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Virtual reality combines the power of a computer or smartphone with a headset to provide an immersive experience, which creates a virtual environment that looks, sounds & in some cases feels like a genuine world. Advanced systems cater for interactive sessions that facilitate haptic(touch) elements to make the virtual world as real as possible. In this piece we will look at what is virtual reality glasses, & some of the famous ones in the market.
The science behind the experience began with the discovery of stereopsis, which describes the brain’s assimilation of images perceived by both eyes. Each eye sees images from a slightly different angle, the brain, then meshes these pictures into one, thereby creating the illusion of 3D depth or perspective. The concept was 1st demonstrated by Sir Charles Wheatstone, who invented the stereoscope during the Victorian era (circa1838), which created a 3D effect from 2 slightly dissimilar images, thereby tricking the brain into a perception of perspective.
Today, most of the key players in the digital world such as Facebook, Google & Samsung are fast developing equipment aimed at providing the best virtual reality experience in order to gain leverage over what they consider to be a very lucrative market. Aimed mostly at entertainment & gaming, most systems offer a headset with various add on controllers, which are then hooked up to a PC or smartphone that feeds video to the device. Recently, the concept of all-in-one headsets that can be used without a PC or phone are making the rounds.
The simplest, most accessible & least expensive method of getting your foot in the door, & experiencing what the fuss is all about is to acquire a Google Cardboard headset. Cardboard device pricing starts at around $5 & comes with construction instructions. Google also, provides a set of downloadable instructions for making your own headset, into which you slot your smartphone to perceive a VR (virtual reality) environment. Cardboard is supported by a number of apps, which are available from the Google Play Store, & work on Android phones.
Google’s more advanced offering is appropriately named Daydream, & promises to create a high-quality, ‘authentic’ virtual world for your enjoyment. The headset has a number of apps available, the most popular being Tilt Brush & Google Earth. The Daydream headset is available as a standalone device & as a pairing to various compliant Android phones. Priced between $99 & $399, respectively for the Smartphone & standalone headset, Daydream is expensive but not overpriced for the mainstream market.
Facebook’s degree of faith in the future of VR is evident from the $2 billion they paid to acquire the Oculus platform in 2014. Currently, Facebook’s Oculus offers 2 distinct products, Go & Rift. Oculus Go provides VR for entertainment & provides a method to watch video in 3D, while Rift caters for gamers, wanting an immersive gaming experience. Rift lets you build armies, attack castles, slay dragons & beat your opponent, all while sensing the virtual world as real. I imagine it could be very addictive, & difficult to disengage from such heightened entertainment. Priced at between $199 & $349, Oculus is also somewhat affordable for the general public.
With built in gyroscopes, magnetometers & accelerometers, which provide motion tracking, VR headsets are geared at creating a truly sensor filled experience and are advancing at a rapid pace. It will be interesting to see if the concept becomes as mainstream as its initiators believe it will.
In the next article, we will be looking at 5 popular VR sets.
