The film takes place in 2045. The world is immersed in chaos, and people are looking for salvation in an oasis - a virtual and bright world of virtual reality. For entering the VR, they use glasses, wear tactile costumes and sensors for transmitting emotions, perform maneuvers on omnidirectional treadmills. All these technologies seem fantastic and possible only in the distant future, but it is not. In the article we will show which technologies are used in the film and what VR systems are on the market today. In addition, we compare how to work VR technology in the real world and in the movies.
Text with spoilers
We recommend watching the movie "First Player to Preparing" if you have not done this yet.
Virtual reality glasses
In the film: The main hero Wade and other players use wireless glasses. They do not need additional devices - a computer or smartphone. It is enough to wear glasses on yourself, and the player is already running through the oasis in search of keys. In the film, virtual reality glasses are working with lasers capable of minimal delay to transfer the image to the retina of the user's eye. Glasses help players break out of the gray real world and dive into a colorful and interesting universe VR. In the film Oasis is the only place where you can get with the help of glasses.
In life: the most similar are Facebook glasses, which came out in 2020. Oculus Quest 2 glasses work as a completely autonomous helmet. They do not need a computer and a socket: it's enough to wear them on your head, take two controller in your hands and start playing. The helmet has built-in cameras that track the position of controllers in space and the position of the player in the room. Thanks to them, a person can not only look around himself and sit down, but also to walk - while his virtual version in the game will go to the same side. Such glasses help users enjoy their favorite games - their more than two hundred - and at the same time not to use the computer or smartphone.
Previous version of the helmet - Oculus Quest - came out in 2019. This is the first autonomous VR brand headset, which does not need a computer, telephone or play console for work. A helmet with six degrees of freedom tracked the movement of the head and body, and then exactly reproduced them in the VR using the Oculus Insight system. That is, you can walk anywhere, sit down, jump, thrust your head - all these movements headset will transfer to VR. Buy such a helmet from the official site will not work.
In modern glasses, a regular display is installed, which is not yet able to send an image to the retina. In February 2018, Intel tried to develop such a device. Their smart glasses VAUNT were supposed to broadcast content right on the eyes of the players. However, it did not reach the issue - in April, the company closed the unit, which was responsible for glasses. At the end of 2020, Apple received a patent for the development of such a device. The creators plan to get rid of the main problem of modern VR glasses - the effect of dummy and adaptation to images at a short distance from humans. Perhaps soon we will see the result.
VR glasses are used in a wide variety of areas. For example, they help people cope with phobias on sessions of psychotherapy, go to Pikchchi and Antarctic virtual tours, and also show real estate and other goods to potential buyers.
Sensor for the transfer of feelings and emotions
In the film: In one of the first scenes, Wayne puts on the scene sensor. Thanks to the device, the Mimica of His Avatar - ParsiFhala - tells Artemis that they are born not only to the pursuit of Easter, but also mutual feelings. In the film, players use such a sensor for transmitting emotions and feelings into a virtual world.
In another scene, Waid has to include a special emotion suppression program. He wants to make sure that his avatar remains steep and does not show that in the real world he had a panic attack. This program helps him not to show his true feelings when Sorrento offers him $ 25 million for helping opponents.
In life: there is no such technology yet. To change the expression of the face, users press buttons on controllers, but it looks not too natural. The most similar thing is on the market - Aitreker from the Swedish company Tobii. It complements traditional controls - mouse, keyboard, touch panel or gamepad. The device allows you to track the view of the players for its exact transfer to the virtual world.
Today, Aitreker is used in UX design, advertising and social sphere. It helps to determine the convenience of the site for the user, is used in the study of commodity calculations and showcases, and also helps people with disabilities write messages using eyes.
Tactile virtual reality costume
In the film: Heroes get shocks in virtual reality and feel them in real life thanks to the costume. It allows you to feel when an object or other person concerns his avatar in virtual reality. So, during the dance battle in the club of Artemis puts the parsifale on the chest. And Wade feels her touch in the real world due to its tactile costume.
In life: the closest to the implementation of such a suit was the company Teslasuit, which is not connected with the manufacturer of electric vehicles. Their suit is equipped with a crossing system, climate control, biometric sensors - it allows you to touch virtual objects, determine their temperature. For example, when entering the burning house, the player may feel the heat and even stand.
At the same time, the player can choose to a suitable stimulation level. If it is not yet ready for an intense sensation, then puts the lowest level. And if he prefers hardcore, it can plunge into a maximum game, but at the time of falling from a height or ingress of ten bullets in the chest to experience unpleasant sensations.
Teslasuit assures that the player will receive the entire spectrum of sensations - whether it is a soft touch of warm rain, a strong blow or even an icy cold. Buy the Teslasuit costume in the store is still impossible, but you can make a pre-order on the site for $ 12,999.
