iMyth

Tag: The Void

  • The Void Opens in Linden

    The Void Opens in Linden

    After what seemed to be an almost two year wait, the Void has finally opened their doors in their home Utah location. I have yet to sample any of The Void’s experiences. I have read there are many good aspects and many bad aspects. Overall, each individual needs to be the judge for themselves.

    As The Void claims, they are now operating at 90 frames/sec and with a FOV comparable to the Vive. Participants are equipped with backpacks so there are no annoying cables to deal with. Evidently, compared to some other immersive experiences, the extra weight on a participant’s back is worth the extra frame rate and expanded field of view. It also seems as if The Void’s tracking problems have been solved with the new tracking system by OptiTrack. OptiTrack claims their cameras are 40{76c5cb8798b4dc9652375d1c19c86d53c1d1411f4e030dd406aa284e63c21817} less expensive than competitor’s. I am not sure this is so remarkable. 40{76c5cb8798b4dc9652375d1c19c86d53c1d1411f4e030dd406aa284e63c21817} from $.5 million is still close to $.25 million which is still quite a chunk of change. iMyth will need to find other ways around this entry barrier. Tracking balls are also hidden from the experience. This is actually a good idea since tracking balls tend to stick out and be one more item to potentially break. This is achieved with imbedded led lights and silver metallic paint which is the same stuff used to paint the Nike logo on the sides of your shoes.

    The tracking and the overall experience appear to be stable. There still seems to be some dynamic problems in tight situations where participant bump into each other. Evidently the avatars don’t really match the person they are modelling. This is attributed to only the participant’s head and gun being tracked. With that said, participants were feeling disappointed they could not see their hands. Once again this is because the participants hands are not being tracked.

    The price of the experience is $25 for a less than 15 minute experience. Some may question this price and make it hard to justify a trip to Linden Utah. However, if one is passing through with a little time on their hands then the experience is definitely worth it.

    Once again The Void is back on top of the Pioneer Train of Immersive experience. They are definitely discovering many of the bumps and pitfalls of this immerging new media. For us little guys let’s hope they do not run out of money so they can keep hitting these snags and coming up with solutions. Good Luck!

  • Mixed Reality Arcades

    Mixed Reality Arcades

    I just encountered an interesting article written last week while I was at GDC. The article was written by Sunny Dhillon of Tech Crunch who wrote, “Mixed Realty Arcades are the next big market Opportunity – but not for VCs”. The author is still ultimately bullish for VR Technology but is concerned about the lack of content and investment opportunities for non-megacompany investment opportunities.

    What really excites me about this article is he is very bullish on a  new media he calls, “Mixed Reality Arcades.” This is exactly what iMyth is trying to capitalize on. He describes a little about the Void in Utah which is , at the moment, one of the leaders in the Mixed Reality front. Interesting enough he compares these ventures to the old Disney-Quest in Orlando. While he loved the idea and concept of Disney-Quest, he believes that lack of variety hurt the operation. There were not enough new, fresh experiences. This is one of the major issues which iMyth addresses. So far the major players are The Void, Zero Latency, Nomadic Labs and Dreamscape Immersive. I have not yet gone through any of The Voids experiences. My review of the Zero Latency can be found here, “Zero Latency Review.” I do not know anything aboiut Nomadic Labs or Dreamscape Immersive yet.

    The writer identifies three factors which would make Mixed Reality ventures unattractive to VCs but very interested the Mega-Corporations.

    The first of these factors is Intellectual Property. Only the largest of Mega-Corporations will be able to pay the hefty licensing fees associated with today’s most popular IP. While I believe this to be a valid point, we are taking iMyth in a different Direction. Just as iMyth’s name implies, we create immersive theme worlds. This means we create world which already have somewhat of a proven following. Of course this implies the most recent and popular theme worlds. However, which is more interesting, especially at iMyth’s beginning, is the myriad of pre-existing theme worlds which have already proven themselves and have demonstrated timeless shelf life. iMyth has already established theme worlds based on Lovecraft and the mythology of Santa Clause. Just as Disney built an empire on the shoulders of classic IP, so will iMyth.

