For the second time ever, the official Global Virtual Reality Day takes place on November 17th to celebrate the worldwide enthusiasm for this new technology.
What is Global Virtual Reality Day?
The Global Virtual Reality Day comprises a multitude of local events whose aim is to inspire people for VR and AR and to make this new medium accessible to a broad audience. Local organisers could register their VR/AR event on the Global VR Day website and benefit from a network of sponsors, partners and interested audiences. The only prerequisite: every event must be free of charge.
A visit is definitely worth it. Visitors can expect all kinds of VR events, from a small VR get together in a café to a large-scale speaker panels everything is included. On the VR Day website, the individual locations can be viewed so that visitors can select the locations they want to visit beforehand. In Germany, there will e.g. be events in Braunschweig, Tübingen and Hannover. The focus of the events is on networking and on offering the opportunity for VR newcomers to test and get to know the latest hardware.
For the organizers of the events, various VR companies offer attractive promotion support, e.g. MergeVR will raffle off various VR headsets among the participating organizers.
For interested event organizers, the VR Voice platform offers help in networking with local partners and thus supports the placement of event locations.
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The aim of Global Virtual Reality Day
According to the website of the organisers of VR Day, the main aim is to make people aware of the new technology and to contribute to making VR and AR suitable for the masses and thus more affordable. Currently, many end customers are shying away from the high prices for the necessary hardware. In the meantime, however, the market for VR hardware has developed strongly and offers VR technology for almost every budget and a multitude of application areas.
The current status of VR devices
One can differentiate between mobile VR/AR technology, computer-aided VR/AR devices and stand-alone devices.
Manufacturers such as Samsung have been serving the mobile VR market with the Gear VR for several years. The own mobile phone becomes the VR goggles. The powerful smartphone processors can already create impressive worlds but are still technically comparatively limited. For example, it is not possible to record the user’s position spatially with mobile devices. The mobile version is therefore suitable for applications in which the user has a fixed sitting or standing position.
On the other hand, there are computer-assisted headsets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. These headsets are perfectly suited for visually high-quality applications in which the user can also freely walk around in virtual space. However, the higher processing power required to use the high-resolution headsets has its price and they also need to be attached to a high-performance computer, which is why these headsets have so far only been used moderately by end customers.
The device which currently offers the best value for money ratio is the Oculus Go. The Oculus Go is a stand-alone headset which does not need to be connected to a computer. It is available for around € 200 and is perfectly suited for e.g. training purposes or sales presentations at trade fairs.
Since the multitude of different headsets and variants can be confusing when entering the topic, the Global VR Day also offers the opportunity to convince oneself of the various advantages of the devices in a hands on test. This way, you can find the right device for your own use case and benefit from the experience of the VR experts present at the events. VR Day is therefore also an alternative to the big VR events, which are mostly aimed at trade visitors. The target group of VR Day ranges from business users and gamers to interested beginners.
Who should visit the Global Virtual Reality Day events?
The events around the Global VR Day are the perfect opportunity for beginners and experts to get in touch with each other, to exchange experiences, to network and to inform and exchange about the latest technological developments.
Live stream of Global Virtual Reality Day
All those who don’t have the opportunity to visit one of the events this year can watch the 24Hours in VR Livestream. In cooperation with Altspace VR, there will be various lectures to hear and see during the event. According to the event, owners of VR glasses will be able to experience the stream in 360 degrees. For example, Oculus offers its own app for the upcoming event.
