The probable arrival of Apple’s Vision Pro headset in Canada later this year is already making Montreal virtual and augmented reality specialists dream. At Felix & Paul Studios, we sense a renewed interest even in space towards immersive content designed expressly for this type of digital environment.
Felix & Paul Studios has already carried out several virtual reality shoots in space. Under an agreement with NASA, among others, the Montreal audiovisual production studio broadcast live and in virtual reality the takeoff of the rocket Artemis I last year. Ultimately, the Artemis project should lead astronauts to set foot in the flesh on the Moon somewhere around 2026. This would be the first return of man to the satellite since 1972.
At the time of the first step on the Moon, in 1969, whatever the deniers say, the event was broadcast live on television. Paul Raphaël, the co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios who these days serves as its chief innovation officer, would find it strange not to see the next moon landing broadcast live in a, shall we say, slightly more modern way. “It would be strange if this time, after all these decades, we only broadcast in real time on TV, once again,” he said in an interview with Duty. ” See Artemis landing live? Of course we would like to do that. »
This is because, like TV before it, the technology behind virtual reality has progressed greatly in recent years, and it will undoubtedly continue to do so in the years to come. The best example is the most recent batch of headsets, courtesy of Meta and Apple among others, notes Paul Raphaël.
The helmet war
The Quest 3 launched last fall by Facebook’s parent company is focused mainly on video games, but the Vision Pro, whose sale Apple limits to buyers located in the United States who do not mind its retail price of $ 3,499 US ($4,717 CA), seems particularly promising for content like that created by Felix & Paul.
Like TV, virtual reality seems to have reached an initial plateau in recent months. Meta even stopped talking about its “metaverse” last year, an expression from which the company led by Mark Zuckerberg has taken its name since October 2021.
But that doesn’t scare the co-founder of Felix & Paul. The Montreal studio is quietly duplicating its immersive productions so that they can be viewed both using an Apple Vision Pro and using a Meta Quest headset.
“Many people wonder how many trials it will take before virtual reality really takes off. Will it be a failure like 3D TV? I think you have to be patient. The possibilities when you are not limited by a two-dimensional image on a rectangular screen is a profound change. It takes time to set up. »
Apple’s entry into the market could be a positive sign. Rumor suggests that the Vision Pro could be sold in Canada in the coming months. The same rumor indicates that Google and Samsung are closely monitoring interest in Apple’s headset, which could determine whether they will in turn jump into the virtual reality adventure.
Will it be a failure like 3D TV? I think you have to be patient.
“We feel a new wave of enthusiasm towards technology thanks to the new headsets from Apple and Meta,” assures Paul Raphaël, who agrees: prices will have to fall and applications will have to diversify. “But eventually, all manufacturers will have a range of headsets with different prices, and the ecosystem will be enriched with applications,” he says.
It’s a bit of a chicken and egg dilemma. What should come first? Technology or users? For Felix & Paul, who still has nothing concrete to announce regarding its possible presence on the Moon, the question seems rather to be: Apple or Meta? Who will the Montreal studio agree with to send its cameras into space once again?