://mashable.com/category/htc-vive/>'s subscription service on par with
services like Hulu <http://mashable.com/category/hulu/> and Netflix,
including features like a free initial trial month and the ability to
cancel at any time. Given the relatively nascent commercial VR consumer
base, a cancellation feature is vital to getting people to experiment with
various VR experiences."
- On the Vive’s first birthday, the VR conversation is getting calmer [The
Verge] "The current headsets are pretty good, but “they all have tragic
flaws,” he says. Desktop VR is too complicated, and console VR monopolizes
your living room, while mobile VR isn’t full-featured enough — and no
midrange headset works with the iPhone, dramatically limiting its user
base."
- ‘We’re running with scissors’: Why some experts worry about VR dangers
<http://www.polygon.com/features/2017/4/7/15205366/vr-danger-close> [Polygon]
"Much has been said about the positives of technology that can reshape
reality or even create a new one, but last month two respected academic
researchers held a talk at South by Southwest in Austin to explore not just
those positives, but also the potential negatives of reality technology."
- Lowe's turns to virtual reality for home improvement
<http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/07/technology/lowes-virtual-reality/index.html>
[CNN]
"In a trial run, Lowe's found that customers had a 36% better recall of how
to complete the project when compared with people who watched a YouTube
how-to video."

*Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Honda Brings VR Experience to Twin Cities Auto Show
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=201703100800PR.NEWS.USPR.FL33427>
   (PR, N. (2017, March 10). Honda Brings VR Experience to Twin Cities Auto
   Show. *PR Newswire US*.)
   - Virtual Reality in Healthcare Market Report (2017-2023) - Applications
   Extend to Psychiatric, Training, Medical Practice & Other Branches of
   Medicine - Research and Markets
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=bizwire.c73631448&site=ehost-live>
   Source: EBSCOhost (Research and, M. (0002, September). Virtual Reality in
   Healthcare Market Report (2017-2023) - Applications Extend to Psychiatric,
   Training, Medical Practice & Other Branches of Medicine - Research and
   Markets. Business Wire (English).)
   - VR Gaming Market - Global Drivers and Forecasts by Technavio
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=bizwire.c75465734>
(echnavio,
   R. (3). VR Gaming Market - Global Drivers and Forecasts by
Technavio. *Business
   Wire (English)*.)

------------------------------
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