With a recent Reuter story highlighting the game development scene in Poland, particularly that of CD Projekt and the Witcher series, I wanted to add some or my own commentary and experience being here in Warsaw for the past two years after more than 20 years (living and growing up) in California. However, I will be focusing on virtual reality as well as similar technologies of mixed and augmented realities.

Virtual Reality is something that has been a long time coming. It was around in concept form since the 90s or earlier, particularly in sci-fi film but the 90s had the early machines showcasing stereoscopic 3D in gaming form. However, the technology never caught on and was forgotten basically until a couple of years ago when the Oculus Rift started making headlines as it secured an acquisition and funding from social media giant Facebook.

This meant that for the first time the technology was being taken seriously and serious money was at play to make it a success. This news followed competitors also emerging on the scene in the form of Valve-backed HTC Vive and Playstation VR — maybe the most interesting and promising of them all as it is affordable and an at-home console solution not reliant upon expensive gaming PCs and high-end graphic cards.

Well to fast forward a few hears of development and mixed results in terms of adoption rates (there is a paid report available here showing the growth and trends in this nascent industry), we are basically at a point where the Oculus Rift is still dominating and is the biggest name in this space while a number of other companies are competing with their own headsets. I previously mentioned the Playstation VR having in my opinion the greatest adoption potential due to its console and living room experience, however in terms of overall tech I think the all-room VR experience of HTC Vive has the greatest immersion potential and technological advantage right now.

The topic of virtual reality is huge right now as it is projected to be a $165 billion industry at some point this year (2020). It is also spawning other ideas and potential for other industries and technologies to run with in their own unique ways.

Augmented reality augments digital objects onto a real landscape or scene in front of the viewer. The viewer and AR user usually has a digital camera from a smartphone in front of them that works alongside AR software in order to see digital objects pop up from their phone screen while looking at a landscape in front of them with the phone’s camera.

Mixed reality does not just rely on a camera system and the use viewing objects through a mobile device’s lenses. It is based on the ides of the user seeing virtual objects around them in real life without the smartphone reliance. It can use a wide range of lenses or cameras from different sources to augment a whole surrounding or area. There seems to be a fine line between defining mixed reality vs augmented reality, but AR could simply be using Yelp’s landmark finder or restaurant finder and not see virtual objects, like flying ships appear in and out of view, which would be more of a full MR experience whne done right.

Some of the big players in tech are pushing for VR, while others are for pushing for AR to succeed. Mixed reality seems to be still nascent and less known or utilized by the major consumer tech giants. But this may change in the near future. Facebook is pushing its Oculus platform, for instance, while Apple is doing the same with its AR Kit 2. Lesser-known tech firms, like MagicLeap, are making wonders happen with mixed reality implementations however and they include things like 3D exploration of virtual and real landscapes. Microsoft is also exploring this technology with its HoloLens system that is tied to holographic imagery appearing in front of a user.

In some ways the three technologies are competing for the same marketshare, at least in consumer tech and the future or mobile devices — deciding which direction they will head in. Augmented Reality is less virtual or immense, in my opinion, than the other two technologies, but easier to implement right away and non entertainment applications like Yelp can make use of it for a wide audience. It also requires no external HDMs or displays.

However, in other ways these technologies are not competing at all and are in fact carving their own niches. A gamer may want the most immerse experience and purchase an expensive HDM for personal use. Someone looking to travel and use apps like Yelp to find good restaurants nearby while walking has less upfront costs and expected hassle from users.

I actually covered Augmented Reality (AR) some half a decade ago for PC World and IDG’s TechHive blog, when the tech was still mostly in its infancy (arguably still is now). Microsoft and Google at the time were its heavy proponents. The title of the piece was „How Augmented Reality is Defining Entertainment.” The cover feature focused on mostly various mobile apps and headset implementations that were becoming popular at the time and this was before even Google Cardboard. Since thst time, many more interesting apps have been created that I may need to cover in a separate piece.

There are some differences in what works better in AR vs VR and vice versa as specific maps or Yelp-type of geolocation services may be more practical or efficient using AR, particularly in mobile where we are moving around while looking around for interesting landmarks. However, VR has many benefits and advantages over other technologies, including AR, in terms of various industries and not just gaming as well.

“AR applications are being developed which will provide map overlays of prominent landmarks for improving geographic awareness and enabling rescue teams with better navigation into difficult terrains, according to a Marketwatch report. “Similarly, the healthcare industry in the region is expected to be one of the most promising users of VR technologies and devices because of surging usage of VR in surgical training, live streaming of surgeries, patient monitoring, pain management.”