More accessible for players is the Hardlight Suit vest, which is designed for the top of the body. On the vest surface, sensors and vibromotors are fixed, which are responsible for different muscle groups. The costume allows you to feel the touch or inlet in the stomach, chest, hands, back and shoulders. The vest does not allow pain - only vibration in the place where a person hit the virtual world. Today, Hardlight Suit and Teslasuit apply only to obtain additional sensations from immersion in the VR game.
Treadmill for virtual reality
In the film: In one of the first scenes, Wade moves along an oasis using a treadmill. His enemies - six - also use special movement devices in the virtual world. And to control the vehicle in VR, they may even sit on them. Such a walkway helps the heroes to make maneuvers, run and jump - do everything to get to the Easter egg.
In life: There are similar devices. Most often they are used in specialized gaming clubs, as they occupy a lot of space and are expensive. The most popular of them is an omnidirectional treadmill for VR Omni from Virtuix. It is equipped with seat belts that do not give players to slip or fall during the execution of maneuvers in the game. Players put on their shoes an extra sole that helps to keep on a fixed and slightly inclined track.
In 2020, Virtuix introduced a new track model - Omni One. It is more compact in size and weight - it allows it to use it even at home. The omnidirectional treadmill for the virtual reality of OMNI allows you to jump, put on your knees and move in squatting in any direction. Players see space by 360 degrees and are completely immersed in the gameplay.
What technologies used when shooting
The film goes 2 hours 20 minutes, one and a half hours of which is a three-dimensional animated movie. The ILM studio is responsible for visual effects - the guards of the Galaxy 2 Guardians 2, Dr. Strøndzh, Ninja Turtles - and Digital Domain - Aquamen, Dadpool, Avengers, Spiderman. Digital Domain was responsible for obtaining video materials using motion capture technology and fixed on the heads head. Such shooting was carried out in almost empty pavilions - "volumes", where there were white backgrounds, a rated floor and the most basic prop. Everything else Dorisovned ILM. They treated animated episodes, including appearance, motion style, costumes and hairstyles characters.
The film has a material world with real scenery and costumes. It opens the scene in the stacks - a tricking trailer park. In it, the vans are installed on each other, as in Tetris. Some of them were built on the open area of the British Studio "Livsden". And in general plans - when it was necessary to show the city from above, the entire computer graphic was already in the course.
The trailer explosion in one of the scenes was performed on the first attempt by the Department of Special Effects led by Supervisor Nil Corobul. He is known for his work in the films "Gladiator", "Save Private Ryan," "one of one. Star Wars". The Nile team laid 28 charges that provided flashes of fire and rain from fragments. However, the drop in the tower is an element of computer graphics that Digital Domain answered.
The filmmakers used special techniques to show the difference between the bright virtual world and the gray reality. When switching from an oasis to the real world of Spielberg and Janush Kaminsky - the operator-director - shifted from computer animation to an image taken on a 35mm film. In addition, they "muffled" the color palette of the real world to additionally emphasize the contrast between it and the oasis.
Interesting Facts
- The film is based on the Ernest Clain - American Gick and a passionate technologies and pop culture. In 2010, he sent a copy of the manuscript to famous publishing houses, and a serious battle unfolded for the right of publication. As a result, the scope of the fight was resolved at the auction - the victory went to the prestigious publishing house Crown Publishing Group. On the same day, the Studio Warner bought the rights to the shieldation of the novel, although before his publication remained a whole year. It was a risky step, but the company did not lose - the book quickly broke into the lists of bestsellers, and the creators of virtual reality systems made a novel to the list of compulsory readings for their developers.
- In 2019, Facebook announced Horizon - a huge play world of virtual reality. The creators compared it with an oasis - the main place of interaction between users of the film "First Player to get ready. It is assumed that players will be able to create avatars and move between virtual locations through Telepod portals, view movies and another media system, play multiplayer games with friends. The project is still in development, but you can already apply for participation in beta testing.
- In 2020, the Warner Studio began work on the continuation of the film. In Sicle, it will be told about the new technology oni, which strengthens the experience of staying in the oasis, but can lead to damage to the brain.
Conclusion
Technology from the film is not so far from reality, as it may seem at first glance. Now we do not need to use the computer and a smartphone to get into the virtual world, as it was before - just put on the Oculus Quest helmet 2. Teslasuit suit allows you to touch the virtual objects and determine their temperature, and thanks to the Omni ONE running track, the players see space for 360 degrees. Apple has already registered a patent for glasses similar to those that Wade uses in the film. Thus, the VR equipment review shows that the virtual reality in a person's life is already beginning to be applied.