Current age of virtual reality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The popularity with modern VR began in 2010, when Palmer Luckey<\/a> created the first prototype of a VR headset that would evolve into the Oculus Rift. He launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign<\/a> in 2012 and raised $2.4m, bringing VR into the public interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years later, Facebook\u2019s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, bought the company for $2bn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Oculus Rift Kickstarter campaign raised $2.4m and introduced VR into the public image.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Several competitors have emerged since then, including the HTC Vive Focus, Sony\u2019s PlayStation VR, and the Pico Neo headsets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile thousands of developers are making VR experiences, film-makers are exploring the potential for documentaries<\/a> and animation, while Facebook and YouTube<\/a> are creating 360-degree videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or is immersed within this environment and whilst there, is able to manipulate objects or perform a series of actions to determine what happens in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re interested, this article covers a longer definition of VR<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The backbone of VR is the headset. These devices use sensors and screens to immerse users in a virtual world, but they come in different types, from mobile to standalone to tethered headsets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Virtual reality headsets<\/a> fit into three broad categories, mobile, PC or standalone, each with their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n These headsets use your smartphone as the screen and processing power. While once popular, manufacturers have stopped developing new mobile VR devices as the industry has shifted toward more robust standalone and tethered headsets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, because phones aren’t designed specifically for VR, they can’t offer the best visual experiences, and are underpowered compared with PC or game console-based VR. In addition, there is currently no positional tracking<\/a> with mobile VR. You can look around an environment from a single point, however you can\u2019t look around objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standalone VR headsets offer a wireless experience with all the necessary hardware built directly into the headset itself. These are more powerful and accessible than mobile VR headsets, and they don\u2019t require a phone or PC to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These headsets provide a more immersive experience at a higher price point. Most of these headsets are tethered with cables from the headset to an external piece of hardware to power the headset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trade-off, besides the clunky cables, is the price. The least expensive tethered options are currently around $400, and with the Rift and the Vive, you\u2019ll need a powerful PC to run them, while the PS VR requires a PlayStation 4 at the minimum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n VR devices have their own app stores, similar to smartphone app stores, where you can browse and download games and apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of these stores are accessed using the device itself, while others \u2013 the Meta and Steam stores, for example \u2013 can be browsed on your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PlayStation VR2<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pico 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meta Quest 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HTC Vive Pro 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HP Reverb G2<\/strong> Recent Release:<\/strong> Apple Vision Pro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from the headset, there are plenty of accessories and peripherals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Headsets like the Meta Quest, Pico Neo and HP Reverb G2 come with two controllers, one for each hand. These controllers are tracked in 6DoF<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Companies such as OVR Technology<\/a> are developing scent technology for virtual reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Users testing out the device can try out demos like picking and smelling a virtual rose. When you pull the rose away, the smell instantly disappears instead of lingering like a perfume. That effect is due to the OVR hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advanced VR setups like the Vive Pro<\/strong> and Meta Quest 3<\/strong> offer precision motion tracking, adding more realism to your virtual experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Devices like the PlayStation VR2<\/strong> and Meta Quest<\/strong> provide vibrations and sensory feedback to make interactions feel more lifelike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VR motion sickness happens when your brain receives conflicting signals about movement in the environment around you, and your body\u2019s relation to it. In VR, this essentially means that if you are standing still and the virtual environment around you is moving, you disturb the brain\u2019s equilibrium and you start to feel nauseous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symptoms include<\/strong>: Dizziness, nausea, sweating, headaches, eye strain, and general discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To minimize motion sickness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about what VR motion sickness is, what causes it, and how to minimise it so you can enjoy your favourite games and simulations, read this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 3 main types of movement and positioning tailored for each play area size: roomscale, seated, and standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Roomscale VR<\/strong>, you set a boundary or play area and can move freely and physically around that area in the game. With these games, you can physically move around your space to interact with the simulated environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Seated<\/strong> and Standing<\/strong>, the user stays roughly in the same place and uses different movement options (usually on the hand controller) to move instead of psychically moving through a space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many applications of VR, from engineering to entertainment to recruitment. It\u2019s best known currently for gaming, however there are plenty of other useful application of virtual reality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read about key industries that use VR: Applications of VR<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Oculus](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/oculus_rift_kickstarter.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat is virtual reality?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
VR usually has these 4 characteristics:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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VR Headsets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mobile vs PC vs Standalone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMobile VR headsets (Retiring but Still Used)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mobile](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/mobile_vr_headset.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStandalone VR headsets<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Standalone](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/oculus-quest-2-colored.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPC \/ Console connected VR headsets<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"PC](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/tethered_headset.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
VR Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/best_VR_apps_stores.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPopular VR Headsets<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Playstation](\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/10249996-edited.webp\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/7124941_R_Z001A.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/51zSlpNMnAS._AC_UF8941000_QL80_.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"HP](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/hp-reverb-g2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apple-vision-pro-headset.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAccessories for the VR headset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hand controllers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"VR](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/vr_hand_controllers.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSmell<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Motion Tracking:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Haptic Feedback:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMotion Sickness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Motion](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/motion-sickness-vr.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRoomscale, Seated, and Standing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Roomscale,](\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/roomscale-seated-standing.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nApplications of VR<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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