PanoTools NG:
Game changer
mark sroufe markgambier@... 2015-Jan-11 19:48:27
I recently purchased a Samsung Gear VR immersive headset. Built in conjunction with Oculus (using their design and software standards), the Gear VR is a virtual reality viewer, which let's the user walk through a virtual castle, fly along side galloping wild horses, etc. The headset comes with a number of kinds of content . . . movie trailers, film and animation shorts, games, etc. Most of those are in 3D. A head-mount viewer is perfect for 3D since there are no need for filters or glasses, which give some people a headache. With a VR viewer the right eye is shown one image and the other is shown a (slightly) different image, which is essentially how your eyes work.
The Gear VR also comes with some 360 panos and 360 pano video. When you are wearing the VR headset you view the 360 content by moving your head to where you want to look, meaning you have to turn your head and body to look at the entire horizontal portion of the image/video, and you must tip your head up or down to see the rest (or moving on X and Y axis at the same time. In other words, it is exactly how you would look around somewhere in the real world.
The 3D content is simply amazing. You actually feel your stomach drop when you "ride" a roller coaster.
The one truly glaring problem was that all the 360 photos (showing amazing sights from all around the world) were only 2D. While they were nice, they were flat. I could not help but see the opportunities missed by the photographers. Obviously, for many of the panos, they traveled to the ends of the earth to get these shots and they only shot 2D, completely missing out on creating content for an entirely new medium. The 3D 360 Video was amazing where you were up on stage in the middle of Cirq d Soile, or flying down a fiord only to look behind you to see a thundering waterfall. Awesome.
In addition to the Samsung Gear VR out on the market, electronic device maker Razer is also introducing a VR headset. Oculus itself will finally be offering its consumer VR viewer this year as well. More units are coming. Over the next few years, demand for 3D panos will go through the roof (compared to the market demand now).
What I'm saying -- IMHO -- is that while there will always be those who prefer or generally enjoy 2D panos, the future will belong to 3D panos.