Virtual Reality Experience in Rome

ZHANG: Tourists visiting ancient Rome will soon be able to totally immerse themselves in the daily life of the city. A new high-tech 3-D theatre will soon open allowing visitors to become virtual actors in history. STORY: For most tourists the ancient Roman ruins of the Colosseum and the Forum don’t reveal much about life in those days. Now a new high-tech show will provide for the first time a 3-D sense of what life was like for plebeians and gladiators in ancient Rome. “3D Rewind Rome” sucks the visitor back in time to 310 AD, the reign of Emperor Maxentius.Joel Myers is the managing director of the hi-tech entertainment firm Virtuality. [Joel Myers, Managing Director]: “When the audience comes and watches the show they get a really immersive feeling of how it was like to be in ancient Rome as if you were an actor on the stage of history. We have 3-D technology based on animation.” Sapientus a tubby, balding, toga-clad 3-D Roman guides the traveler through a detailed virtual model of the city. The 3-D effects dramatically and realistically portray gladiatorial scenes in the Colosseum. Trumpets and screaming fans bring the show to a climax when the audience demands a thumbs-up or thumbs-down from the Emperor. Olivia Menaguale is an art historian for the project. [Olivia Menaguale, Art Historian]: “So what we are trying to do is we are trying to reveal not only the monuments but the life that was taking place in them” Smoke, grime, graffiti and street scenes involving …

Playing Online Sports Games in Virtual Reality

Sports games involve high quality 3D graphics and high-speed animation and special effects that allow users to play such games as soccer, baseball, snooker, and other games on computers and on the internet. The advances in software and graphics technology have made software renditions of such games next to real and fun.

Before the rise of software and computer technology, few would have imagined playing baseball in virtual reality or on computers. These were games to be played outdoors, in lush green parks, or on the street. Now we can play them on monitor screens in one’s bedroom, or online with other players.

Some of the games that are popular today include the following:

Billiards – A combination of letter keys and the mouse allow the player to aim and shoot with high precision. The rules remain the same, and the visual effects are 3-dimensional.

Bowling – A number of customizable ball, 3 alleys, and near-realistic ball and pin movements make this club game come alive in your drawing room.

Tennis – A 3 set tennis match against the computer allows amateurs to try their hands with this game. The players and the strength of the hits are controlled by combining mouse dragging and a few keys.

Snow Boarding – An obstacle filled race that gives more points the earlier you finish. The controls as usual are with the mouse and keyboard. You get the choice of listening to background music as well.

Most of the virtual games are a test of one’s hand-to-eye coordination. It is a skill that comes with practice. The levels of the games differ and the usual options available are beginners, intermediate and advanced. Since the games are played against a computer software, the level of difficulty in limited by the quality of programming.

To learn more about playing online sports games, visit online sports games