There are numerous other players, some focusing not on gaming, but other VR applications such as military training, motion pictures or video on demand, sight seeing and travel as well as medical training. These are just some examples of how VR can be implemented past gaming and entertainment. However, I think this is where its strengths currently are and gaming is also something VR needs to capture first as the audience and market share is strong in this regard.

Development is also steadily increasing within the VR space with wireless headsets now making headlines such as the Pro version of the HTC Vive (as long as you purchased a separate adapter priced at $300), which can be used without being tethered to a PC or separate device such as a Playstation or smartphone, as is the case with most other headsets. There are also various virtual reality headsets coming out based on Android use and smartphone applications. In fact, Google is a strong player in this regard with its Dream project and support for Android headsets with its own pair of googles (I remember the Google Box being very innovative as well a couple years ago).

I have been reading and even covering VR tech for a number of years without experiencing the technology beyond the old red and blue glasses and a stereoscopic screen of my Nintendo 3DS as well as Nvidia’s 3D Vision tech. So with me being quite mesmerized by these technologies using mostly just stereoscopic 3D, I knew VR would be right up my alley.

I actually had a chance to try out other VR headsets available and always missed out on the chance. During my time at the EGX Rezzed show I attended in London (I covered the event here) the VR headsets I saw were always packed with people on them or queued up ready to play whatever was offered. I also missed some other chances due to similar reasons at other locations, such as a artistic showcase at galleries.

About a year ago, I ran into this small VR cafe in Warsaw that is now unfortunately closed called ImperiumVR. It offered various VR machines set up to a central computer and connected to the Steam client. The HDMs available were Oculus Rifts.

The game I ended up playing and coming back to on multiple occasions was actually created and developed in Poland. It is none other than Superhot.

When I played Superhot, I saw the potential in VR for the first time beyond just aesthetics. The game puts you in a role of bawically an action movie star where you do both hand-to-hand fighting and gun play. You also have the ability to throw objects at enemies, but from my experience this is difficult to pull off with precision because objects tend to stick to your fingers or grip. Despite this minor complaint, the overall player movement in the game is awesome.

The ability to look 360 degrees aeound you for enemies while moving in and out of the way of punches, bullets and flying projectiles, is truly a captivating experience. An experience one has to truly feel or experience first-hand to understand as screenshots do not do it justice.

I even broke a bit of a sweat and got a chance to try out some boxing and martial art moved I picked up from real life training within this game. Note, throwing a body punch and waiting for the enemies to come to you rather than overextend is a tactic I found works well in the game.

I can actually imagine a sequel or a hard mode in the sequel offering real challenge where martial art skills or police training can come in handy, in order to learn the fine motor sensory skills combat relies on through a VR experience. Obviously real life training can never ben totally replaced, but it can provide another realistic simulation. I can see such ideas for future implementations of VR in gaming and beyond (think Matrix martial arts training where Neo fought Morpheus).

The game puts you into these levels divided by sequences you have to overcome. For instance, in a sequence, you may quickly have to pick up an ash tray and block a shot from an enemy afar, then quickly turn to the wide where an enemy is running at you that you need to take out hand to hand. Later, you may have to grab that enemy’s gun and use it at the rest of the foes to end the sequence and move onto the next sequence.

Once you overcome a few of these sequences you move on to the next arena or level with its own sequences. If you die, or get hit, you will have to restart the order of sequences again, but not necessarily have to go back to the beginning of the game.

You will truly get some sweat going and feel an adrenaline rush playing this game. It is by far the best implementstion of VR I’ve seen in gaming and beyond. I am also glad that Superhot comes from a Polish development studio and I wish them all the luck in future projects.

when I ran into ImperiumVR, by chance, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s location is most likely the culprit for its current closure, as it was located in a secluded shopping area known for cheap thrift stores and haircuts. How I found this place is a story all onto itself as it is located on the second floor of the shopping strip in the back with very little advertising or notifications. In fact, it looked more like an abandoned storehouse or the beginning of the apartment building located adjasvent to it.

The cafe was very small and no one was there usually during the day besides the lady running the place who helped me put on the OculusRift headgear and calibrate it so it fit perfectly on my head. She also introduce me to this crossbow training game I previously mentioned (as the first game I tried before Superhot).

