Last month, in an academic congregation at Northumbria University, I was formally awarded a Master of Science Digital and Technology Specialist (Data & Analytics) with Distinction.

Look! Actual proof!

Thanks to Mike, my Father-in-Law, for ripping that stream.

As my research was about "Exploring the visualisation of hierarchical cybersecurity data within the Metaverse", I thought it only fitting that I had a formal photo taken wearing the damned headset.

Don't worry, I also got a couple of sensible photos for my parents and in-laws.

Right! What's next?

OK, that's a lie. It's a pretty good tech demo of what one vision of the future could look like. But it is making a little bit of my brain itch.

What Government services⁰ could / should be run in the Metaverse?

Obviously, the answer is "none". Sure, you could create a virtual job centre, housing office, or DMV - but would you want to sit in a virtual waiting room for a couple of hours waiting for your name to be called? No. Even if the room was designed to look like a spaceship and the staffs' avatars were funky robots, it would be a pointless experience.

Or would it? One of the worst things about waiting on hold on the phone is the inability to see how fast a queue is moving. Would you like to see a visual representation of how long you had to wait? Would it calm and reassure you if your case-worker looked like a friendly muppet rather than a disembodied voice?

(There's a side issue of whether VR headsets are likely to be owned by people going to a job centre. At the moment, a Quest 2 is about the same sort of price as a mid-tier smartphone - so the equipment isn't out of reach for all but the richest. Many people at the job centre were previously in employment and would have had enough disposable income to buy one.)

The other things which tickles my fancy is the idea of using humans' natural spatial awareness and memory. One of the great things about browsing the Web in the Metaverse is the ability to physically place screens around you. No more alt-tabbing. Twitter is a small screen by your feet, the news is a big screen up and to the left, and so on. It quickly becomes really convenient to remember where tabs are in 3D space, rather than a one-dimensional browser tab bar.

If you're applying for a Government service, and need to provide evidence, would it be helpful for you to have all your files laid out in front of you?

Remember, the youth of today don't understand how file systems work. So having a large visualisation of their documents may be just what they need in order to present their evidence.

People who have played the amazing game "Papers Please" will recognise just how difficult it is to organise lots of documents on a small screen.

Is this sensible?

We shouldn't be recreating offline experiences - turning unlimited potential into a janky skeuomorph. Otherwise you end up with this abomination:

Homo Digitalis

@DigitalisHomo

This is how Walmart envisions Shopping in the #Metaverse.

Thoughts? 💭 pic.x.com/5l7khobse7

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(OK, that's a 2017 tech demo rather than a real product)

Queuing up to speak to an advisor or handing over documentation are probably the stupidest examples I could come up with.

But there's something there.

It's very easy to go from filling in a paper form to filling in a web form.

And it's easy to go from an in-person chat to a typed-chat or video-chat.

So what are the governmenty things which can go from "X" to "X-but-in-the-Metaverse"?

A few ideas

Here are a few random ideas which might lend themselves to a VR experience. Remember - I am not a VR expert, nor do I have the ability to put any of these ideas into practice.

• Does an inspector need to visit an abattoir, farm, or factory? Would it be easier to ship a robot to the location and have it controlled by inspectors in a remote location?

• How do you test whether people know how to perform an emergency drill? Running an exercise in a Nuclear power station is expensive - so strap everyone in to a headset and have them play in a Digital Twin.

• UK driving tests already have a video-based hazard perception test. Could the entire driving test take place in VR?

• If you are offered council housing, would you like to be able to view the property in VR before deciding if you wanted to move?

• Would hustings and other public discussions benefit from being in the Metaverse? A remote video call is good - but being able to collaboratively look over a 3D model of proposed designs for a new shopping centre might be helpful.

• Should a jury in a trial use the Metaverse to visualise where a suspect was found? Or to see a visualisation of a reconstruction of a crime scene?

Some (most?) of these ideas are ridiculous. Some could be commonplace in the future. The Metaverse might explode like the Web or collapse like MySpace. But I think it's a good idea for any organisation to play with new technology and explore ideas. You never know what the future will bring.

