Virtual reality headsets have been talked about more and more in recent years with the development of Oculus Rift and the more recent acquisition of Oculus by Facebook. Gaming immediately springs to mind for a lot of people when it comes to virtual reality, and many other uses can and likely will be utilised by the recent resurgence in the tech. However, there is also a very large question mark as to whether or not this will be a revolutionary new type of product, or simply a passing fad or gimmick.
A small number of VR devices have tested the waters of the gaming market since the 80’s, without making much of a splash. The likes of Sega, Nintendo and even Sony have each brought out a primitive device which never really gained enough traction to appeal to the mass market and stick around. There are currently two major contenders of VR devices for gaming, both of which are showing a lot of promise.
Oculus Rift
The Oculus Rift gained initial funding through Kickstarter, and has continued to impress at showings at various technology trade events.
I was lucky enough to test one out for myself and was unlucky enough to come away with a slight injury. I felt particularly unsettled while seemingly standing in mid-air as the simulated rollercoaster ride was just getting ready to take its big plunge. Rather than potentially falling over, I took the headset off as quickly as I possibly could before the rollercoaster took a sudden change in direction at the bottom of its descent, and I managed to scratch my face in the process (why oh why was I not offered a chair!?). While the rollercoaster was moving slowly, I did get the chance to look around and take it all in. The feeling of looking down to where you would normally expect the floor to be, and seeing buildings far below was incredibly immersive. Looking around with your head rather than your thumbs has incredible potential for gaming.
Project Morpheus
It was only this year that Sony unveiled its own entry into the augmented reality market, with Project Morpheus for Playstation 4. While the headset itself does look very slick, it is worth noting that like the Oculus Rift, it is still a work in progress. Its 1080p display will make the virtual world look that much more lifelike, and combined with the Playstation move, the potential to interact with that virtual environment will be a very welcome addition.
As Oculus VR and its flagship product Oculus Rift have been acquired by Facebook for two billion USD, it begs the question as to what other areas may benefit from augmented reality.
New applications and opportunities
Facebook will clearly be aiming towards new ways of interacting and communicating with others. A virtual meeting room comes to mind where participants could look around as they please, rather than only being able to see the screen of a video conference.
Virtual reality may also have a place in tourism. If you don’t plan on visiting the international space station any time soon, you may be more likely to look around inside it using virtual reality from the safety of Earth.
The likes of engineers and architects could potentially benefit from being able to look around and work on 3D models from within the model itself. Only time will tell as to the direction that augmented reality may take us in.
Hype or next big thing?
Whether or not the market is ready or has interest for virtual reality devices is another question. 3D capable TV’s were hyped as the next big thing but do not seem to get a huge amount of use by many. If putting on a pair of 3D glasses is seen as inconvenient, a bulky VR headset would only make matters worse. Will augmented reality be here to stay, or will it simply pass by? I for one look forward to the chance to give it more of a go, but really can’t be sure if I will give it more than that.
Want to build your own virtual reality device out of cardboard for MUCH less than two billion USD? Take a look at the following DIY link from Google: https://developers.google.com/cardboard/
Have you had any experience with virtual reality headsets? What are you looking forward to? Please feel free to share your experiences and thoughts on the topic in the comments section below.