Virtual reality
Virtual reality: the journey has begun
Avatar, Matrix, Total Recall, existent, Tron… For many years now, cinema has dealt with the subject of virtual reality from many different angles and perspectives. In most of the films, especially those of the 90s and 2000s, our desires, doubts and fears of what this new world of virtual reality would be like, a world where people interact in a fictitious environment -but apparently real- generated by computer technology.
Virtual reality was a technological trend that, in the past, never caught on. Over the last 30 years, failures due to rather crazy systems meant that this technology never quite caught on in the market. However, currently, with the advent of another reality, augmented reality (later we will discuss the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality), technological innovations, and the growing popularity of Oculus Rift headsets, it seems that this technology is back. Have a golden opportunity to consolidate.
This is what, at least, the specialized media, manufacturers and creators of video games think, who agree that the next few years are going to be key. The big technology companies, such as Facebook, Samsung or Sony, do not want to be left behind and have already presented their own devices. In this article we will try to explain what virtual reality is and how it works.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality (or VR, in English) is the sensation of being immersed in an environment with objects or scenes that appear real but are generated by a computer. This technology immerses the user in a 360º virtual environment and makes them believe that they are part of it. To achieve this, it makes use of various technological devices, such as virtual reality viewers (helmets, glasses).
For example, when we play a video game we do it looking at the screen, outside of it. By putting on a VR headset, we immediately put ourselves in the middle of the scene, as if we were inside the same screen, inside the game. For this reason it is said that thanks to virtual reality we can enter a world different from ours.
The world of video games – where the user experience is more real than ever thanks to the heights of realism achieved – is the spearhead for introducing VR into society and consolidating it, but there are many other areas that will change due to the virtual reality. Thus, this can be used for other purposes, such as medical (therapies for mental or physical illnesses), training (in the sports or military field), in aviation, in advanced journalism (the United Nations recently released a VR movie about the life of a girl in Syria) or for brand promotion (the firm Leroy Merlin has recently incorporated immersion into its catalog with the Oculus Rift helmets).
Virtual reality technology is increasing by leaps and bounds. Currently, devices have already gone on sale to experience it with the help of mobile phones and VR viewers are becoming more powerful, like the Oculus Rift themselves. Meanwhile, if we want to try this new experience, we will have to settle for going to video game fairs or congress where we can test these new “toys” freely.
Differences between virtual reality and augmented reality
VR should not be confused with other interactive experiences such as augmented reality, which is a digital projection method that projects images onto what is already around us. That is, it does not create a new alternative reality, but rather adds information to the one that already exists. A good example of this is what Google Glass does, which provides information, graphics or images superimposed on the real environment, thus enriching it.
Augmented reality is becoming more available as it requires less investment than virtual reality. Microsoft is currently also working on this technology and they will soon release HoloLens glasses, and many brands of all kinds are beginning to use it, such as Disney, which has developed an app for iOS and Android capable of turning any drawing into an animated object. That will be displayed on the screen of a mobile device.
As we have already mentioned, to enjoy virtual reality, a virtual reality viewer is necessary to reproduce it. In general, it is a small helmet that covers the part of the eyes in which the images are emitted, capable of detecting and capturing the movements of the head. Each eye has an independent screen, with which the sensation of 3D is better perceived.
The Oculus Rift are the glasses that returned interest in this technology, back in September 2012. Although they are still in development, they have made incredible progress thanks to the purchase by Facebook in 2014, and the brand is expected to present a version for the general public at an affordable price.
Virtual reality: the journey has begun The Oculus Rift will come with a console controller as the basic form of VR control. However, the company has assured that it is developing a more advanced controller that it will launch in the middle of next year and that will allow us to see our own hands in the virtual world.
Oculus is the best known platform, but not the only one. Sony’s Project Morpheus viewer, Samsung’s Gear VR glasses or HTC’s Vive system will also hit the market next year. Virtual reality is one of the main priorities of Facebook and other networks such as YouTube and Periscope, as can be seen with the announcement of the possibility of sharing 360º videos on the social network in the future. Another giant, Google, has in mind that it can be used in schools to travel to other countries and see other cultures, and Samsung is studying offering immersive movies and videos with its viewer.
For all these companies, as we can see, virtual reality represents an opportunity beyond video games and leisure in general. How far all this can go nobody knows; what is clear is that the possibilities of this new technology are practically unlimited and the fields in which it can influence are many and very diverse. The journey has begun. Let’s buckle up
