Virtual reality – or VR – is a technology you might have heard of and it is growing in popularity.
To experience virtual reality, you wear a headset which recreates a virtual environment in which you can look around 360 degrees, hear sounds and move your hands and feet to interact with the world around you.
Virtual reality has lots of uses. BT Sport broadcast the UEFA Champions League final in VR. Openreach is using it so trainee engineers can experience things likeclimbing a telephone pole. VR is increasingly used for gaming, so you canexplore the bottom of the ocean, ride a rollercoaster and more.
Read on to find out more about how VR works and how suitable it is for children. For more information, Internet Matters, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to keeping children safe online, has published a guide written by games expert Andy Robertson packed with helpful advice.
Virtual reality: The kit
Smartphone-based VR
If you are curious about VR and want to try it, but don’t want to spend much money, Google Cardboard is a good place to start. Headsets cost around £4-£10 fromAmazon, you slot your smartphone in the front (it works with Android and Apple phones) and there are loads of free VR apps in the Google Play Store, including a Halloween ride, beach and even Star Wars.
For a better VR experience, the Samsung Gear Gen 2 (£48.58) is a proper headset, so slightly more expensive, and works with some Samsung phones. Google’s Daydream (£69) is similar, but works with phones from a range of manufacturers.
Console-based VR
This type of virtual reality requires a console to work, which means it’s more expensive, but the graphics and sound are better, creating a more immersive experience.
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Source: BT