It is a tantalising glimpse of a future which isn't quite here yet. I dislike Facebook's Meta's vision of the Metaverse - but the tech is undoubtedly fun when it works.

I remember using VR way back in the 1990s. When on holiday, games arcades often had a VR helmet. I wasted all my pocket money on virtual tanks, creeping through virtual dungeons, and generally feeling virtually claustrophobic.

A few years ago I tinkered around with Google Cardboard. Finally! VR was cheap and available to the masses! Just flip your phone on the side and off you go.

Sadly, the world didn't bite. VR still suffers from the same two problem that it always has. First, no one has enough space. This was a problem which the Xbox Kinect faced in the UK / EU. Our living spaces are generally a lot smaller than those in the USA - and the Kinect just couldn't cope. If you took a step forward from your couch, it lost sight of you.

VR has the same problem. You need a large amount of dedicated floorspace, and no cats, kids, or clutter to bash into. Otherwise you're just sat on your arse on a spinning chair.

The second problem is that VR is fundamentally alienating for everyone else in the room with you. If you're playing a console game, your friends or family can watch what you're doing. If you're strapped into VR, you're like a junkie in the corner giggling away at sprites only you can see.

This is why Facebook Meta are heavily pushing the idea that the Metaverse is a place to socialise. Because otherwise you're just a lonely git ignoring everyone around you.

Anyway, I bought a 2nd hand Meta Quest 2 from a kid who was bored of using it. It's partly for my MSc, and partly so I can see what the fuss is all about.

I'm a sceptic and a grumpy old fart - so adjust your expectations accordingly.

First Impressions

The Quest uses USB-C to recharge! Hurrah! I feared I'd need a proprietary Zuckercable - but it came with USB and plug. Except... the Quest controllers are not rechargeable!

This seems bonkers to me - especially as you can buy AA batteries which recharge via USB-C

It also demands a mobile phone be paired with it. There's no indication of why. If you don't have a phone, you're out of luck. There's no way to even demo the unit without a companion app. Again, a needlessly user-hostile action. Luckily, there's a workaround to log in with a developer account.

Once in, and after the requisite multi-gigabyte updates, it's a pretty good experience.

Play Time

The tutorial app is pretty fun. Dancing with a robot, throwing paper planes, shooting laser beams. It's nifty - but hardly revolutionary. Holding a gun in VR looks cool, but fundamentally isn't any different from Nintendo's Duck Hunt from 1984. The grab-and-manipulate mechanic is similar to the Nintendo Wii.

The brightly coloured graphics make everything pop - but hide the fact that things are generally low-resolution in order to keep things running smoothly.

The interface is adequately intuitive. It does a reasonable job of guiding you through the set-up. Everything is cartoony and playful. If you slip in to pass-through mode (where you can see the real world) the cameras show you a fuzzy & greyed-out picture - almost as if to emphasise how dull the ordinary world is compared to the Metaverse.

I was impressed at how well it let me define the safe space around my body, and it did an excellent job of preventing me from walking into walls. No mean feat given how clumsy I am.

The app store looked neat - but there didn't seem to be an easy way to filter for free games. And while Beat Sabre and Darth Vader™ look like fun, I'm unwilling to plonk down £30 without a free demo. Given the expense of the hardware, the need to keep people hooked, and the novelty of the medium it feels like a weird misstep. I'm sure there are some cool free experiences, but the Quest doesn't make them easy to find.

After an hour or so of playing, it whined about needing more power. So I returned to the mundane world.

Through A Glass Darkly

The original problems with VR are all still there. Getting interpupillary distance correct is a bit of trial and error. I was expecting to be able to adjust the distance between lenses while wearing the headset. Instead you have to remove the headset and manually adjust. That makes it difficult to share the headset with friends.

Adjusting the tightness of the headset is a bit tricky. It's a loop of fabric which is impossible to adjust while you're wearing the headset. Unless the headset is really tight, the picture quickly becomes blurry. But when the picture is clear, it's pretty pixelated. It's a lose-lose situation. Reading text is just about OK, but gets tiresome quickly as your eyes struggle to focus.