Although the cafe is currently closed, similar VR cafes exist around Warsaw and other Polish metropolitan cities. I actually found out there are other VR venues here including one that offers the option to use a number of headsets, such as HTC Vive, beyond just Oculus Rift. It is called VR Project, but I have not had a chance to go there yet and try it out.

I was pretty surprised knowing this place existed, along with other gaming-focused venues, and even Warsaw gaming pubs such as New Meta Bar, because I never imagined Warsaw to be heavy on gaming or tech before moving here. However, it is and Poland as a country has a history and long gaming, despite its communist and relatively poor past.

When I was young arcade cabinets were lined up in these places called salony gier or gaming saloons. The American equivalent to these places would be the traditional arcade, but they were quite different because they were set up in long booths with arcade cabinets lined up against the walls inside a very thin walkway and the games were played using żetony or special coins inserted into the machines (yes I understand and remember some arcades in the U.S. using tokens instead of quarters as well so there is some similarity).

Poland even had a gaming culture before this that I remember well. Various gaming-centric computers such as Commodore 64, Atari ST and the Amiga were popular among the kids who could afford them when I was growing up. The way, I actually found out that Superhot is a Polish-developed game was I ran into this screening in the middle of a square in Warsaw at night showcasing the Polish gaming scene. I caught a bit of it at the end and here is what it looked like as ai filmed the demo (linked from my YouTube account):

So what does the future of VR hold? I presume that mobile VR, and this includes Google’s Dream, will have a bright future despite the competition from AR and MR in this space. However, I really see VR being the current trend setter in terms of entertainment and gaming. AR and MR should continue to touch a wider range of industries.

Despite this, VR is also showing its potential in communication, training and travel beyond the living room floor as it is applied to various industries. It is teaching students concepts they cannot get near their location on-hand or allowing them to learn from far-away experts. It is also being applied in the workforce to give practical experience in various industries before hands-on training is applied.

I previously mentioned military and the medical fields as examples of such usage. I imagine it will grow very strong in both these fields and can imagine a VR implementation teaching soldiers to overcome natural fear of combat and being able to overcome the adrenaline or mental breakdowns that often occurs for first-time combatants. It is still not the real thing, but VR is becoming so immense and life-like that it can really simulate that reality and it will only improve from there.

I can imagine a headset with some form of light pain implementation and sense implementation making an appearance in the future bringing reality and virtual reality closer in this field and many other VR implementations. HTC Vive is already showing grip technology simulating various objects being tangible is very advanced and this is already a roadblock that was once impossible to overcome. Other senses such as smell and wetness or mist may make an appearance (maybe not at home, but at military implementations, for instance, or showroom floor VR set-ups). This may describe the MR experience as well.

I also see travel being a huge industry for VR, particularly live-albeit-virtual travel to locations where cameras are set up. Users can get that experience of a particular city or place without having to purchase a plain ticket to get there. it is also a way for people to tour a particular place and compare it to others to get a sense if the trip is worthwhile of if they might as well go somewhere else in person.

There is already some implementation in this regard, as reported by Appreal-VR, for instance, where Youtube is being used by Best Western Hotels to offer hotel tours for users trying to make a reservation choice ahead of time. Quantas Airline VR is also being use don flights to give travelers a chance to check out the places they are about to embark on before even landing. There are even museum tours available as another example of VR finding a home in tourism and travel.

Those are just some examples of uses already being implemented, but to list more and the potential for VR in this regard would be a whole separate article all onto itself. Gaming is where I really see VR being implemented in the most interesting ways for me personally. Particularly after experiencing the awesomeness of Superhot. It was as if the game combined a movie or action film experience with first person shooting and combat to bring me to the forefront of the action like I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing before.

What I want you to take away from my experiences as well as others’ experiences related to modern-day VR, is to not give up on the technology. Give it a try if you haven’t and do not just try one game, title or experience before making up your mind. give Superhot a try and some others. You will not regret it and come away from the experience learning of an emerging technology that has a strong future in gaming and various other industries.

Some of you may have read the book Ready Player One or seen the latest movie coming from famed director Steven Spielberg. It was a descent film and that type of virtual reality and eSport displayed may be closer to reality than many realize. Both eSports and vsrious VR, AR and MR technologies are advancing and gaining in popularity. It may only be a matter of time before eSports and VR are merged.

Note, I originally published this article on my personal blog here and this is an updated and revised version. I may implement these changes to that version as well.

The Virtual Reality Scene of Poland Is Quite Forward Think was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.