虛擬現實
：邁向公眾的科技革命Virtual Reality
翻譯|呂潯 審核|張馳
虛擬現實：邁向公眾的科技革命
Broadly speaking, virtual reality refers to a modern high-tech method that takes computer technology as the core. By building, overlaying, and integrating virtual information into the real environment or virtual space, an integrated computing platform for interactive scenarios is formed.
廣義上來講，虛擬現實指的是一種以計算機技術為核心的現代高科技手段，通過將虛擬信息構建、疊加、融合於現實環境或虛擬空間，從而形成交互式場景的綜合計算平臺。
一
VR: The New Technological Revolution
VR：新的科技革命
Since the concept of virtual reality was proposed by Janet Lanier, an American computer scientist who was honored as the "father of virtual reality" in 1987, over 30 years of development, various VR virtual reality devices have emerged in an endless stream, and their equipment has become from bulky to lightweight.
1987年，被譽為“虛擬現實之父”的美國計算機科學家杰倫·拉尼爾，提出了虛擬現實的概念。在此後30多年的發展中，各種VR裝置層出不窮，其設備逐漸由笨重向輕便過渡。
From rough to fine, the concept moves from the laboratory to the public and the market.[2]
虛擬現實的理念也幾經磨合，走出實驗室，轉而面向公眾與市場。[2]
Current VR technology most commonly uses virtual reality headsets or multi-projected environments, sometimes in combination with physical environments or props, to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual or imaginary environment.
目前的VR技術通常使用虛擬現實耳機或多投影技術，有時結合物理環境或道具，生成逼真的圖像、聲音和其他感知載體，而這些感知載體能夠在虛擬（想象性）環境中，模擬用戶的真實在場情況。
Facebook has 400 employees focused on VR development; Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Sony and Samsung all had dedicated AR and VR groups. Dynamic binaural audio was common to most headsets released that year.
Facebook在VR研發領域啟用了400個員工；谷歌，蘋果，亞馬遜，微軟，索尼和三星都有專門的AR和VR團隊。動態雙耳音頻在當年發佈的大多數耳機中都很常見。
（扎克伯格同事Lucy與Michael的虛擬人像（Avatar）
圖片來源：新浪科技）
However, haptic interfaces were not well developed, and most hardware packages incorporated button-operated handsets for touch-based interactivity. Visually, displays were still of a low-enough resolution and frame-rate that images were still identifiable as virtual.
然而，觸覺界面的研發程度尚淺，且大多數硬件包都包含了按鈕操作的手持設備，以實現基於觸摸的交互性。在視覺上，顯示器的分辨率和幀頻仍然很低，圖像的真實感仍然不足。
二
Virtual Reality ——Integrate into People's Lives
融入人們生活的虛擬現實
The VR industry has the attention and support from the national policy, and has also initially received the attention and favor of consumers.
VR產業一方面既有國家政策層面的重視和支持，另一方面也初步得到了消費者的關注和青睞。
Virtual reality devices and technologies will be increasingly used in various industries and fields. Examples include medical, education, games, movie entertainment, news broadcasts, and social media.
虛擬現實設備和技術將越來越多地應用於各個行業和領域，例如醫療、教育、遊戲、電影娛樂、新聞播報以及社交媒體等等。
（1）News broadcast 新聞播報
In recent years, VR has gradually begun to show off in live broadcasts or recorded broadcasts, providing viewers with a different kind of visual experience. Many media, including the BBC, have integrated virtual reality in news broadcasts.
近年來,VR逐漸開始在節目直播或者錄播作中展露頭腳,為觀眾提供別樣的視覺體驗。包括BBC在內的很多媒體在新聞播報中融入虛擬現實。
They use virtual studio systems to seamlessly synthesize live video and computer-generated scene images in real time according to certain perspectives. Virtual reality actors are placed in virtual scenes. The screen output meets people's increasing appreciation requirements.
利用虛擬演播室系統把現場視頻與計算機生成的場景影像，按照一定的透視關係進行實時無縫合成，虛擬出真實演員置身於虛擬場景中的畫面輸出，以滿足人們不斷提高的欣賞需求。
The appearance of the virtual studio is a major change to the traditional studio technology. The fundamental difference between it and the traditional color keying technology lies in the introduction of information interaction technology in virtual reality technology.
