Virtual Reality– What You Can Expect in 2016

Whenever I tried VR since my first experience last year, I had been at the bottom of oceans, stumbling about in the dark, racing a go kart down colorful tracks, solving puzzles on isolated islands. My small room becomes all these things in the middle of the night.

I have walked through these worlds with my feet. I pulled at things with my hands. And many times explored the surroundings by tilting and shaking my head, and sometimes totally spinning around without realizing that the cords keep tangling around my shoes as I walk across my room. Your whole room can come alive and be your space of frightening adventure and a different type of spatial magic.

One of the first few things I tell people who try VR is to sit down, preferably in a swivel chair. Latest VR Gears like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift need to be connected to a PC, offering a magnificent trek into imaginary virtual spaces, but limiting our movements in the real world. But with VR devices like Samsung Gear VR which is powered by a Samsung Galaxy smartphone there is no such restriction.

The four best VR options available for you

You can find a few different forms of VR devices in the market now. There is this cheap headset that works with your phone and there are much more competitive options that require a powerful PC or a latest version game console for more powerful illusions. Here is a quick list of your best options.

Google Cardboard – It is a fun inexpensive way to turn any Android phone or iPhone into a virtual reality viewer. Google Cardboard is simply a piece of cardboard with a pair of cheap lenses folded in a perfect frame that can be pressed against your face like spectacles. When you stick your phone inside and play the 3D 360° videos, you would feel like you are in another world.

Samsung Gear VR – The best smartphone powered VR headset so far. It costs just $99 plus you must have a latest Samsung Galaxy phone (S7, S7 edge, Note 5, S6 edge+, S6, and the S6 Edge). It is more comfortable to wear than Google Cardboard and has more sophisticated sensors for that immersive VR experience. For navigating menus, the Gear VR has a built-in touch pad on the side of the headset, a back button, display adjustment and volume rocker.  Plus it has got a library of purpose-built apps and games.

Oculus Rift – It is the biggest name in the VR. The experience of Rift VR is beyond words, with a stunning resolution of 1080×1200 it tracks your head in all directions with 110° Field Of View that lets you lean in, look around the corner and get right up close to virtual objects. The headset fits comfortably on most head sizes and weighs a little over a pound. Its only major flaw is the high price tag of $599, apart from its serious system requirements, like a graphics card equivalent to a Nvidia GTX 970 or an AMD R9 290. But for this first gen device and the ultimate VR experience, arranging all these is easy enough for a serious game.

HTC Vive – This VR Headset is a standout option for gaming. Unlike Rift, Vive has some competitive gaming capabilities like it comes packed with motion controllers and two tracking cameras to support Roomscale VR. Here you are again tethered to a powerful gaming PC with extreme computer graphics along with an adequate open space to explore after you have positioned your two laser trackers, PC and long cables going to each of these hardware. Costing $200 more than Rift, Vive has to offer you a lot of great features and maximum immersion.  

Things you can do with your VR headset

"This is just the start," said Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) in a blog post. "We're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world, or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home."

Indeed, the promises of VR are tantalizing. It is no more just a viewmaster for video games. The competing Rift and HTC Vive have huge applications in innovative ways that has a potential to revolutionize other industries just like they changed gaming. A few of the example are:

Entertainment – If gaming was not one of the primary uses for VR technology, then other forms of entertainment would definitely be.  From films to live concerts and theatrical experiences, VR has become a platform to watch videos that surround you. With new cameras being created, tools to enhance the experience very soon, these videos may not seem like films at all.

Education – There are already some great VR experiences being use in the classrooms like, “Titans of Space” which is a short guided tour of a few planets and stars in the galaxy, which is designed to give a sense of scale of just how big the universe is. Another demonstration is “Discovery Virtual Reality” that takes you to new worlds – from a trip to ancient Egypt to exploring the darkest of rainforests to air crash investigations with much more to come. VR technology provides avenues that allow the students to connect in a social, collaborative and active learning environment.

Tourism & exploration

If you want to visit a foreign country but cannot afford it, VR may be the answer. You could visit snowy mountains, historical places or the bottom of the ocean. The experience through a VR headset may never match up to the real thing, but it can certainly come pretty close. For consumers, it is a new way to plan a trip, walking through a hotel room before booking, exploring the sights and sounds, while for those in hospitality business VR can be effective tool for promotion and advertising.

"So people got VR what else do you think they did?  Of course they went out and made porn and VR online casino games".