Gadget Show host Ortis Deley has high hopes for the future of virtual reality after visiting tech firm nDreams.
The highly-rated game developer, based in Farnborough, Hampshire, is producing games for the new Oculus Quest headset.
Speaking to BusinessCloud at the PT19 tech conference, Deley said the headset – which does not require a PC to run – shows the way forward for VR.
“The immersion aspect is what needs to be perfected: making the experience in your VR headset so attractive, so visceral, that you want to put to one side your joypad,” he said. “I do believe it’s coming.
“I was at nDreams a couple of weeks ago and they’re doing work with Oculus’ latest headset which is untethered and got enough grunt in the headset to crunch enough data to give you quite a decent experience.
“More and more companies are starting to use VR: in terms of checking what the layout of your house could be if you’re taking certain options; developing content; and collaborating as well.
“The science and technology industries are adopting that technology more and it is only a matter of time before more and more people use it at home.
“I don’t think people will be using AR (augmented reality) on the streets any time soon, but they will start to purchase VR devices that they can use in and around their home.”
Deley, who was spotted by a talent scout on Cilla Black’s TV show Blind Date, also expects great things from artificial intelligence.
“Everyone’s talking about AI: it’s been the buzz phrase for where things are going,” he said. “And with the Internet of Things, more and more people are dabbling with technology that is linked and can communicate with each other.
“That technology is coming down in price, making it more affordable, and tech firms – whether they are offering solutions regarding security, communication or storage – they are all now incorporating AI into what they’re doing.
“So it’s definitely something you’re going to see more of this year and heading into the future.”
Communal electric scooters are proliferating across Europe and the United States. They are banned in the UK, but Deley expects the government to cave in at some point.
“I was speaking to someone recently who works for a company which produces electric scooters and he says there is a growing consortium of companies outside of the UK which are pressuring and just waiting for the British government to change their minds,” he said.
“I’m looking forward in the next couple or five years for a real explosion in electric-powered personal transport which will hopefully [also] have a knock-on effect for bringing down the cost of electric cars.”
So ahead of a new series of The Gadget Show, what are his favourite and worst gadgets of all time?
Flip-flops that hold WHAT?! @TheGadgetShow host @OrtisDeley on the worst gadget he’s ever come across #PT19 @ScribaPR pic.twitter.com/8HtSLEPD7r
— Jonathan Symcox (@JonathanSymcox) June 14, 2019
“My favourite gadget is the smartphone, unquestionably,” he said. “Look at you: you’re recording this conversation using it. We could also have done this on video.
“You can conduct your business from it. My wife uses it to time feedings for our baby boy. I use it for security in the house to view cameras, to play my music. What can’t you do with your smartphone?
“The worst gadget was flip-flop flasks: flip-flops with a cavity and they plug into the sole which allowed you to store drinks – hot or cold.
“Imagine taking them off your feet after walking through all that festival nastiness and taking a glug. The worst!”
Deley appeared in cult film Kidulthood and was amazed last week when BBC film critic Mark Kermode recognised him by sight.
“I’d never met him before. He looked at me and said ‘you’re in a Noel Clarke film… are you in Kidulthood?’ I was like: ‘He genuinely is a movie god!’”