虛擬演播室的出現是對傳統演播室技術的一次重大變革，它與傳統的色鍵摳像技術最根本的區別在於引入了虛擬現實技術中的信息交互技術。
Breaking the shackles of the traditional studio space, it can give full play to the creativity of the production staff and create effects that cannot be achieved under real conditions.
虛擬演播室擺脫了傳統演播室空間的束縛，充分發揮製作人員的創意，創作出在真實情況下無法達到的效果。
For example, the video wall can rise from the ground and then sink into the ground, the virtual characters perform on the same stage as the real people, and the actors of the two places can simultaneously compose a virtual scene.
比如電視牆可從地面升起再沉入地面、虛擬人物與真實人物的同臺演出、兩地演員同時合成在一個虛擬場景中等等。
At the same time, the video production staff also puts forward higher requirements to create. The novel high-quality programs require the close cooperation of directors, actors, creators of virtual scenes, virtual equipment operators, and lighting technicians.
當然，這對節目製作人員也提出了更高的要求。新穎且高質量的節目創作，必然需要導演、演員、虛擬場景創作者、虛擬設備操作者、燈光師等人員的密切配合。
（2）Video games電子遊戲
Due to the fact that the requirements for realism of VR in terms of entertainment are not too high, VR has developed most rapidly in this area.
因為人們對於VR在娛樂領域逼真度的要求並不高，所以它在此領域的發展也最為迅速。
Linden Labs, the inventor of the game “Second Life”, has built a next generation of virtual world platform: “Sansar” VR game was released in the spring of 2017. Linden Lab has been able to get rid of the “second life” paralysis, and it is completely VR from scratch. Different from Second Life, this time, Linden Lab no longer designs a huge, single virtual world.
林登實驗室——開發遊戲“第二人生”的公司，已經搭建了下一代虛擬世界平臺：於2017年春季發佈“Sansar”VR遊戲，跳脫了“第二人生”的桎梏，它是完全從零開始的VR。
（“第二人生”遊戲截圖 圖片來源：百度圖片）
They built Sansar into a virtual world platform. The creators themselves create their own dream world.
與“第二人生”不同的是，這一次，“Sansar”遊戲不再是一個巨大的，單一的虛擬世界，玩家可以創造自己夢想的世界。
It was originally designed for virtual reality, which means that it should be able to support various VR functions that are now common, such as "transport" mobility mechanisms or native support for common VR motion controllers.
由於該遊戲最初就是為虛擬現實而設計的，它能夠支持現在常見的各種VR功能，如“傳輸”移動機制或對常見VR運動控制器的本地支持。
Of course, most of the senior authors should use a variety of third-party tools to facilitate the creation of a more complex virtual world, but Sansar itself offers preset options for various functions, including creating scenes directly in VR.
當然，大多數高級遊戲玩家需要使用各種第三方工具來創建更復雜的虛擬世界，但“Sansar”本身提供了各種功能的預設選項，例如直接在VR中創建場景。
（3）Social interaction 社交互動
Facebook unveiled its first foray into social VR in 2017, giving users a new way to interact with each other through avatar-based chats and shared media experiences.
2017年,Facebook在加利福尼亞首次亮相社交VR，為用戶提供了一種交流和共享媒體體驗的新方式。
Facebook Spaces, lets users design their own avatars, and then meet with up to three of their friends in a virtual space of their choosing.
Facebook Spaces讓用戶設計自己的形象，然後在他們選定的虛擬空間中與朋友們見面。
Upon first entering Spaces with a VR headset, a user has to create his or her avatar as a digital representation of their persona. Users can also decide to start from scratch, and select the color of their avatar’s skin, the shape of their mouth, the hair style, and more.
首次使用VR頭戴式耳機進入Spaces時，用戶必須創建自己的形象，他們可以從頭開始，選擇他們頭像的皮膚顏色，嘴巴的形狀，髮型等等。
Users can then invite any of their Facebook friends to join them in Spaces; Users can do video calls from within VR to talk to other users, even if those users don’t have a VR headset.
