Is Virtual Reality Finally Here?

Virtual Reality — we’ve read about it in sci-fi books and seen it portrayed in movies for decades. But when will Virtual Reality finally be a reality and something practical we can use in everyday life?

Industries have been toying with Augmented Reality, a form of Virtual Reality for years. Even Media Genesis has played around with AR technology as seen in this short YouTube demonstration here:

In AR users are able to interact with the world around them as well as computer generated objects, whereas in VR users are isolated from their surroundings and submerged into a fictional world, similar to the technology used in flight simulators for pilot training.

It seems that VR has always been ahead of its time and too expensive for the masses. The idea of VR has been around since the early 60’s. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that Virtual Reality’s popularity peaked again, mainly because of its futuristic appeal portrayed in books, magazines and the in the movie industry.

The hype for VR in the 90’s was there but the technology just wasn’t. Due to the explosion of the internet around that same time, VR took a backseat and became more of a joke than a feasible technology. The excitement and buzz in VR has come back around again. Both Microsoft and Facebook have made Virtual Reality news recently. First being Facebook in 2014 when they purchased Oculus a Virtual Reality company for $2 Billion Dollars!! Which was followed by Microsoft with their recent launch of HoloLens in early 2015.

It is understandable that Microsoft has been investing in this technology for the advancement of gaming but Facebook investing in Virtual Reality… really?

Indeed, Facebook recently purchased a new Virtual Reality company Oculus. The company was founded in 2012 with the help of a widely popular Kickstarter campaign which raised $2.4 million dollars to help make the Oculus Rift, a VR headset for gaming.

When the owner of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg announced the deal he said this about his plans for the VR headset aside from its uses in gaming; “Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting a doctor face-to-face – just by putting on goggles in your home.” Zuckerberg goes on to say that people already “spend hours a day on Facebook” and suggests that with VR you can be whoever you want to be instead of your real self.

It seems that Facebook’s interest in VR is also influenced by the popularity of its games such as Candy Crush and Farmville. Some speculate that by purchasing Oculus the company may go towards making those into the immersive, 3D games that are being created for the gaming community. Some also speculate that Facebook will use it as a tool for advertisement in the near future.

Microsoft has also jumped into Virtual Reality realm with their product, HoloLens. By Microsoft introducing Holograms into VR it allows the user to visualize their world in 3-D. The device will be a headset that will allow the user to interact with their computer while submersing themselves in a 3-D environment.

Unlike the Oculus Rift, the HoloLens headset uses holographic technology combined with your real world surroundings to transform your space using an all in one, hands free, cord free, floating audio headset which can function while the user walks freely around. Whereas the Oculus user needs to remain seated, is bound by cords plugged into a PC. It does not use holographic technology like the HoloLens does; it is pure VR and takes the user to a different universe.

In comparison the HoloLens is unique and a newer form of VR because it uses holographs to interact in the user’s environment. It seems that the Oculus’ main draw will be for its unlimited gaming potential whereas the HoloLens could be used more as a productivity tool in work and school.

Microsoft plans to dominate the VR market with the launch of Windows 10. It is anticipated to cost significantly more than a gaming console and hopes that in the near future it will be as important as your PC or Tablet.

Bottom line, Virtual Reality and Holographic Technology could be the norm in work, school and home in the near future. The possibilities are endless; from providing a new and better way to visualize day-to-day tasks and projects at work, to being used as a tool in the classrooms to teach, learn and explore, to a more immersive gaming experience at home. Ever since the popularity of smartphones tech savvy consumers eagerly anticipates what the “next big thing” will be.

Maybe all those 90’s Sci-Fi movies had it right and Virtual Reality will be it.

Sources:

http://www.theverge.com/a/virtual-reality/intro
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/22/facebook-oculus-rift-acquisition-virtual-reality
http://bgr.com/2015/05/01/microsoft-hololens-release-date-and-price/
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/oculus-rift-vs-microsoft-hololens-1288980