Breathtaking Sense of Presence!
Disclosure:This review is of a freely provided copy of the software, but is not sponsored by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
As a big fan of Wander, and similar virtual reality travel experiences, I was keen to learn of another app that offered a similar experience in App Labs.
One of the appeals of this app, for me personally, was the fact that it was set in Scotland, which is close to home for a UK Ex Pat living in the USA.
More appealing, was the notion of a Wander-like experience that was based around 360 video, rather than static images.
My first surprise, upon launching the app, was that it worked completely independently of touch controllers.
The implementation of the navigation system is highly polished and effective, however. As such, I can see how this would immediately circumvent any issues that may otherwise be experienced by individuals with certain disabilities.
Navigation is split into three areas/mechanisms:
* World Map
* Country Map
* Location
The world map, activated by looking at its icon at the lower part of your field of view, shows the ambition of the author, and the potential of this application going forward.
Each continent and country is shown, with several clearly labeled as potential future destinations.
Whilst the current scope is limited to Scotland, expansion to cover other countries and locations is clearly on the cards, and shows may hour of potential enjoyment for the future. Gazing at this location will take you to the country map.
The country map, in this case Scotland, has bullet points for key locations to where you may travel. Simply gaze at a bullet point, and you will be teleported to that location.
This is where the sense of presence first hit home for me. I could see birds flying in the sky, waves crashing upon the beach, and almost feel the wind blowing through my hair (well, perhaps not quite, but almost!).
This was a level above Wander.
As I looked around, I noticed the third means of navigation.
Within each location you may find points of interest, marked with an indicator positioned relative to its location within your field of view in this virtual world.
Once again, simply gazing at the marker teleported me to the associated point of interest within the location.
Gazing upwards to the sky, I was able to return to the map, from where I could find panels of information to the right. The panel contains a thumbnail of the location, and interesting information about the location.
As you travel around, your experience is enhanced by gentle, unobtrusive background music. For those would prefer not to hear such music, however, there is an option to disable this.
Overall, I was very impressed by the polish and content of this app. I have by no means visited each location in Scotland yet, perhaps about a third of them, but look forward to returning there soon, and hopefully new countries in the slightly more distant future.
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