It has been said many times that virtual reality technology will be the next big thing. In the early nineties there was a myriad of video game systems and other gadgets that attempted to push this idea onto the market. Sega and Nintendo raced to release a virtual reality system with Sega failing and Nintendo giving us the Virtual Boy. Its wireframe graphics and the fact that its only colour was red failed to impress and only 22 games were made before the system was declared a commercial failure. Nintendo might still be having nightmares about this and are therefore yet to join the current virtual reality craze.
Unfortunately graphics processing just wasn’t up to the task but that has all changed in the last few years. Thanks to the ever constant march towards increased transistor density, processors are more powerful, more complex and more power efficient. Virtual reality might finally be within our grasp and there’s a number of fascinating new devices in development.
Oculus Rift is probably the most obvious virtual reality name that comes to mind and when a company is bought by Facebook for a billion dollars it’s a safe bet that it’s going places. A number of similar headsets are being developed each with their own unique variations on the idea. Valve have partnered with HTC to produce the Vive. Sony are producing their own headset under the name of Project Morpheus. Samsung have also jumped on the bandwagon with their Gear VR and have taken a slightly different route than the other systems. They plan to use smartphones that slot into the headset to take advantage of the higher resolution screen and built in motion tracking.
Each of these devices are utilising a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes to track head movement. The screens on the devices are built for high refresh rate, high resolution and field of view to increase immersion and decrease motion sickness. A number of accessories have been produced to add to the virtual reality experience. Haptic suits are being developed to give physical feedback to you from the game world and a number of omnidirectional treadmills such as the Virtuix Omni and Cyberith Virtualizer are in development too.
In addition to virtual reality there’s also augmented reality, projecting computer generated sound, video or graphics onto the real world. Google glass has been around for a while but unfortunately hasn’t wowed anyone, all it does is project apps from your android device. Microsoft and a startup company called Magic Leap are attempting more ambitious projects with Windows Holographic and the self-titled Magic Leap. Windows Holographic will project parts of the Windows 10 operating system around you that can be interacted with. Magic Leap is attempting to project images directly onto the user’s retina.
Of course there have been other virtual reality systems besides the headsets and their accessories but these have been for military or professional use. The first aircraft virtual reality simulator was created in 1966 for the US Air Force and was soon used for commercial pilot training. VR has also found uses in art exhibitions, music production, therapy and military infantry training.
With the latest advancements in virtual reality we will hopefully see a greater use in fields other than entertainment. It could work wonders in the medical profession to help with difficult surgeries and in scientific research. Also the idea of a virtual reality star system to immerse yourself in sounds pretty dam cool. Virtual reality is on its way and its exciting, as long as you don’t get nauseous too easily.
Sam McMaster
Image: Flickr