First unveiled at CES 2022 early final 12 months, Canon has now taken its first step into client VR software program with Kokomo, its fledgling social VR platform. In comparison with extra full-featured collaboration apps, Kokomo isn’t there but, nevertheless it’s a begin in a brand new course for Canon, which up till now has been principally targeted on XR {hardware} geared toward enterprise.
The Japanese optics and imaging big introduced that early entry to its Kokomo social collaboration software program for Quest 2 is now accessible in beta within the US and Canada.
For those who didn’t hear about it at CES 2023 again in January the place it had a reasonably large outing, right here’s the way it works: you first use a cell companion app to scan your face whereas making a number of expressions to generate a mannequin of your head. Mixed with the digital camera in your telephone, you invite a good friend to leap into Kokomo’s social VR atmosphere the place your avatar is basically a blended actuality projection of you, replete with that face scan you probably did earlier to cowl the place the Quest 2 would usually obscure your eyes.
Realistically, the app nonetheless wants a number of work. There are only some digital environments, which though plush, are easy backgrounds with out a lot utility past wanting good. Furthermore, the face scanning and projection on the blended actuality avatar feels a bit too uncanny to offer that face-to-face vibe the Japanese tech big goes for proper now. The fail state of Kokomo’s headset alternative is fairly humorous too, as your mug can generally find yourself pasted awkwardly in mid-air.
Granted, it’s nonetheless in open beta, so we’re hoping to see some enhancements within the close to time period earlier than contemplating it over skilled collaboration apps like Meta’s Horizon Workrooms, Spatial or Immersed.
And why Canon? The Japan-based firm accounts for almost half of all international digital camera gross sales, placing it in place to search for methods to combine its high-quality optics in service of metaverse immersion. For now, it’s removed from essentially the most useful social collaboration device we’ve seen, though the corporate’s dedication to sidestepping a few of the inherent weirdness of avatars immediately (Zuckerberg has pretend legs for you) by utilizing what you have already got in your pocket might present some actual outcomes with time.
Contrasted with one thing like Google’s Undertaking Starline, which supplies a stereo right 3D chatting expertise because of its host of sensors, light-field show, spatial audio, and laptop imaginative and prescient—extra akin to a phone sales space from the longer term—Canon’s Kokomo actually takes accessibility to coronary heart.
On the flipside, Canon has a lot of XR units that are largely targeted on the Japanese enterprise market. Its most up-to-date MREAL blended actuality headset continues to be very costly—suppose 10s of hundreds of {dollars}—making Kokomo step one in a wholly new course for the corporate.
We’ll be checking in on Kokomo because it progresses within the coming months. Within the meantime, you may attempt it out for your self by downloading the free app on Quest’s App Lab, and free companion app for both Android or iOS machine.
