Web Summit 2020 Talk: Ready Player 2021 (VR is here)

Today Emmet Shear (Twitch), Nanea Reeves (Tripp) and Marcus Segal (ForeVR Games) began their talk at the Web Summit by drawing an interesting parallel between VR (virtual reality) and the current experience of the Web Summit. The usually Lisbon based event, due to corona virus, being held online but providing a platform for everyone to speak face to face, or screen to screen as it were offers the experience of the usual event without the danger of getting sick. It provides a unique insight although perhaps not on the futuristic sci-fi level expected on what daily life and connecting with people may become should VR continue to expand and improve. More than Just FaceTiming but receiving live updates in glasses or a headset anywhere, any time, if you believe in Nanea Reeves hopes may only be 5 years away. The First image that comes to my mind from this is Takeshi Covach in Altered Carbon season one on Netflix, being bombarded with advertisements, it could be seen to be a possibly daunting future but, none-the-less only time will tell if this is in the cards.

According to the aforementioned speakers, VR technology most likely has yet to have its' "iPhone moment", and is currently in an interim stage. However Emmet Shear stated that unlike what many suspect VR or AR technology will most likely enter its boom, not due to gaming or entertainment. A fully immersive experience cannot be replicated through a screen, streamers will likely not play a significant role in the process either. Instead the technologies application in the training or education of people will most likely be what allows VR to truly enter the world stage and have a place in everyone's lives. 

However as mentioned above those fans of almost any sci-fi franchise will realise that VR/AR has a possibility, should it be developed to a portable stage, to make communicating and interacting with friends in a fully immersive experience a reality. But as for what that means for current conventional methods of communication such as social media, is ultimately unknowable. However, even if VR becomes proliferate as a tool for training, its' fate will ultimately be decided through social features added to it, as Emmet Shear said, you have to be able to take a selfie with it, to show it off as a status symbol. It should realistically have a great impact either way as it is already starting to have on gaming, and the possibilities of a truly immersive experience are a tempting prospect for developers from any number of industries.

Jack Glidewell

Editor at social songbird A self-taught writer and news enthusiast, with a deep love for new and exciting developments around the globe. Aspiring Novel writer and traditional and pop Japanese culture lover.