Over the summer, I opted to create a new site for another new project, which, like my nightscapes project, may or may not get funded. I am not holding my breath. I came up with it once I figured out that I am starting to exhaust the potential that I saw in the nightscape project. I am still committed to it. I have not abandoned it, nor do I think that I, nor others, have done everything that there is to do in relation to nightscapes. Once again, it is simply that I want another challenge and to do something that others have not done and/or are not willing to do.
To be clear, I am not saying that there has been no work done on virtual reality, nor on virtual reality landscapes. In fact, there is plenty of research on the topic. Firstly, there is an abundance of research that pertains to VR technology. This is interesting. It is something that you simply have to get acquainted with to appreciate and understand what it can afford researchers. This is not what interests me, nor what I wish to focus on, but it is nonetheless important. I do not believe that I need to know everything there is to know about the technology, no matter whether it is the hardware or the software, but it does not hurt to know more about the technology. Secondly, there is also a treasure trove of relevant research in fields such as architecture, engineering, medicine and psychology. It makes sense for architects and engineers to utilize the technology. That allows them to visualize their plans and designs in a three-dimensional space, before construction. In medicine, as well as in engineering, it can also be used to train doctors and engineers. I am also aware that VR technology can be utilized in pain relief and in treatment of fears and mental illnesses. These are all good uses of this technology. However, I believe that these fields do not harness its full potential. Thirdly I am aware of studies that assess virtual reality environments and, visually speaking, virtual reality landscapes, but, again, they do take VR technology to its limits. They are either limited to 360° media, both videos and still images, or small-scale computer rendered environments with limited interaction with them.
There is a simple reason why there is little research on VR content: costs. The technology has been around for over three decades already, but it is only very recently that it actually works the way it is supposed to work and that it is not prohibitively expensive. I remember seeing the virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) on cover of a gaming magazine in the 1990s. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, but the hype dissipated quickly as it turned out that it was not as cool as it was said to be.
My first experience in virtual reality was years ago in a conference. It was possible to try an HMD, which was an HTC Vive, if my memory serves me. It was not spectacular, not because the manufacturer did not do a good job, but because the software that it ran lacked in graphic high fidelity. It was still interesting and gave me some ideas. I knew that the technology was getting there, but it was not quite where I wanted it to be.
It was only recently that VR sparked my interest. The technology is finally there or, at least, very close to where I wanted it to be. It is still very expensive though. I did my homework on the technology, how it is used prior research, and decided to run with it. I was not willing to spend a ton of my own money on it though. I applied for funding for a project, but that did not work out. I tried again, and again, but no one was willing to take the idea seriously, nor see any value in it. I am still trying to get the ball rolling, but it is hard to say whether things will pan out.
The good thing is that I did end up investing my own money in VR technology. I needed to upgrade my computer anyway, so it made sense. Plus, it shows that I am serious about this project. I do have what I need, which means that I can scale the project accordingly, depending on the funding or the lack thereof.