5
 
 
  
6:35 AM, Tuesday, February 7th, 2023:
 
I feel like I'm screaming into a wind-tunnel.
 
They feeling I have watching the end of this video in a VR headset is so similar to the anxiety of the moment, I can't even express it in words. I was holding my breath, I couldn't believe how fast I was maneuvering considering the actual humans I was passing... it was wildly uncomfortable and that goddamned Steve Irwin mother-fucker with his passive aggressive "mate" shit made me SEETHE. Could I have felt that with a flat video? Sure. I'm an empath, I can imagine the surroundings and get sucked in... and well, maybe that's the issue - it's like watching a movie in the theater or watching it on your phone. I've been sucked into things on my phone before... but the immersiveness of a theater has a value as does the shared experience of a big space.
 
But man, in a headset? It's so intimate. You're just there. You're so there in fact you notice the things that aren't perfect, like the shake or the focus... but it's pretty damn close. Of course when I overlay pictures or flat video you instantly understand just how SOFT the regular camera is. And it's frustrating because if you watch that same video flat? It's so clear and clean it boggles the fucking mind. Put it an inch from your face? You see the flaws.
 
Now after this I did figure out some focus things that should at least allow me to get a bit closer for things that are far away. Close-up shots... jesus I haven't even posted the video. Here:
 
 
So yeah, the close up stuff in that video? It's fine. That's the problem with fisheye lenses: There's simply a limit to what you can do. There's an inherent softness because of the literal design of the lens. It's best when up close - like the shots at the bar.
 
I've also been talking with a few friends with varying IPDs (inter-pupilary distance) and it's quite clear that if your two eyes aren't close to the distance between the two lenses on the camera? It causes eye strain and makes you feel like shit is TOO CLOSE. It's different for everyone and why this will always be a somewhat niche experience. The camera lenses have to presume an average of distance between the eyes and man, that's simply never gonna be perfect for the masses. 2D will always work because the viewer is focusing on the flat subject on the screen. 3D requires some guessing. But for those where it works? Goodness. It's an overwhelming feeling. If they can find a way to make it more comfortable for everyone, it will become the norm...
 
...and a lot of companies really believe they'll be able to. I'm suddenly not so sure. Like literally while writing that last paragraph it hit me. If they can't make this a comfortable experience for everyone? It won't be adopted by even a small majority. VR is a little different, as the IPD on the lenses of the headset itself can be adjusted. You can't adjust the lenses on the camera however. Ya gotta pick one and go with it... and hope you hit the most people. That makes it very, very niche.
 
Hmmm. Still more people than watch the normal journey. LMAO.
 
Anyway - for those that this works with? OMG I cannot wait for you to see it. JEEESUS. For everyone else? Thankfully it works flat - too. Yay for YouTube being able to make that all co-exist. Too bad you can only show my shit in 4k. Grrr.
 
Adam