Critique 1: Intel True VR

For my first critique I decided to review Intel True VR. I love sports and VR and this was supposed to be a mix of the two so it seemed perfect.

I started by checking out some of the videos and links that were posted on ADK’s website (the original presenter for 491). One video shows NFL plays as the camera zips around the field. They state that using Intel’s free3D technology you can watch plays from the game from anywhere on the field. As a football fan I think that this would be amazing. Fans can now review controversial plays after the fact and decide for themselves if they think a penalty should have been called, or if it really was an incomplete pass. One thing that I thought was amazing was that they use around 38 cameras mounted atop the stadium, and these cameras capture terabytes of data every minute that are processed by 38 different servers and using voxels and volumetric video they are able to recreate a 3D version of what’s happening on the field. One point that ADK brought up on his website that I didn’t think of was the tremendous value in training and development. Coaches can use 3D replays to show players exactly what went wrong and where they can improve. For example, a running back fumbles but the camera angles on TV don’t clearly show the running back’s hands. The coach, using video replay would have a hard time suggesting how that player hold the ball differently next time. But not with Intel. Using Intel’s technology, they would be able to zoom in a bit and slightly rotate the camera, giving them the clear camera shot that they desire. Also, as a fan you can now see what the quarterback sees. So before criticizing your team’s passer for barely missing his target on a deep pass, put yourself in his shoes… Or helmet.

I tried to follow the instructions to download Intel True VR Experience from the Oculus store, but no results were returned upon searching. As ADK mentioned the NBC Sports VR app to watch the Olympics, I went to Google Play Store and downloaded that to test out Intel’s True VR. After a few seconds of waiting for it to download and install, turned on my Bluetooth controller, put my phone into my headset and turned on my Bluetooth headphones.

My analysis of the overall app, not the content follows. When the videos go to load (the non-VR exclusive videos) it will ask me if I would like to do it with Google Cardboard type viewers or panoramic view for the phone (sans headset). If I choose panoramic then for the skiing videos and such that are only 180 degrees your head’s movement in the virtual world is limited to that viewing range, which is annoying. If I choose the Cardboard route then the content is projected onto a virtual TV and when I turn 180 degrees around, I’m in a sort of “visitor’s center” as one Google Play Store reviewer put it. I can’t move around it, just look. It’s kind of cool, but out of all things why not a more Olympic themed area? And as I watch the virtual TV, the immersion isn’t fully there, though it would be a little closer if the TV was taller and wrapped 270 degrees around me. With 180 degrees I can see the edges of the TV when looking elsewhere but the center. Also, I noticed that a Bluetooth controller helped ease navigation in and between videos, but it isn’t necessary to use the app.

I clicked on one of the first videos I saw which was women’s alpine skiing. I watched about 4 skiers’ runs and decided I had had enough of it. Yes, it’s cool because the scores pop out at you in the virtual world, and you can see the skier start their run atop the hill. But that’s where Intel failed. Ski runs are long. It seems to me that in order to maximize the coverage of the like 4 or 5 cameras that they had, they placed them at a distance and after the first five seconds it’s hard to see anything. They look like dots and then zip by, and then they’re dots again. Lastly, it’s not fully immersive, it’s only a 180 degree video. 

Next, I tried ice hockey videos. The first one was the Men’s Gold Medal game between OAR and Germany. The camera angles were limited but their positioning made for a decent experience. There was a view from the stands, from the OAR bench, and behind or on top of the glass behind each goal. It wasn’t from the goalie’s point of view, but you can see that on some shots of the game, the goalies had no chance to save the puck coming at them. It definitely felt like I was standing in the first row from those angles. But.. behind Germany’s goal is a net to stop people from getting hurt by high flying pucks. They secure this net via a strap attached down near the boards. From behind the goal it’s within camera view and wow it’s annoying. Due to stereoscopic vision if I look past it in real life, I’ll see two of them but when I focus on it, only one. In the VR world I can focus on it and there’s always two. Strange. Lastly, the camera angles were pretty good, but this is ice hockey. In the IIHF international tournaments, the referees have cameras mounted atop their helmets so that you can see what they saw when a penalty or goal is called. Not only do I not get why all major hockey leagues don’t adopt this, but I don’t get why they wouldn’t try to do a 360-degree camera for referees during the Olympics. The biggest stage Intel was tackling, and they missed the obvious. Imagine seeing what the referee sees, and then looking around and being able to see what the referee missed. So, it was cool but there’s definitely room for improvement. 

As I love hockey, perhaps to an unhealthy degree, I watch another one. But this was different. It was about two sisters who play for two different countries, a world apart. There was a 180-degree video filmed in the USA with one sister, and another 180-degree video filmed in South Korea with the other sister. Then they were merged, and wow did they do a good job. The cameras were at center ice and only filmed half of the ice so when merged it was very immersive and looked like one rink. The sisters were filmed skating up to the edge of view and extending their arms so when played together, it looks like they fist bump and talk to each other. I’d say this was very well done, immersive and unique.

The last hockey video I watched was a tour of the Gangneung Hockey Centre. It was totally…meh. It was basically a photosphere slideshow. Yes, it was immersive in the sense that I was able to look around 360 degrees at an empty arena, but I feel it could have been better and maybe given me an option of where to go to next. Below you can see the officials preparing the review equipment.

The last hockey video I watched was a tour of the Gangneung Hockey Centre. It was totally…meh. It was basically a photosphere slideshow. Yes, it was immersive in the sense that I was able to look around 360 degrees at an empty arena, but I feel it could have been better and maybe given me an option of where to go to next. Below you can see the officials preparing the review equipment.

The final piece of criticism. Here it is. While watching videos, if you look down there’s a control bar that pops up for pause, play, skip 10 seconds, etc. You select these options via a virtual pointer, a tiny white dot where you move your head until it lands on the option you want and then either click controller button or wait until pointer gets bigger (5 seconds) to select that option. I didn’t want to explicitly state that it’s a stupid choice of color but…. Really guys? A WHITE pointer during the WINTER Olympics with SNOW and ICE in almost every video? In case you still don’t get my point, here’s your task. Find the current location of that white pointer in the screenshot below 😊