    The next factor is Real Estate. This is a very important as the price of real estate can make or break an opperation. The only factor of any real importance is being located in areas of high traffic and exposure. However, I feel accessable locations will be just as important. Quite often areas of high traffic are challenging to access forcing visitors to participate only on special occasions. Imyth wishes to make the immersive experience a regular activity. iMyth’s theme worlds will be broken into multiple episodes. The average time of an iMyth experience is around twenty minutes. In order to experience a full length experience, participants will be invited to participate multiple times.

    The final factor is maintenance. This is a very real factor that has to be considered. Having multiple participant consistently moving through the experience will cause great wear and tear on the physical components. Not much can be done immediately in this area. However, as the medium develops, iMyth can work with manufactures to design its own take on the equipment which will be simple but sturdy variations of existing hardware. It is not iMyth’s intention to be in the component manufacturing business. However, if necessity demands that more sturdy, crowd proof solutions are required then that is an avenue that must be explored.

    I am very encouraged by the author’s optimistic view of the potential of Mixed Reality Arcades, or Immersive Experiences. However, with enough out of the box and practical thinking, I believe this can be turned into a very successful market.

  • Immersive Experience Market Heating Up

    Immersive Experience Market Heating Up

    I just read an article from the New York times, “With New Invention, VR’s Potential for Magic Gets Real“. It is an interesting article that gives a little background information about The Void, in Lindon Utah , and it gives a quick introduction of what else is going on in this new industry.

    The article goes on to expose some financial data that I have not seen elsewhere. The article claims The Void’s Ghostbuster Experience at Madame Tussauds New York has sold more than 43,000 tickets since July, which translates to nearly $900,000 in revenue. Up until this point, The Void has been funded by Ken Bretschneider who has already invested millions of his own into the endeavor; (Rumored $12-$15 Million). The Void is now working with the Raine Group, a merchant bank known for its investment in Vice and ties to the William Morris Endeavor talent agency, to raise expansion funding. There are also rumors about mall owners and theme park operators.

    The Void also sees itself as a new draw for dying malls, where anchor stores have been closing. Multiplexes, many of which are overbuilt, could convert auditoriums into stages. Film companies, eager for new ways to market movies and keep franchises alive between chapters, could turn to the Void as well.

    The competition in this arena is building as well. Last week, Imax said it planned to open six V.R. centers this year, some in partnership with AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment, at a cost of up to $400,000 each, not including real estate. Last December, her in good old Orlando, Zero Latency opened its first installation. I have yet to encounter numbers associated with this arrangement.

    The competition in this new arena is building.  Last week, Imax said it planned to open six V.R. centers this year, some in partnership with AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment, at a cost of up to $400,000 each, not including real estate. “Virtual reality is a complex ecosystem that’s in need of a jump-start, and we’re here to provide the spark,” said Rich Gelfond, Imax’s chief executive. Also announced last week was Dreamscape Immersive, which hopes to open its first center dedicated to virtual reality experiences in the fall. It has cobbled together $11 million in funding from companies like 21st Century Fox, Westfield Corporation and Warner Bros. Mr. Spielberg is also involved.

    The Void is fairly confident it will be able to stay a leader in this medium due to its three year lead exploring this new technology. I think they may have a point. This is a brand new medium in the realm of trans-media storytelling. All the rules are different and must be explored. The Void has a talented team of form VFX people and stage magicians. Luckily, iMyth is also endowed with talented individuals with considerable experience. With its first prototype, “The Courier”, iMyth now has a foundation with which it can start learning and mastering the nuances of this new field.

  • The Void Enters 2017 With Promises!

    The Void Enters 2017 With Promises!

    An interesting article was just posted on Upload VR called, The Void Upgrades Display, Aims For 20 Installations This Year.

    This is an interesting article and it seems to raise some very valid concerns. The article claims that the Void is the first commercial installation to employ free-roaming in an immersive experience. This however is not true. Zero Latency already has opened their first facility in Orlando. Similarly, Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando offered an immersive experience which utilized Mobile VR. The Void’s Madame Tussauds Ghost Busters Experience was a fantastic step in the right direction. However The Void needs to keep things moving.

