About
DIY Virtual Reality Open Source Future
$62,909
1,238
What is DIYVR?
1 – Open, web-based software development tools for Virtual Reality.
2 – Accessible and adaptable Cardboard Smartphone VR toolkits that convert your smartphone into your very own Virtual Reality viewer
We’ve partnered with Virtual Reality pioneer, author, and developer extraordinaire Tony Parisi and his organization Third Eye to add VR support to the open source GLAM software. The proceeds from this campaign will help create software tools that will streamline web-based VR development.
Virtual Reality is the next new media platform, but its arrival has been hamstrung by expensive hardware and proprietary software. With your help, we can blow this industry wide open and accelerate its arrival by years. You can help any web developer be a Virtual Reality developer.
We’ll reward you generously with some fun perks, but the real reward will be all the awesome Virtual Reality games, apps and experiences to come!
Smart industry people agree:
Vladamir Vukicevic, creator of WebGL and the development lead for Mozilla's WebVR has said, “The opportunity for VR on the Web is particularly exciting. The Web is a vibrant, connected universe where many different types of experiences can be created and shared. People can be productive, have fun and learn all from within their browser."
James Lindenbaum, founder of Heroku and Heavybit says "Creating a platform for developers to build VR software with ease is the key to unlocking this huge and exciting market. This project is a great start on that platform."
Jim Quanci , Senior Director Developer Network, Autodesk says, “With the now ubiquitous support for WebGL on virtually all devices and browsers, the Web is going 3D with a vengeance. This has created a huge opportunity for do-it-yourself VR that DODOcase and Third Eye are pursuing with encouragement and support from Autodesk that you can get in on too by funding this Kickstarter”
David Catuhe from Microsoft (creator of Babylon.js) says "We clearly need a way to get affordable virtual really on the web, I'm convinced that DIYVR is one of them."
Taylor Freeman, Chief Evangelist , UploadVR said “Making VR more accessible to the masses is key to the growth of the industry. The software and hardware goals of this campaign will help accelerate the industry and fuel the growth of the global Upload VR community. Please show your support and help us ensure the lasting success of VR!”
Mark Pesce, Futurist and Researcher said “With DODOcase, billions of smartphones become windows into another world. It's the rebirth of VR - cheap, dirty, homebrew, and a lot of fun. Add in great, open tools - like GLAM - it’s never been so easy to explore the world inside our minds.”
Leap Motion, makers of 3D motion controllers, say "We're living on the verge of being able to carry alternate realities in our pockets. Right now, developers are just beginning to explore the possibilities of inexpensive and ubiquitous VR – and thanks to open and accessible web-based platforms like DIYVR, the future will be as universal as today's web."
Rewards:
Virtual Reality Kits:
DC1: Developer Cardboard One - Smartphone Virtual Reality Viewer. Based on the DODOcase Smartphone VR Viewer, this developer version included not only our patent pending V1.2 Viewer, but also a Magnetic Input and a Leap Motion Mount. This kit is ONLY available on Kickstarter and will ship this year to all Early Birds.
Accessories:
Hat Mount – HMU – You’ve asked us for a way to strap the viewer to your heads, but that’s no fun. The Hat Mount will allow you to mount the Cardboard VR Viewer to any baseball hat. Kickstarter exclusive.
DIYVR Limited Edition Velcro Patch – Show your pride and support of the DIYVR movement with this limited edition patch.
DIYVR Limited Edition Trucker Hat - Show your pride and support of the DIYVR movement with this limited edition Trucker Hat.
Use of proceeds:
With your support we will be able to build open source software that brings smartphone VR support to Tony Parisi’s open source platform, GLAM.
Here are some of the things we will be able to build with your help:
How does Smartphone VR work?
·Place your phone inside of the viewer… and download VR apps right from the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store. In the future, with your support we want you to be able to use VR right in your web browser so you can navigate VR just like the Internet.
·Fire up your favorite VR app. Several are currently available for download free of charge, check out the DODOcase VR app on Android to find a list of what is availble already.
·Tilt your head. The phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer registers the movement in real time, passing it on to the software and the graphics chip to re-calculate the image you see.
·The software creates two distinct images, one for the left eye, and one for the right. Separate, with subtle changes to create the illusion of depth and 3D effect.
·The lenses make the screen both visible up close (the software tunes them specifically for this), while limiting the radius of each eye's viewable area… without seeing the edges, the brain interprets the full 180-degree experience required to be fully immersed.
·The addition of the patent pending trigger on the right side of the viewer, allows for more than just “looking around” the 3D environment… go ahead and interact!
What about Oculus?
The Oculus Rift set out to create a virtual reality gaming headset tethered to a computer. Via Kickstarter they were able to raise $2.5 million selling developer kits costing $300 and a year later they were sold to Facebook for billions. It’s a great product, but it is expensive and now tightly controlled. We believe in order for Virtual Reality to be successful, it has to be mobile, it has to be accessible and it has to be open, like the web.
Risks and challenges
DODOcase has our own factory and is very familiar with the challenges of manufacturing and fulfilling hundreds of thousands of products. We have already tested all of the products we are offering as rewards and know they work and how to manufacture them.
There is always risk in building hardware, potential unexpected delays in materials or errors. We believe we have taken all appropriate steps to minimize these risks and feel very confident in our ability to keep our word on delivering all products on the promised timeline.
Software development also has risks. Things can be more difficult to implement than anticipated. Given Tony Parisi's experience with WebGl and 3D development we think we have a world expert who understands all of these risks and will be able to develop world class open source software.
Learn about accountability on Kickstarter