然後，用戶可以邀請他們Facebook中的朋友加入Spaces，還可以在VR中進行視頻通話，甚至和其他沒有VR耳機的用戶交談。
Once in a shared space, users can access a curated selection of 360-degree photos and videos to virtually “travel” to these locations. Users can also access their own photos and videos, and any media shared on their Facebook news feed. Traditional 2D media can be shared with friends within spaces on a kind of virtual screen.
一旦進入共享空間，用戶可以進入360度照片和視頻場景，靠自己的虛擬形象在這些地方“旅行”。用戶還可以訪問他們自己的照片和視頻，也可以進入其Facebook新聞饋送中分享出來的任何媒體。人們還可以通過一種虛擬屏幕，與空間內的朋友分享。
Spaces also allows users to create media, to a degree: The app comes with its own virtual selfie stick, which can be used to take group selfies in front of 360-degree photos and videos, making it more or less look like the avatars are visiting waterfalls and famous buildings around the world.
此外，Spaces還允許用戶在一定程度上創建媒體：該應用程序帶有自己的虛擬自拍杆，可用於拍攝360度照片和視頻，看上去就像是自己在參觀世界各地的瀑布和著名建築。
Users can then share these selfies on their Facebook feeds, much like they would with a regular selfie.
然後用戶可以在他們的Facebook供稿上分享這些自拍，就像他們的日常自拍一樣。
Eventually, the company wants to enable developers to build in-app games and media services, which could make it possible to, for example, listen to music together, or maybe play tabletop games.
最終，Facebook希望開發人員能夠在應用內開發遊戲和媒體服務，這樣，大家就可以在VR的世界裡一起聽音樂或者玩桌面遊戲等等。
三
How to greet VR
迎接VR
Engineers have solved most of the hardware challenges, driven down the price to just a few hundred dollars. Store shelves will soon be teeming with head-mounted displays and hand controllers that can paint dazzling virtual worlds.
現在的VR工程師已經解決了大部分的硬件問題，其價格也低至幾百美元。市面上也將很快出現頭戴式顯示器和手控制器，可以用來繪製令人眼花繚亂的虛擬世界。
（Oculus Touch操縱手柄 圖片來源：新浪科技）
While welcoming the virtual world, we must consider the challenges it brings.
在迎接虛擬世界的同時，我們當然也要考慮到它帶來的挑戰。
For example, the news media needs to handle the balance between virtual reality and news content; the development company is looking for new ways to realize cash; and more importantly, users must be vigilant about virtual reality.
例如新聞媒體要處理好虛擬現實與新聞內容的平衡；開發公司尋找新的變現方式；更重要的是，使用者要警惕虛擬現實帶來的“虛擬沉溺”。
After all, the "virtual indulging" comes after the smart machine has attracted a lot of attention. When the technology of virtual reality is more advanced, will we ignore the real world around us?
畢竟，智能機就已經吸引了我們很大一部分的注意力。當虛擬現實的技術更加先進時，我們會不會進一步忽略掉身邊的現實世界？
As the father of virtual reality put it, "My opinion is that apart from people, technology is nothing. It's kind of like a philosophical point of view. I don't think there is technology that exists independently. It's all about how you use it. This is all about people. There really is no other thing."
就如虛擬現實之父所說的，“我認為離開了人，技術便一無是處。”這裡面好像有點哲學的意味。技術不可能獨立存在，它總要取決於你利用它的方式。沒有了人，一切都只是空談。”
參考文獻「Reference」
[1] 鈞雷,陳韻林,安樂,宋海濤等.虛擬現實+：平行世界的商業與未來[M].中信出版社,2016.3-27.
[2] 雷霞.虛擬現實主動性感知意義探析[J].現代傳播,2017,(12):86-89.
[3] P. Dempsey.VR at the Olympics[J].Volume 11, Issue 7,August 2016,p.30-33.
Tekla S. Perry.Virtual reality goes social.Spectrum, IEEE.0018-9235.Issue53.2016.56-57.
（文中未註明詳細來源圖片來自互聯網中可被允許使用的作品）
編輯：方亞東
