The future of VR: Talking NOON with NextCore

As I said in my review of NextCore’s snappy, new NOON virtual reality headset, VR is an answer looking for a question. With the NOON, NextCore packed a viable and enjoyable VR experience into an affordable $89 package. Beyond that, with the aid of the independently developed KOOM VR app, which supports an ecosystem of VR content, the headset proposed some questions worth answering. To explore those further, I had a chat (via email, darn that Korean time gap) with NextCore CEO Jong Hyeon Kang.

GameZone: After sifting through simulations of show rooms and exhibitions, KOOM has me thinking about virtual reality tourism, documentaries, concerts and events. Does NextCore think the technology could be applied to this sort of media? Creating a 360-degree record of a live concert, for example, or a VR tour of a museum?

Jong Kang: KOOM VR has expressed to us they are actively seeking to bring users content in other areas such as the ones you mentioned (e.g. tourism, documentaries, etc.). Delivering the impression of actually “being there” is the [distinguishing] feature of VR compared to other media, so we also agree with KOOM that content such as live concerts, sporting event, and tours are well-suited for VR.

GZ: How will NextCore be supporting the NOON and its KOOM app in the future? It didn’t take long for me to skim through the preloaded demo scenes, varied as they were. Will NextCore be releasing VR content of its own or will it mostly be in the hands of third parties? Will content remain free?

JK: To clarify, KOOM is not owned by NextCore. They are a VR content distribution platform we’ve partnered with to launch our NOON app. In partnership with KOOM, NextCore will seek VR content from third-party providers continuously. Some content will remain free, but there will also be paid content.

GZ: I found the NOON’s selection of 360-degree environments to be its most captivating content. What is the basic process behind creating such environments? Is there a set criteria for locations and length?

JK: [The] most immersive forms of VR video are stereoscopic 3D, which is far easier to create, especially through the NOON app. To create 360-degree content, you’ll need an expensive camera system. Basically, a 360 camera consists of 6 to 16 cameras, and requires specialized 360 stitching software. Most of the currently available 360 cameras do not support stereoscopic 3D, and VR-supported camera systems like Google Jump, which will consist of 16 GoPro cameras and can capture 360-degree full 3D, is yet to be introduced to the market. There are no specific restrictions to the locations or length, but there seems to be a consensus in the VR industry that 5 minutes or less is proper length for a 360-degree video considering the current limitations of VR technology.

GZ: For all my adjusting and fidgeting, I could never do away with some of the visual distortion on the NOON. I can only assume that this is due to the nature of smartphone screens, which weren’t designed to be held so close to the eyes. Facial features, for instance, were tough to distinguish in simulations, even when people were “standing” mere feet from me. Is this something NextCore thinks future smartphone screens can do away with? Or, perhaps, is it something that improved lenses might resolve?

JK: In the future, the resolution of smartphone screen will increase. Also, adding filters to the lenses might reduce the notorious “screen door effect” caused by low resolution. The increased chromatic aberration effect caused by additional filters can be resolved by advanced rendering technique.

GZ: When people talk about virtual reality, they usually talk about gaming. But the NOON doesn’t seem to have any interest in playing VR video games. What are NextCore’s thoughts on VR gaming? Why did the company take NOON in its current direction rather than towards games?

JK: The main reason we’re focusing on immersive videos is that VR games require more expensive, high performance hardware, because playing games involves fast movements of users. The hardware should be ultra-fast and games require external input devices, so the minimum equipment can easily cost up to $1,000 or more. Creating a good VR game is not easy even for professional game developers. On the contrary, immersive VR videos can be created by non-professionals, and the required equipment is far less expensive, and the content is much more realistic than full 3D games, for now. Of course, the future direction of VR content will be the interactive content like games, and we’re preparing for that too. But for now, I think an immersive video will be more accessible form of VR content, and it will help expanding the VR market at this early stage.

GZ: By NextCore’s estimation, how long will it be until VR devices become somewhat mainstream? Five years? 10? I have always seen the problem as being able to price low enough to garner enough consumers to establish an install base big enough to attract enough studios to provide enough content to make VR worthwhile. That’s a whole lot of “enough.” What does NextCore expect VR’s biggest obstacle will be? Price? Early adoption rates? How can VR developers work to overcome these obstacles?

JK: One of the big obstacles is that few people can see the merit of VR over other media before experiencing it themselves. This makes adoption very slow. To overcome this, the products or content should be made more accessible and affordable. Of course, we should maintain good balance between quality and accessibility of content or products, according to the advances of technology. Hopefully, the VR devices will become mainstream much less than five years.