Considering the profound global success of James Cameron’s Avatar, as well as the hype surrounding practical 3-D television at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the growing frenzy surrounding the current 3-D craze has got me thinking about the future of cinema and immersive entertainment yet again. Now, we’re no where near seeing holographic, pliant, lifelike simulations like the one illustrated in the clip above – in fact, in our lifetimes we’re more likely to see something like a real starship Enterprise constructed before we ever see its famous Holodeck – but, for all the commotion surrounding 3D, well, it has got me looking at some new entertainment ventures that are edging us closer to true, fully immersive digital entertainment.
Whether or not you enjoyed the narrative or metaphor behind Avatar, the consensus is growing that James Cameron has rocketed forward motion picture design and execution for years to come. Through his use of groundbreaking visual effects and new motion capture techniques, Cameron has raised the bar for what CGI in film can achieve. By employing RealD‘s 3D cinema technology, the immersive, photo-realistic, and highly captivating world of Pandora has kept audiences glued to their seats and coming back for repeat viewings at their local cinemaplex. Hollywood studios have already been planning that their future projects will employ similar special effects and 3D tech. Plus, as this year’s CES has shown, the popularity of 3D at the cinema will fuel the adoption of 3D at home in the living room.
And it’s telling that Avatar, which centers around a soldier’s experience plugging in to and controlling an alien body, would be so successful in today’s media landscape. The multi-billion dollar video game industry and the Web (including MMORPGs like World of Warcraft) have each served to propel the notion of what it means to possess and control a virtual character, becoming immersed as an actor or player in a new narratological space. The sense of empowerment and satisfaction that comes from worthwhile passive entertainment is certainly only heightened for the fully engaged user of interactive entertainment. What was once only the fodder of William Gibson-style science fiction is slowly becoming science fact. So, while we are certainly a far ways off from the Holodeck or the Matrix at this point, science seems destined to continue to take us that direction.
Haptic (meaning, tactile feedback) gaming technologies are also furthering the popularity of the immersive entertainment field. Already, motion-sensing input devices like the Nintendo Wii’s Wiimote have helped make that gaming console one of the most popular in the world today – haptic controllers are not far behind. Sony and Microsoft are already introducing motion-detecting devices and technologies for their PlayStation3 and XBOX 360 consoles. Controls and input devices that require more than tapping away with thumbs and index fingers are another way interactive agents can become immersed in the play worlds games serve to create.
But, full immersion in all things science-fiction-y or videogames might not be a complete turn-on for all audiences, especially demographics accustomed to old media entertainment. The success of Avatar and the Wii will help, but accessibility is paramount. This is where the simple technology of Yoostar comes in. Yoostar uses simple green-screen technology like that employed by weather forecasters on the nightly news to insert users in to famous scenes from popular Hollywood movies, right in the comfort of their living room. Yoostar users can mimic their favorite performers or create their own dialogue. So, while this may appear pedestrian as compared to haptic technology or James Cameron’s 3D, it’s only a matter of time before someone pioneers a device that combines such immersive 3D technology with the simplicity of a Yoostar home entertainment game.
One of the biggest industries, for better or for worse, in helping to fuel the widespread diffusion and adoption of new home entertainment technologies is the Adult entertainment industry. Porn company Pink Visual (NSFW!) recently introduced a Web camera system that employs similar chroma key technology to that seen in Yoostar to insert adult performers right in to the backgrounds of users’s Web camera captures, effectively placing users inside their porn. This form of augmented reality, while lascivious in nature, may eventually see itself utilized in other forms of home entertainment, as well as video conferencing and other technologies. Leave it up to the porn industry to further advances in augmented reality technology.
I look forward to seeing where haptics, augmented reality, 3D, and other forms of cyber-immersion take us in the near future. Whether it’s as big as the next Avatar or as simple and fun as the Yoostar, it will be exciting to see if we ever do get to finally perform Hamlet on the holodeck. Janet Murray would be proud!
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Tags: 3D, augmented reality, cinema, film, games, haptics, holodeck, immersion, interactive media, James Cameron, matrix, MMORPG, neuromancer, nintendo, PS3, RealD, science, science fiction, Star Trek, video games, wii, wiimote, William Gibson, World of Warcraft, xbox, Xbox 360, yoostar