Audi-Backed Startup Holoride Brings VR to the Auto

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LAS VEGAS — The automobile is a potential use for virtual reality. VR in the Car – where people use virtual reality headsets to entertain themselves – seems like a great idea, however, the technology is known for inflicting motion sickness even on stationary wearers. You’ll almost always need to have a barf bag in a moving vehicle.

This problem can be solved, and an Audi startup has found a solution. Holoride will be launching at CES in the U.S. in 2023. It uses artificial intelligence (AI), which analyzes the vehicle’s movement in real-time and combines that with head movements to create a smooth experience. This helps to ensure no barf bags get in the seatback pocket. We were able to test the product during CES 2023 and can confirm its effectiveness.

RIDE is a token that powers the company’s platform. It was created on the MultiversX blockchain, previously Elrond. Developers are incentivised by the token, which acts as an in-game loyalty token that has real value. Users can use it as a currency across all games compatible with Holoride, as well as future products, that integrate RIDE.

Holoride calls its vision “Motorverse” and has spent much time planning it. Although the company was founded by Audi many years ago, the technology behind it has been in development for quite some time. RIDE was launched in 2021 and has been listed on several stock exchanges.

Nils Wollny (CEO of Holoride), stated that they wanted to create a fair and equitable compensation system for creators. We split the revenue that we earn with creators who build on our platform. “We didn’t want… to be… a dark box. We wanted this transparency.”

At CES, I had the opportunity to test Holoride. Cloudbreakers: Living Heaven was a fun game that involved riding in the backseat and punching, shooting, and flying through the air. The car was making a series in Las Vegas traffic and the motion within the game mimicked that of the car in perfect syncicity. This kept the action in my face. It was so subtle that I didn’t even notice it.

However, it wasn’t perfect. The app thought that I was looking at the back of the vehicle when I quit playing video games. This was easily fixed by re-centering the interface, which is very common in VR. However, as the car drove, the orientation of my phone kept changing to the side. I had to continue hitting the recenter button for every 10 minutes. After a TV clip, that would become tedious. The Holoride video was a great experience. I no longer had to strain my neck looking at my phone.

Wollny explains, “We developed a tech stack to pick up the car data real-time,” Wollny says. “You don’t get motion sickness…because you can see the moving parts in your peripheral vision the entire time.”

Holoride must be able to understand how the car moves in order to do its job. Although the tech is available for select Audi models, it cannot be integrated directly into cars’ systems. The product that will be launching at CES this year is an aftermarket option: the Holoride Retrofit. This short, black cylinder device about the same size as a hockey puck can be mounted on your windshield. The motion-fusion wizard of the headset is then performed wirelessly by that puck.

Holoride uses the HTC Vive VR platform. It works wirelessly with the Vive Flow headset. The puck can be purchased for $199 if you already own a Vive Flow. However, the company anticipates that it will offer more bundles with the headset, which retails at $799. The Vive Flow is typically $499. A subscription to Holoride will be required, costing $20 per month and $180 annually.

Wollny explains that Holoride isn’t aimed at metaverse enthusiasts, but busy parents looking to offer a new experience for their children on long car rides.

He says, “Primarily we concentrate on families at this moment – teens on backseats.” You can get benefits from our tokens whether you’re an adult or a child. This is our main focus.

It will be time to see if this is a strong market. If it does, Holoride has everything in place to make it a success. With a metaverse platform and Web3 token, as well as a device that works, Holoride can take control of VR in the car, as long as the customers want to join the journey.

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Pete Pachal, CoinDesk’s Chief Of Staff for Content is Pete Pachal. He has small amounts of BTC, ETH.

Pete Pachal, CoinDesk’s Chief Of Staff for Content is Pete Pachal. He has small amounts of BTC, ETH.