Defying Reality (the Inside Story Of The Virtual Reality Revolution)

By (author) Ewalt David M.
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By (author) Ewalt David M.
Short description/annotation
A fascinating exploration of the history, development, and future of virtual reality, a technology with world-changing potential, written by award-winning journalist and author David Ewalt, stemming from his 2015 Forbes cover story about the Oculus Rift and its creator Palmer Luckey
Description
No longer just a mainstay of science fiction, VR has seen recent success with companies such as Oculus, Sony, and HTC. But little is known about its history, which reaches back decades. Ewalt chronicles its origins in Cold War military laboratories, and traces it through decades of hype and failed products, to a teenage gamer whose advancements made the recent breakthroughs in VR possible. Writing for a mainstream audience as well as technology enthusiasts, Ewalt offers a unique perspective on how VR got here, where it''s going, and how and why it will change the way we live.
Biographical note
David M. Ewalt is a contributing editor to Forbes Magazine, and the author of Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It. Ewalt is an authority on the intersections among gaming, technology, and business. He writes for a variety of print and online outlets, and frequently appears as an expert guest on TV, radio, and podcasts. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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A fascinating exploration of the history, development, and future of virtual reality, a technology with world-changing potential, written by award-winning journalist and author David Ewalt, stemming from his 2015 Forbes cover story about the Oculus Rift and its creator Palmer Luckey.
Excerpt

Chapter 1

 

Pygmalion''s Spectacles

 

There is a unicorn in a cavern under an ancient forest in France. I''ve seen it myself, even though it wasn''t really there; I''ve stood in front of it, even though its home is a place where no one can go.

 

The unicorn is painted on the wall of Lascaux Cave, a subterranean complex in the VŽzre Valley, about two hours'' drive east of Bordeaux. Seventeen thousand years ago, some of the first modern humans in Europe decorated the caverns with hundreds of images of animals, symbols, and abstract shapes. In 1940, it was rediscovered by a group of teenagers and became one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.

 

For decades following the discovery, countless tourists flocked to Lascaux. Henri Breuil, a French priest and archaeologist who was one of the first researchers to study the caves, called it the Sistine Chapel of prehistory; after artist Pablo Picasso saw the paintings, he lamented that his entire generation of revolutionary artists had "invented nothing new." But the ancient drawings were fragile, and the presence of so many visitors took a toll. In 1963, the French government banned the public and locked the doors.

 

Fortunately, technology allows a modern tourist to sneak inside. Lascaux comes to life in 360-degree videos and virtual reality tours; I''d seen photos of the caves and studied their paintings in college, but it took seeing that unicorn in VR to really understand the place. Even though the French government has built detailed replicas of the caves for people to visit, the virtual version makes for a better trip-it''s appropriately claustrophobic and free from the distracting presence of other tourists.

 

It''s also a particularly fitting way to visit, because Lascaux may be the oldest example in human history of an attempt to create a virtual world. You''d never know it from looking at photographs, but when you stand inside the caves-virtually or in person-the intention is clear. Just like VR headsets block the real world from view, the caverns separate a visitor from the forest above. Instead of drawing with pixels on a screen, the cave a

More Information
Author By (author) Ewalt David M.
EAN 9780735215672
Contributors Ewalt David M.
Publisher Prentice Hall Press
Languages English
Country of Publication United States
Width 152 mm
Height 229 mm
Product Forms Paperback / Softback
Availability in Stores Sin El-Fil, Hamra
Weight 0.35 Kg
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