SXSW Interactive 2015

Suspension of Disbelief in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) intends to temporarily fool our senses into believing the virtual environment is reality. To create this artificial experience, both hardware and software are required to take into account how we interact with the world and how the world changes in our presence. A physical VR system cannot hinder our acceptance of the virtual world and must allow for natural body movements in the physical space while accurately portraying those actions in the virtual environment. This panel will discuss how current and developing advancements in virtual reality software and hardware will both simulate our senses and suspend our disbelief to make the virtual become real. Panelists will also touch on the moral and ethical implications of an immersive virtual world.