Virtual reality has seen an unprecedented level of application in multiple sectors, and rightly so. The industry has grown exponentially too, creating avenues for new applications of VR in other sectors AND Virtual Reality Gaming
While exposure to various VR news reporting platforms, or direct applications of VR may lead you into thinking that you know all there is to know about virtual reality, we are here to say that nothing could be further from the truth.
Virtual reality takes advantage of sight and sound technology to catapult users into a virtual world. The VR industry has passed through a series of developmental and technological strides over the years, thus making it a dynamic industry.
Because of the series of changes which the VR industry has undergone, there are definitely some facts you never knew about VR.
Let’s explore some of them shall we?
Table of Contents
The first VR headset was patented in the 1960’s
Oh yeah! We bet you didn’t know that. You probably just got to know about VR a few years back. Perhaps, you probably believe that VR is an entirely new technological invention/concept which emanated only a few years back. Well, it isn’t.
As a matter of fact, the first VR headset was patented in the 1960s and was invented by Morton Heilig.
VR was once used to train US military personnel
VR isn’t only for gaming and entertainment purposes you see. It has been explored in different fields like business, education, health, and even the military. While you might find it difficult to believe, virtual reality was once used to train members of the US military.
Sony is the largest vendor of VR devices worldwide
You probably already know this, but do you know the secret behind Sony’s headsets, and why they have become so popular in the market today?
Well, here’s one Sony VR headset fact: Sony had a small group of engineers develop their Play station VR in a small lab in secret. It only became public knowledge upon completion. Amazing, right?
This Song PlayStation VR has become the top-selling VR headset in the work.
VR Devices aren’t all that expensive
You might probably believe that VR devices cost an arm, and perhaps a leg. A lot of people actually do still believe so majorly because they actually used to be expensive, but not anymore. VR devices are becoming readily available, and thanks to technological innovations, production costs have been impacted positively. The resultant effect, we can all keep our arms, and legs, as well as our VR devices.
Some VR devices currently sell for as low as $10 and are becoming increasingly less expensive by the day.
AR and VR are not the same things
While AR and VR can be used to complement each other, they are not one and the same, and shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
While AR enhances the real-life environment through computer images, VR enhances a virtual environment, making it seem like a real-life one. Aha, now you get it!
Virtual Reality is made possible through the Virtual Reality Modelling Language
Unless you are tech-savvy, you probably didn’t know this. The VRML is a coding language that enables VR developers to create images and specify the interactions for them.
There’s such a thing as motion sickness
Science News reports that up to 40% of VR customers experience motion sickness in varying degrees when using VR. So, when you feel nauseous or sickly during a virtual reality adventure, understand that this is quite normal, and your friends may be experiencing the same thing too.
Smartphones are the biggest enablers of VR
You thought it would be computers, right? Well, we were amazed when we discovered the truth, too. Apparently, VR is more likely to be an add-on on smartphones than computers.l
The name “Virtual Reality” was coined by Jaron Lanier in 1987:
Here you have it- another proof that virtual reality isn’t an absolutely new concept.
Virtual Reality is still a work in progress
We are yet to see the best of VR. The virtual reality that we are so hyped about right now, is just in its developmental phases. There’s a lot more to come from where these have come.