Have you ever wanted to experience a different side of life? Well, you can with virtual reality (VR). It’s not a new technology. In fact, it’s been around for decades, but in the past five to 10 years, VR has really taken off as a
source of entertainment!
Discover more about VR in this Q&A for beginners.
Q: What is VR?
A: VR is a combination of hardware and software that offers you a unique and immersive experience. VR allows you to enter a pretend world that feels quite real!
When you put on the headset, every sight, sound and movement is simulated, created through thousands of hours of design, development and rendering by 3D artists, photographers and videographers.
Q: What do you need to make the most out of VR?
A: To become engaged in the VR experience, you’ll need a VR headset. This chunky piece of gear consists of a frame that mounts over your head and a screen that completely surrounds and sits at a fixed distance from your eyes.
The goal is to block out the outside world, allowing you to become immersed in the experience. Headsets are equipped with stereoscopic 3D display, stereo sound and motion-tracking sensors. Some VR sets also utilize handheld controllers to enable more abilities and range of movement inside the simulation.
Q: What’s it like?
A: Many people say you can’t truly understand the VR experience until you experience it yourself. Some people report motion sickness after use, which speaks to the intensity of the experience.
Different headsets have various motion-tracking capabilities, allowing you to move both your head and body to navigate the virtual reality you’re seeing. Current VR headsets have a limited field of vision, which means what you see through the headset is a bit narrower than what you see with your eyes. Therefore, the headset presents the virtual world surrounded by a black border, akin to peering through ski goggles.
Q: Who uses VR?
A: Pretty much anyone can use VR. At the moment, VR is mainly used by gamers, but it also has surprisingly useful real-world applications.
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- Unlike typical video games where you talk or text with friends, VR personalizes the experience, allowing you to create realistic avatars and thriving social communities.
- For some real estate agents, VR is an exciting alternative to physically showing available properties. With VR, a buyer tours more properties in less time, often without leaving the comfort of their home or the real estate agent’s office.
- It helps some employees simulate training or certification, like handling industrial equipment or flying an aircraft.
- The military, law enforcement and other first responders use VR to simulate a wide range of experiences for training purposes.
- In clinical settings, VR is sometimes used in psychiatry to help treat patients with PTSD and phobias.
- It is a low-risk way to train hospital personnel to handle challenging situations and has introduced specialized medical procedures to doctors in third-world countries.
Q: Where Will You Go First?
A: Well, that’s completely up to you. There’s really no limit to the places you can go with virtual reality. And with high-speed internet from Chariton Valley, you can enjoy this mind-bending technology from right in your very own home! Contact us today!
