Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are technologies that have taken the world by storm. Games like Pokemon GO have made AR a daily activity, and platforms like Oculus and Steam VR have made deploying VR games to the masses possible. However, both of these technologies require a substantial amount of rendering power to make the graphics of a quality that is engaging. This means that many devices, including middle and low tier mobile phones, are out of contention. That is unless the developer uses Bottega's technology.
While normal games and apps require the graphics to be rendered in real-time on the device being used, Bottega allows these games and apps to offload a hefty portion of this rendering to remote systems. Unlike systems like Microsoft's Project xCloud, however, Bottega does not use live remote rendering servers. Instead, the system pre-renders portions of the graphics. This allows the app or game to load the graphics from hot storage, which is far cheaper than powerful rendering servers. Storage, even hot storage, is fairly cheap in the grand scheme of cloud services, and taking advantage of this can be a major cost saving for the developer.
By implementing this technology, AR and VR can be brought to smaller and lighter technology. Inexpensive phones can now access features that were withheld from them. Even better, standalone VR and AR headsets, like the Oculus Go and the Microsoft HoloLens, can be made significantly lighter. This can usher in a new era of VR and AR experiences that do not require bulky hardware or tethered computers. All it will require is an internet connection. With the impending launch of 5G network connections, this will be able to be made mobile, as well.
Bottega is currently in an early testing phase but hopes to be ready for a wider rollout in the near future.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.