    The article states The Void employs over 100 people. That is a lot of people working for a company that doesn’t really have a product yet. Jim Jensen is a charismatic speaker. I had an opportunity to hear him speak at the Orlando IX back in October. He presents a tremendously bright vision for the future. However, I could not help but think some of his prediction and claims to be slightly outlandish. I’m sure most people unfamiliar with VR technology accepts what he claims without question.

    In addition to an improved headset along with 20 installations for 2017, the Void has a lot of promises to uphold. The claims that Jim Jensen are making are motivating and exciting for sure. However the cynic in me keeps saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” For the entire industry of Immersive Experiences, I hope his claims are true. If they are not, then The Void’s  shenanigans will only go down at as black eye for all immersive VR.

  • Universal is Jumping In

    Here is an article about Universal in Orlando opening it’s own version of the Void, Universal debutes “The Repository.”

    There isn’t much mentioned about the new attraction. One key note is that the experience will be un-tethered. I believe the wireless experience will dominate V2 of the immersive experience. It’s only a matter of time and money until the technology catches up with demand.

  • Another Motivating Article to Support The Void

    I encountered a great article describing The Void and their operation in NYC, Trippy Ghostbuster’s Experience.

    All in all the Polygon folks seemed very excited. The Void guys described their plans for world domination. This is very exciting. Is Imyth a Wannabe? Sure! However. I have a hunch this is going to be big business. We may not be the first pioneers, but we can create great experiences!

  • Experiences First!

    A couple of web article have come out over the last couple days which are really inspiring.

    In a few days, Activity on this web site will slow down in favor for the development of the iMyth experience. The iMyth experience is exactly just that, an immersive, theme world experience. This is not a game. This is not a story. However, this doesn’t mean that one cannot derive narrative or a competitive score while immersed in the experience. These are serendipitous bi-products which may occur but are never the primary focus.

    Evidence of this is expressed in the Upload to VR article, What the Billionaire saw in the Void. Instead of focusing on the sensational aspects of the experience, the article focus closer on the experiential side effects. There is a great quote in the article form Curtis Hickman, the lead designer for the experience, “People in The Void don’t want to rush, they want to take their time and absorb the experience,” Hickman said. “The Void is the exact opposite of where the rest of VR seems to be heading. We don’t see ourselves as making games, we see ourselves as making experiences.”

    In an entirely unrelated article, also from Upload to VR, The VR Scene Is Growing and Getting Weirder, there is a very interesting documentary about legendary film maker Phil Tippet and his experience with VR. In A nutshell, the video displayed Tippet encountering the VR media as less of a story telling devise as an experiential generator. In fact, there was a point in the interview where he found it necessary to abandon linear narrative entirely in lieu of the opportunity presented by this new media format.

  • The Void keeps Getting Good Press

    The first Virtual Reality Amusement park keeps garnishing positive reviews so far.

    This latest review by the Tech Insiders paints a very good and interesting perspective.

    Personally I want the Void to be a commercial success and a crowd pleaser. Many investors and other contributors are on the fence, waiting for someone like the Void to sink or swim. Commercial success will open the flood gates.

    An just added from upoad VR is an interview with The Void guys describing what the experience at the Void will be like:

     

  • First Exposure to “The Void”

    There is a lot of hope riding on this one company. We are all hoping they can really pull things off  since they seem to be one of the leaders in immersive experiences.

    Upload VR just posted its first impression experience of the Void in their article, “We step into the Void”.

    Overall the reviews are positive which are very inspiring! We look forward for new updates to the Void’s experience.

    You go guys!

     

  • Artanim VR at Siggraph

    There is a non-profit research oriented group in Switzerland called Artanim. I have never heard of them before but they recently submitted a project to Siggraph and been accepted as a finalist. Their project is really inspiring.


    This is exactly what an Immersive Theme-world could look and behave like. The first adventures would be primitive for sure. There would be immediate dialogue with characters. However, it is the beginning.

    I have read the white-page description of the story. It is a rough description of their technology and an overall description of what VR is what applications it has.

    This is very exciting development. Researchers and others are doing what what IMyTH is expecting to do. There will be a lot of competition for sure. While this is very similar what they are doing in SLC and The Void, this is some of the first footage I have actually seen using this technology in this way.