Is Ready Player One VR Universe Possible

[FrgMstr]

This is a highly interesting and informative read over at Gizmodo, mostly because 99% of the article was not written by any of the dolts at Gizmodo. You can skip past the first two paragraphs of gibberish and get to the experts they contacted and asked about, "the plausibility of an OASIS-like platform coming onto the market, and how much computing power would be required to sustain it?"


A low resolution 360-degree experience, as is available for most current headsets, requires at least 25 mbps. However, for resolutions comparable to HD TV, this jumps to 80-100 mbps. Further, a 4k experience needs as much as 600 mbps. We also need to bear in mind that the current global average connection speed is 7.2 mbps, so, we have a way to go in terms of infrastructure supporting the kind of VR seen in Ready Player One.

 

[seanreisk]

Bill Gates said that computer users would never need more than 1 MB of RAM.

Andrew Grove said that commercial processors would never shrink below a .1um feature size.

Bill Gates also thought that the internet was a fad. Servers would handle the sharing of files, that was as much internet as anyone would need.


Anyone who who daydreams about the future knows that something like the OASIS is coming. What we don't know is whether it will be interesting.

 

[FrgMstr]

Bill Gates said that computer users would never need more than 1 MB of RAM.

Andrew Grove said that commercial processors would never shrink below a .1um feature size.

Bill Gates also thought that the internet was a fad. Servers would handle the sharing of files, that was as much internet as anyone would need.


Anyone who who daydreams about the future knows that something like the OASIS is coming. What we don't know is whether it will be interesting.

Kyle said HardForum members will never need more than a 6-pack.

 

[FrgMstr]

Are you talking about a '6-pack', or 'a 6-pack'? That is , the opposite of having man-breasts, or an item useful in developing man-breasts?

P.S. I r teh confused, which is often.

Have another beer. Told you six was not enough.

 

[WBurchnall]

Bill Gates said that computer users would never need more than 1 MB of RAM.

256k ought to be enough for anyone... Was the quote attributed to him commonly but there's great debate if there's good evidence to support that quote.

 

[SuperSubZero]

It wasn't so much the graphics of OASIS nor the network but the scenes with the people running around on the street with VR headsets and virtual guns. Nevermind the complete and utterly insane public safety issues, but their network connections seemed to be flawless and they had very little extra hardware.

 

[MaZa]

I hope we pull it off one day. I have not seen the movie yet but I did read the book last week (or more like, listened the audiobook at work and now I am on second listen) and not only was the book really good I find myself deeply fascinated by the OASIS. And this is coming from a person who dislikes MMO games in general.

Bandwidth is a problem but as the last guy in the article said even the OASIS is split into 27 sectors with multiple zones in each sector. That can be exploited into dramatically reducing the bandwidth requirements. Problems happen only if everybody just happens to gather in one place for an epic battle. But even the OASIS did not start out that big in the book, it was much smaller thing until it gradually grew in size and eventually replaced/merged/became synonymous with the Internet and finally turned into what it is in the book. If we want to create something like OASIS we probably have to start with something small too and make it bigger as technology allows it.

 

[oldmanbal]

I know it's the current blockbuster film, but there have been identical portrayals of the all connected online universe for decades now in various media. It's been rehashed in dozens of different shapes and sizes but remains generally the same. It's the next logical evolution of our current social networks.

 

[ProfessorUtopia]

Where there's a will, there's a way. Ultimately, the market will dictate whether resources are allocated to such an endeavor. I believe the requisite demand will materialize, as more people get the opportunity to 'taste' immersive VR experiences.

Perhaps this is the answer to why we've not found evidence of alien civilizations; every technologically advanced species ends up building something like the OASIS, then stops giving 2 shits about exploring the 'IRL' universe. If they're like us in other ways, then it's probably for the best.

 

[Blakestr]

Where there's a will, there's a way. Ultimately, the market will dictate whether resources are allocated to such an endeavor. I believe the requisite demand will materialize, as more people get the opportunity to 'taste' immersive VR experiences.

Perhaps this is the answer to why we've not found evidence of alien civilizations; every technologically advanced species ends up building something like the OASIS, then stops giving 2 shits about exploring the 'IRL' universe. If they're like us in other ways, then it's probably for the best.

A matrix-style VR, maybe even a RP1 type VR, would be VERY dangerous ground for humanity. We rarely grow, as a species, in our leisure time. Usually we are pushed, backed into some corner. We need to get off this place and seed some other ones as soon as possible instead of falling asleep inside our playgrounds.

 

[BaGGy]

I hope we pull it off one day. I have not seen the movie yet but I did read the book last week (or more like, listened the audiobook at work and now I am on second listen) and not only was the book really good I find myself deeply fascinated by the OASIS. And this is coming from a person who dislikes MMO games in general.

Bandwidth is a problem but as the last guy in the article said even the OASIS is split into 27 sectors with multiple zones in each sector. That can be exploited into dramatically reducing the bandwidth requirements. Problems happen only if everybody just happens to gather in one place for an epic battle. But even the OASIS did not start out that big in the book, it was much smaller thing until it gradually grew in size and eventually replaced/merged/became synonymous with the Internet and finally turned into what it is in the book. If we want to create something like OASIS we probably have to start with something small too and make it bigger as technology allows it.

Additionally, the book emphasized on the design of OASIS a bit more. What I am failing to see get mentioned is the fact that OASIS was not just a game, but it was an operating system with hardware designed around it.

If a company were to start from scratch, by having the entire system built from scratch. I feel that we do have the technology necessary to establish this type of system, but how far do we go? For example, with Cryptomining ASICs are the best option in some cases due to their capabilities. If a game were designed and then the hardware was built to suit the game, we could likely build something far more evolutionary. However, the research and development costs would be cost-inefficient, thus no one would back it regardless of its potential.

 

[IcePickFreak]

I haven't seen the movie, but in OASIS is there a bunch of bunny-hopping, tea-bagging, and bastard children of whore mothers? Let's be realistic here how this would really turn out.

 

[philkight]

Because we are so computer focused, the immediate question we start asking is if the VR is possible right now. As others have pointed out, in the movie patron's are walking around with VR packs, where is the power coming from? I've seen some of the rechargeable stuff that was being worked on a few years ago, such as blocks or pavers that have pressure sensors for creating a charge, and maybe it can then be transferred via wireless.

 

[USMCGrunt]

I came out of the movie thinking we are about 75-80% there right now. The most exciting part is that VR, while having roots dating back decades, has only really seen consumer market presence for a few years. I feel like VR has a tremendous amount of growth that will happen very quickly in the next decade. Haptic feedback suits, glove type controllers, and walking platforms are all things that people have been working on since Oculus's DK1 re-ignited VR. OASIS isn't ten years away, but 20 years may get us to a rudimentary version.

 

[snowcrash]

It will never happen here in the US due to data caps. Capitalism is all about making money and all the ISP will make sure they monetize it to the max they can get away with.

If Oasis ever exists, it will just be the one percenters using it to babysit their kids as the parents work long hours every day.