The POC’s objective was to push the boundaries of 5G to explore and validate the advanced XR features using high-quality entertainment content from multiple formats using AR (Hado) and VR (Nanoclash), mocap/avatars and cloud/game engine platforms to improve a player’s experience via hyper-personalisation, analytics and AI-data points. This ambitious project also took a deep-dive look under the hood to better understand 5G’s advantages plugged into XR’s immersive interactivity, technical feasibility, inclusion and accessibility.
The consortium also applied the learnings from this POC towards B2B and B2C commercial models, with a view towards monetisation and distribution around 5G-enabled cloud streaming XR services, content and user scenarios.
The Aim of the POC:
Exploring the role of 5G in Location-Based eXtended realities (LBXR), this ground-breaking Accelerator has focused on examining 5G’s low latency and provision of edge computing as critical aspects required for immersive, ultra-responsive interactivity and the technical feasibility of multi-user, multi-location XR gaming. The group utilised the esports/games market as an ideal template for 5G use cases for XR formats, due to requirements for low latency, high bandwidth, and serious computing power.
The project’s POC explored this with two XR formats, using both Augmented Realty (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). The AR workstream harnessed Hado, a virtual yet hybrid dodge ball game developed to be the world’s first in physical esport with a remote gameplay. The second workstream focussed on Nanoclash, the title Virtual Reality IP at Park Playground, which demonstrated 5G via multi-player, multi-location between Belgium, and at Vodafone’s 5G Hub in The Netherlands.
These world-first R&D solutions in 5G and XR provided advantages and deep learnings on accessibility, user immersion and monetisation over existing XR solutions. In addition, these multiple areas of R&D and innovation came via the chain of compatibility from Content (accessories data) to XR equipment, to 5G devices, to cloud infrastructure.