The future of gaming and entertainment is here. What used to be confined to flight simulators and military training exercises is now hitting the mainstream and has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry that is just getting started.
Virtual reality (VR) is here for the average consumer, and all the major tech companies are pouring money into this promising field of entertainment. Some have called 2017 “the year of virtual reality” as technology has finally caught up to the dreams of developers, and the cost to create VR devices has gone down, making it easier to purchase for the consumer.
But what is “virtual reality” and why is everyone talking about it?
A brief history of virtual reality
Numerous types of VR have been around since the 1930s, beginning with the famous “View-Master” that consisted of a plastic viewfinder accompanied with a circular cardboard disk that contained small color photographs of film advanced with a small lever on the side. After the introduction and development of the computer during the 1950s through the 1980s, developers started to experiment with the technology to create more immersive types of devices.
Simulators became widely used in the 1980s and 1990s, and started to show up at arcades, proving to be a popular mode of entertainment for children and adults. However, at the time, the graphics were clearly pixelated and the experience was far from lifelike.
Then beginning at the turn of the new millennium, companies started to shift their focus to dabble more and more in VR. By 2013, Oculus Rift, a highly immersive VR headset, was invented and produced through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $2.5 million. This caught the attention of the tech world and Facebook quickly purchased Oculus Rift in 2014 for $2 billion.
Other companies like PlayStation, Microsoft, HTC and Google followed suit and quickly began developing their own versions in order to capitalize on what they believed would be a new profitable market.
How real is virtual reality?
VR has come a long way from the “View-Master” in the 1930s and can be so lifelike that the human body can be tricked to believe you are riding on a roller coaster, swimming in the sea or right in the middle of a battle.
,
Source: Aleteia