And, if the strap is too tight, it's painful and sweaty.

Peripheral vision is limited. Without a radical change in screen shape, there's not much can be done about that.

The sound is compellingly good. Even without headphones. There's great directionality. Although, it does stutter now and again.

Hand tracking is weirdly accurate. The hand controllers do a reasonable job of mapping your finger movements. Picking up objects and interacting with them is intense. So much so that I tried to put down an object on a virtual table and nearly dropped the controller on the floor! Thank heaven for wrist straps!

And then the tracking gets confused and your hand isn't where you expect it to be. Your proprioception goes out of whack and the illusion breaks.

That's where the problem lies. The key thing about VR is that when you're in, you're in! But it only takes a dropped frame, skipped audio, or glitchy bit of tracking to drag you out of the illusion.

Verdict

I got a 2nd hand Quest on the cheap. I'd have been pretty narked if I'd paid full price for this sub-par experience. I've only played it for an hour, so I doubt I've experienced the full range of wonder. But it's a slow and choppy start. I can see the potential, but have yet to experience anything compelling. It's a bit like playing Night Trap on the Sega MegaCD - yes, this is what the future of interactive movies could look like. But, no, it's not likely to grab mainstream attention.

In a world of 4K consoles delivering cinematic quality visuals, the Quest's graphics looks like an N64 in comparison.

The tech is tantalisingly close. The experience is reasonable fun - if you're happy with a heavy, battery hungry, face-hugger strapped to you.

VR is like cold-fusion. It's going to be amazing next year. Next year the glasses will be smaller. Next year the graphics will be better. Next year the battery will last longer. Next year the hand tracking will be more accurate. Next year... Next year... Next year...

Sadly, I don't have a Virtual Reality system - feel free to buy me one! - but I have the next best thing. A web browser!

Demo!

Using the awesome power of A-Frame, here's a demo of how to view a conversation object as AR.

Play!

You can play with it yourself at TweeView.ml/ar. You will need to download this AR target image.

It works best printed onto matt white paper, then mounted on card. I had to print it twice on the same piece of paper to get the required blackness.

Build!

This is built on several bits of open source tech.

The first part is A-Frame and AR.js

<script src="https://aframe.io/releases/1.0.0/aframe.min.js" integrity="sha384-mAWNMpx7UQMegsgs1X2mE9wVl/svgdzdy4qpXNFgAxUmc8a1ToRWVWl3tzfDinBb" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/ar.js/aframe/build/aframe-ar.min.js" integrity="sha384-vLi7A1RlJjrEmCqF2DrdIT9cLqHdV/7GbmsqfniwwtfLRQlP1lXi/Tk199ZCLU5p" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

Next is ForceGraph AR

<script src="https://unpkg.com/3d-force-graph-ar" integrity="sha384-ERqZX7SBS3fH2SL04csG8OB9QyOF2LtDsZtRrJZR46WipKv7LqplBgM/GoFPjyfQ" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

I recommend copying them to your local server rather than relying on a CDN.

The <body> of your HTML page needs a target the AR window can attach to:

<div id="3d-graph"></div>

Construct the graph which will be displayed in the browser:

<script>
   const Graph = ForceGraphAR({ markerAttrs: { type:'pattern', url:'/path/to/pattern.patt' }})
      (document.getElementById('3d-graph'))
         .jsonUrl('/path/to/graph.json')
         .glScale(160)
         .yOffset(1)
         .nodeRelSize(10)
         .nodeOpacity(0.9)
         .linkOpacity(0.9)
         .nodeColor(0x0000ff)
         .linkOpacity(1)
         .linkCurvature(0)
         .linkWidth(2)
         .linkDirectionalArrowLength(6)
         .linkDirectionalArrowColor(0x00ff00)
         .linkColor(() => 'red');
</script>

In order to generate a "target" (that's the physical object that is being tracked) use the AR.js Marker Generator. That will deliver you two things.

