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Virtual Reality
What is Virtual Reality?
by Tuan C. Nguyen
The
sudden plethora of head-mounted display products on the market
suggests that virtual reality is poised to completely re-invent the gaming
experience.
But while the nascent
mainstreaming of virtual reality is relatively recent phenomenon, the
technology has been a work-in-progress for nearly half a century.
In fact, the U.S. military,
NASA and even the original Atari corporation all contributed efforts to
manufacture an artificial sensory environment that people can interact with
So what is virtual reality?
You know you’re in a virtual
reality when your surrounded entirely by a computer-generated environment that
can be sensed and interacted with in a way that makes you feel as if you’re
really there.
This is done by blocking out
the real world and using audio, visual and other sensory feedback to immerse
you in a virtual one.
Usually this involves
receiving imagery input from a computer monitor or with a virtual reality
headset.
The experience can also
include sound played from stereo speakers as well as haptic technology that
simulates touch sensations through force, vibration and motion.
Position tracking technology
is also often used to make movement and interacting in the 3D space as real as
possible.
Earliest Devices
In 1955, an inventor named
Morton Heilig came with the concept of what he called “experience theater,” a
kind of machine that can play films while engaging all of the viewer’s senses
to draw the person into the story.
In 1962, he unveiled the
Sensorama, a prototype that featured a large stereoscopic 3D display screen,
stereo speakers and an aroma diffuser.
Sitting in the contraption,
viewers can even feel the wind blowing thanks to the clever use of the air
tunnel effect.
Clunky and ahead of its time,
the idea died because Heilig wasn’t able to get financial backing to further
its development.
In 1968, Ivan Sutherland,
widely regarded as the father of computer graphics, built the world’s first
virtual reality headset.
Nicknamed “The Sword Of
Damocles,” the device was essentially a head mounted display system that used
computer software to project a simple graphic.
A unique head-tracking feature
made it possible to alter the user’s viewpoint based on the position of the
gaze.
The big drawback was that the
system was massively large and had to be hung from the ceiling rather than
worn.
The 80’s
The ability to simulate a
sense of physical interaction with the graphics environment didn’t come along
until 1982 when employees of Atari’s virtual reality division embarked on their
own project to develop VR products.
The team invented a device
called the DataGlove, which were embedded with optical sensors that detected
hand movements and converted them into electrical signals.
The PowerGlove, a controller
accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System was based on the technology and
was released commercially in 1989.
During the 80’s, the U.S. Air
Force also made use of early VR technology to create a head-mounted device
called the Super Cockpit, which simulated an actual cockpit to train fighter
pilots.
Separately, NASA developed the
Virtual Interface Environment Workstation or VIEW to experiment with virtual
environments.
The system integrated a
head-mounted display with the DataGlove and a sensor-equipped full body garment
that relayed the motions, gestures and spatial positioning of the wearer.
The 90’s
Some of the most ambitious
attempts to deliver a consumer VR product for the masses took place right
before the turn of the century. The primary application this time was
gaming.
In 1990, Jonathan Waldern
debuted an arcade system that took advantage of VR’s
immersion capabilities.
His “Virtuality” line of
gaming products comprised of a headset connected to either a sit-down or
stand-up arcade pod with built-in controllers that allowed players to explore
virtual environments.
The arcade systems, which cost
3 to 5 dollars to play, didn’t quite catch on.
A year later Sega launched the
Sega VR, a headset for home gaming consoles.
Later, competitors launched
the Forte VFX1, designed to work with PCs, the Nintendo Virtual Boy, a VR
Helmet, and the Sony Glasstron, a stand-alone pair of virtual reality glasses.
They were all in one form or
another, plagued by glitches typical of new, somewhat unsophisticated
technologies.
For example, the Nintendo
Virtual boy came with a low-res display that caused headaches and nausea for
some users.
Renewed interest
As many of the devices in the
90’s flopped, interest in VR waned over the next decade until 2013, when a
company named Oculus VR launched a crowdfunding campaign on the site
Kickstarter to raise money for the development of a commercial virtual reality
headset called the Oculus rift.
Unlike the head-mounted
systems of old, the prototype they came up was a lot less clunky and
featured much improved graphics technology -- all at a
consumer-friendly price point of $300 for early pre-orders.
The buzz surrounding the
generating campaign, which raised over 2.5 million dollars, soon caught
the attention of many in the tech industry.
About a year later, the
company was acquired by Facebook for 2 billion dollars, a move that in effect
announced to the world that the technology may indeed be ready for
primetime.
And since beginning of
this year, a polished consumer version can now be ordered starting
at $599.99.
Along the way, other prominent
players have also jumped into the fold as the likes of Sony, Samsung and HTC
announcing their own gaming headsets.
Here's a brief rundown of the
latest and upcoming product releases:
Google Cardboard
Instead of trying to best
other competitors with a device, the search giant chose attract consumers by
going low tech.
Google Cardboard is simply a
platform so that allows anyone reality who owns a capable smartphone to get a
virtual reality experience.
At a starting price of only 15
dollars, users get a head mount cardboard kit that can be easily assembled.
Simply insert your
smartphone, fire up a game and you're set. Those who prefer to make their own
headset can download the instructions from the company's website.
Samsung Gear VR
Last year, Samsung and Oculus teamed
up to develop the Samsung Gear VR.
Somewhat similar to Google
cardboard in that the kit combines with smartphone such as the Galaxy S7 to
deliver the immersion environment.
The Samsung-compatible
phones are Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge, S7 and S7
edge.
So what can you do with a $199
helmet that you can't do with Google Cardboard? Well, for one, the Gear headset
comes with additional sensors for better head tracking for a smoother sense of
immersion and minimal latency.
Samsung and Oculus has also
calibrated its software and games to integrate seamlessly with the headgear.
HTC Vive
Hitting the market just recent
is the HTC Vive, which has been widely praised for offering one of the
best virtual reality experiences out there.
Packed with a pair
of 1080x1200 high-resolution displays, more than 70 sensors and a
pair of motion controllers, the system enables players to maneuver within a
15x15 feet space.
The system connects to your PC
and includes a built-in front facing camera that blends together real life
objects and virtual projections in the visual space.
The big advantage the Vive has
over Oculus rift is the ability to engage the VR field with hands and body as
well as your eyes and head, though it appears that such capabilities will
eventually come to Oculus Rift.
The entire system retails for
$799 on the HTC Vive website. Currently, a selection of 107 games are due
to arrive for the virtual reality format.
Sony PlayStation VR
Not to be outdone by its
competitors, Sony announced that it will release its VR device in October of
this year -- in time for the holiday shopping season.
The head-mounted display is
designed to work in conjunction with the Sony Playstation 4 and comes equipped
with a 5.7-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz.
It's also compatible with
Playstation accessories such as the Move Motion controllers and camera, though
some reviewers note that they don't work together as seamlessly as the HTC Hive
system.
What the platform has going
for it is the wide range of gaming options that the Sony system can deliver.
Pre-orders starting at $499, through retailer Gamestop, sold out within
minutes.
Tuan C. Nguyen is a Silicon Valley-based journalist specializing in technology, health, design and innovation. His work has appeared in ABCNews.com, NBCNews.com, FoxNews.com, CBS' SmartPlanet and
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