Incorporating VR with chess.com

Before I'd submitted this to the suggestion area. I kind of wanted to hash it out here.

Virtual reality is becoming more of a reality than a myth (pun intended) Chess games are greatly easy to program. To have a simple board game and AI with not too much power doesn't take a lot.

Currently there is one app that has proven to be rather good and reliable - Chess Ultra

Source: ( http://chessultraonline.com/index.php/about/) 

So I would imagine eventually sooner or later chess.com is going to have to grow with the technology boom at some point. There is so many potential ideas and possibilities to be had. You imagine playing the daily tournaments in some grand chess.com chess hall?  Playing the live matches, or watching the Speed chess championships as if you were standing next to the players?

So I would like to see Chess.com to include VR as an additional option/way/form to play like the mobile app but on Steam,Rift etc in the VR world. I mean we could have virtual real games where you have to use the tablet with a pen to write the moves down as you would on a real game you know? It would be another way to have people all over the world playing online chess from all over the world at one time. 

So I understand the staff may not all be VR sound/game designers and engineers or have too much money to do this.  However the people at Chess Ultra has done the work for you already.

So in summing up.

I would like to suggest that 

1. Chess.com consider/start developing a VR mode/version/app to coinside with the chess.com site we are on now currently.

2. If chess.com does not have the means to develop it's own. To either start talks with the Chess ultra team to either join, buy/copy the code or in someway form partnership to make chess.com/vr a reality. 

3. If 1 and 2 are completed to include most of the options you have on the website and phone app on the VR app too.

The perks of this to Chess.com would be, 1. it would open up a source of revenue to chess.com not currently open to them now. They would have a product on steam, rift etc that people would have the option of paying for. That money would go into Chess.com and re-coup the expense of making the VR app in the first place.  Most VR apps are going from Free up to $49.99 if not more.  

This would create a new window, opportunity for the fans of the game and the website. With so much potential, The idea of virtually shaking hands with people gives me goose pimples lol. 

VR is happening, and it is happening now. Chess Ultra is already starting to cap the market on VR because there is no other competition to it, it does have a good strong AI but it is lacking the actual players to make the tournaments work. 

This is why and how I believe a marriage of Chess.com and Chess ultra would work and be mutually beneficial. Chess.com has the people, the fan base and technology of chess and tournaments to make it work. Chess ultra has the VR app/program rooms and pretty much everything you need to make it work. 

The only con - is people think VR is more expensive than it really is, (rift is $300)

most people think you get motion sickness. You don't from chess because only thing moving is your hand and your head. 

So I think of it like this, VR is happening, it is happening now. This isn't something that is going to happen once we understand it more. It's here and it is now and if Chess.com doesn't take the chance now to exploit the whole in the market. To help chess.com bank balance and secure your corner of the market in VR someone else will.  Then you will be on the outside looking in wishing you had acted when the demand and market is right for it. Not when it is flooded with crap chess programs.

Well that's my pitch - if people have any suggestions or modifications before I submit it, I be glad to listen/hear /add or amend.

The only thing is, what happens to the people who don’t know how to do that... or don’t have access to VR headsets and whatnot needed...

Same thing that happens to people who don't have the mobile app.

out of sight out of mind. 
like everything else it is just another OPTIONAL way to enjoy chess.com. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. However since the VR headset gear are extremely cheap now. VR will be like mobile phones soon.

True

This would take a long time to add

Take a look at them now, The Rift is cheaper than a new Samsung phone. VR is here already and the computers are still around people need to stop thinking VR is some distant thing. It is here and it is in people's home. It's practical and useful and VERY very good tool

For example the video below is me touring the Titanic on VR  - THIS COULD BE chess.com. and the 2nd is of another space tour VR program.

VR programs/apps take like 6 months to a year to make. The Titanic is taking multiple years because it was self starter by kids now adults. 

This is why I am saying Chess.com should talk with the people of Chess ultra. The program is already there and done / completed. The coding for the website is here on chess.com Marrying the two together is not that hard. 

Time scale wise you could have demo up in 6 months out to public in 1 year.  If you waited finally polish product 2 years everything will have been ironed out.

Honestly, I think it would be super cool. But I am not sure its practical

Ummm I kinda didn't understand a thing

I it is too expensive for chesscom to develop. But if you wanted to do it...

I think that a few people will make it when private api.chess.com is finished.

I put together this quick rough video on the Chess Ultra, It is a lot harder to picture something when you can't see it. So I did this. As you can see they put together a decent rooms to play chess they have all of what I call the basics for a Chess game.  I would just love to see chess.com marry with this software. With the player base of chess.com and the software programming by these people. Added together with the chess knowledge from here you could suddenly find your self a really powerful chess program