Developing content for the virtual reality market has become a major priority, but there is a small detail: the professional equipment needed is beyond traditional budgets. Inspired by the famous Cardboard project, Google joined forces with GoPro to create Jump, a structure compatible with 16 cameras that record coordinated and synchronized high-definition 360-degree video.
The High Cost of Virtual Reality
Almost at the end of the main keynote at the Google I/O conference, Google pulled another trick out of its hat. We all remember Cardboard very well, the virtual reality headset made of cardboard that adapts to different smartphones. Google sent a very clear message with this project: virtual reality not only should be “good”, but also low-cost. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to have picked up the gauntlet. If we look closely at the specifications recommended by the Oculus team, less than five percent of Steam users have the adequate system to use the Rift headset, and its CEO admitted that the complete package (read headset and computer) will be in the order of 1,500 dollars. If that already hurts us as consumers, it is hard to imagine the nightmare that an enthusiast who wants to create VR content will have to go through.
What Is Google Jump?
That is where Google Jump steps in. At first glance, it is a structure designed to hold 16 cameras and film in 360 degrees. However, it is much more than that. Google Jump also handles post-processing through its Assembler, which merges, coordinates and corrects the video streams into a single 3D experience, and there will also be a compatible media player. During the presentation, the Google spokesperson talked about GoPro, a company that not only has decided to collaborate on the project, but will also sell Jump as a ready-to-use product, made up of 16 HERO4 cameras and a plastic structure. The best part is that Google will release the plans for the mount, so each interested party will be able to use other cameras that are not GoPro, and will have the option to build the mount with whatever material they want.
A Player and a Vision
What can be said about the player? Well, all arrows point to YouTube. The official page confirms that the Jump support will arrive to the video portal “very soon”, and that we will enjoy this special content with any compatible smartphone mounted in a Cardboard headset. In summary: Google Jump manages to reduce what would potentially be an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to a little over eight thousand dollars in GoPro cameras and a few extra bills for the mount. If we add Mountain View’s computing power and the optimizations that Cardboard received, Google’s vision about virtual reality becomes much more interesting than it appears...
