Virtual World Web Inc. (VWW) announced on Friday that it is collaborating with Occulus VR and Virtuix to co-develop the first-ever, consumer virtual reality simulator. Dubbed as "Holodeck Version 1.0," this solution will combine the company's Curio software with the Oculus Rift and Virtuix Omni.
The Curio software, according to the company, provides realistic, virtual environments. Users can fully interact with other users in the virtual world, including playing out stories and games, attending school classes, viewing concerts and holding meetings.
Brian Shuster, CEO of VWW, expects the official Holodeck public release, scheduled for early 2015, will be as groundbreaking as "when the first personal computers debuted on the market."
"It's so exciting because suddenly the paradigm shift will be that people won't have to 'go' to things anymore, but these things will come to them. For example, students won't have to physically go to school -- the school, professors and classroom will come to them," Shuster says. "The same holds true for everything from mall shopping experiences, going to the movie theater or a concert, and even conducting business meetings."
Sorry, but some experiences can't be replaced with Virtual Reality, like concerts.
"From the way we live and work to the ways we entertain ourselves and engage with others, I anticipate that this revolutionary technology will lead to major sociological and behavioral modifications that impact our everyday lives," he adds. "This truly is a game changer and will provide a whole different way of how future our future[sic] is going to look."
Although the announcement didn't reveal pricing, we already know that the Virtuix Omni is $499 for one treadmill, and $1,019 for two. Currently, Oculus VR is selling the second Rift development kit for $350. That said, expect to pay around $850 for the hardware.
Currently, the Curio 3D browser is in the alpha stage, allowing users to navigate through the Virtual World Web, a network of interconnected virtual communities. New users log into this new 3D Internet, create a persona, and then discover a number of different areas connected by a single lobby. This service "plays" like a MMOG, allowing users to explore in third person, or shift to first person for a more immersive experience.
"The company was formed with the goal of supplementing the flat web with a 3D web, through their proprietary platform software, which offers companies and organizations around the globe the opportunity to become service providers on the network and/or creating virtual world experiences, complete with their own content, rules, animations, scripts and visual effects," reads the company's profile.
For more information about Curio, head here.
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