1. A .patt file. This is a digital representation of the pattern.
2. A .png or .pdf file. This is the thing you print off and show in front of your camera.

Finally, you'll need a graph object in JSON format to pass to ForceGraphAR.

You'll then end up with something like this:

Ruben Casas 🦊

@Infoxicador

Attending my first in person event since the pandemic.

#TapIntoTwitter hosted by @gerardsans and @coderinheels

Nothing better than a cool live demo.

🤯 pic.x.com/qw1ifom7fh

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Grab the code

All of this is available as open source on my GitHub repo.

Enjoy!

There are some areas which it does impress though.

Scale.

Half-a-dozen years ago - during one of VR's periodic hype-phases - an employer asked me and my team to "do something interesting" with all the expensive VR kit they'd bought on a whim.

We looked at virtual store walkthroughs, simulating the view from a theatre seat, or a view of the country from above overlaid with shiny graphics. None really sparked the imagination.

Then, we had the genius idea of graphs.

Yup! Bar charts!

The tyranny of the A4 print out can't be overstated. Every graph is reduced to the same size. Differences are erased. The massive disparity between columns are squished down. Even a 65 inch, 4K TV doesn't really show scale.

But VR does!

We tried a few different things - riding roller coasters over the data, sky diving through the numbers, even rendering the data as monsters and shooting them with lasers.

But, in the end, the thing that impressed was scale.

Here's a quick demo I knocked up in A-Frame. (I don't have the original data or hoards of graphic designers to make things look halfway decent. Nor a copy of Unity. Just fill in with your imagination.)

It's a pretty OK way to visualise the data. Imagine some labels and axis on there - you can see how wandering around it would give you a sense of the data.

"Now," you tell your CEO, "gaze upwards..."

Whoa! From playing around with small numbers to suddenly being confronted by the overwhelming power of a giant number.

Look, is this the best way to visualise data? No! Probably not. Is it a good way to visualise data? Also no!

But it is good at preventing a certain class of problem when viewing data:

Most of the time, statistical graphs are static. Occasionally, they're animated. But when you need to impress on someone the magnitude of a number - sometimes VR is the answer.

Using the headset, I was able to take a virtual tour of a Unicef aid drop. As with all 360 experiences, it takes a little getting used to - but then it is fully immersive. A minute-long video clip is more persuasive than a bit of patter from a charity worker.

The kit being used is a BoboVR - which claims to be the "most cost effective VR glasses in China".

You can buy one for around £30 - no doubt cheaper in bulk. The phone inside looked like a Samsung Galaxy S6 or similar. I only got a brief look - it may have been a cheaper generic handset.

Unicef have been trialling this technology under their "Virtuous Reality" programme. You can get a sense of what they're trying to do from their promo videos

You can view several of the videos at Unicef360.com - there's an app for Android and iPhone, or you can watch in your browser.

Criticisms

As my friend Tony points out, asking people to experience VR on a crowded London street isn't necessarily a sensible idea.

I disliked it, they wanted me to stick on something in a crowded street that would stop me from seeing around me. No thanks. Tony Osbourn - 23 Feb 2017

Could someone have stolen my wallet, or assaulted me while I was "blind"? Probably. That's a risk I was comfortable with - others may not be.

Do people know enough about 360 video to want to experiment with it in public? I didn't see anyone other than myself using it.

Is it calibrated right? VR video usually needs to be focussed for an individual's eyesight preferences. A blurry video is worse than no video at all.

Data speeds even in central London can be slow. It took a few minutes for the VR experience to load fully. Time that the chugger used to great advantage to tell me about the important work Unicef are doing.

Battery life is still an issue. Even modern phones with large batteries will only last for a few hours of VR video.

But, all that said, it is a fascinating way to encourage charitable giving. In the UK, charities hungrily devoured mobile campaigning - both in terms of marketing and donations via Premium SMS. VR seems like the next logical step.

Donate

If you can, please donate to Unicef https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/