I read about a father who used a Samsung Virtual Reality device to attend the birth of his son, an event that was happening over 2485 miles away (4000 kilometers if you follow the metric system). The touching video that Samsung uploaded onto their Australian Youtube account is just shy of 5 million views and has touched an equal amount of hearts, with the emotional interviews coupled with Kodaline’s “All I Want” plucking away at our heartstrings with all the elegance of a cellist while a narrator explains the details of the entire setup to the viewer.
Near the end of the video we get to see the tearful father view the birth of his son in real time and then meet his son again a week later when he flies back to his family. Overall a beautiful video that promotes Samsung’s VR device while glossing over the fact that with all the filming and post production costs, they could have easily flown the father out to his wife to be there in time for the birth. Maybe the logistics of that were a nightmare?
Now Samsung does state that in a footnote that the VR device itself is not enough to ensure you’ll be able to virtually experience emotional or touching moments, you’ll also require additional multiple camera recording equipment, streaming equipment and a Note 4. While they don’t mention it, you’ll also have to spend some cash on a decent pair of headphones to be fully immersed in the experience. But if you have all the aforementioned equipment, or access to it, are fluent in the setup of the equipment and have no way of actually being at the place yourself, you could potentially never miss out on any moments with loved ones. Of course if Godzilla emerges from the depths of the sea and walks right past you while you’re plugged into your VR device, that’s your loss. Also did I mention that you’d need something better than a Dial-Up connection to have a true 1080p experience? You wouldn’t want the birth of your son being buffered would you? It might be slightly anti-climatic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PpKzYjW7go&t=107
But the exciting reality is that we’re nearly at that stage depicted in Jonathan Mostow’s “Surrogate”, a movie set in the future where people experience everyday life through robots with VR technology, all without leaving the comfort of their homes. When VR technology becomes more widespread and cheaper, concerts would be sold out, not to people but to sophisticated sets of cameras. Travel agents will start booking flights and tours for Go Pro’s and microphones. But why stop there? Let’s face it, we’re probably not that far from a virtual taster or a virtual smelling device, Masterchef 2020 will be contested by human looking Chappies.
Now many people may disagree with me by saying that we wouldn’t go that far down the road to losing our human touch, but the sad reality is that we’re pretty much half way down the road already and we’re still chugging on. Concerts, trips and many other such occasions are increasingly viewed through our phones’ camera lenses as we desperately try to record everything around us, rather than experience it firsthand. I wouldn’t be surprised if a hundred years from now the human race will have evolved to the extent that we have blinders sprouting from our skulls so that we can acutely focus on our phones rather than the wider picture. Tunnel vision would probably be a far less drastic evolutionary step, or stumble.
Yes, Virtual Reality devices are great for gaming, revisiting history (picture the animus), and other such instances, but let it not become a staple household device for mere convenience.
