That one time I fought Luke Rockhold and did not die or How SilVRThread videos ROCK!
"Can I jump straight to the MMA", these were my words after trying SilVRThread's Skiing training demo. Don't get me wrong the Skiing demo was super exhilarating and in the real world the first time I went skiing was one of the most "real" experiences I ever had. SilVRThread captured this more that any extreme sports VR video I have experienced yet. That experience was great, the VR experience now that was mind blowing.
Considering CEO Tai Crosby's background in photography I expected a level of quality but the delivery surpassed expectation. I started out in a MMA octagon with an overlaid ad for UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Weidman 2 and I thought that was an excellent use of ad placement. Then the fighter I was training with entered the cage. LUKE ROCKHOLD, UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP! WTF!
I am really glad Tai warned me whatever I did DON'T punch back. Immediately I felt comfortable in the training environment and bobbed and weaved at a cardio pace that made me feel this was the real deal Evander Holyfield. I even checked a few kicks while being aware that this is just a demo. Legitimately I saw elements of Luke Rockhold's standup game that I did not see in watching his fights. In fact, when I went home I looked into Luke Rockhold's standup technique and analyzed his growth in boxing as well some flaws I noticed. Then I realized I am not a UFC fighter and I didn't really spar with Rockhold. What I also realized is that the SilVRThread demo did leave me with a good training experience that left me wanting to build on it after the fact and is that not what a good training program does for you, VR or otherwise.
After the demo, I immediately responded that Chris Weidman should legit use this before fighting at UFC 199. So this was my reaction for an MMA training session and this is a great way to get someone excited. As I say Cats And VR really means _____ and VR. It could be Cars and VR, MMA And VR, or Crochet and VR. I truly feel they are opportunities for everyone to experience and enjoy VR.
See the whole point of what SilVRThread is bringing to the table is training. Training for markets yearning for new methods to talk to consumers. How to help an engineer on an oil rig fix something broken via VR without helicoptering out an engineer, to travel trips taking you step by step up Machu Piccu so you know what the tour will really be like. Tai and I talked for a bit about how this training can be lifesaving such as teaching medical techniques to third world nation doctors or having cops train in real world situations to understand how to react.
In the end, VR is only now in the palm pilot era and has immense room to grow. What SilVRThread is doing will affect the future of training and I am excited to see what strides they will make. They have already established some great partnerships and are a strong part of the Hulu VR content plan. Check out the 360° video of my SilVRThread demo. Oh and after that check SilVRThread CEO Tai Crosby showing a VR demo to Daniel Cormier the UFC Light Heavyweight Champ. http://www.silvrthread.com/
