There is no shame in being a virtual reality newbie. If you are eager to experience this new technology, we suggest learning a thing or two about it first. We want to help you with that, so here are the answers to five important questions a beginner might have about virtual reality.
As the name suggests, it is a computer-designed environment that is not real but has the goal to appear as realistic as possible. This is made possible via the headset that you put on before entering the virtual reality world. Aside from that, there are also gloves that can help you experience touch and other accessories, such as a treadmill used for running.
Whether you use it at home or in another location, the purpose of VR is to provide a virtual environment that your senses will consider real. This includes stimulating eyes, nose, ears, skin (hands) and more. Today, virtual reality is used in design and architecture, gaming, as well as training people and teaching them various skills.
As Newegg explains, there is less danger of virtual reality making you sick if you use high-quality equipment and software. In cases of using cheap technology, you may notice fluctuating time rates, which lead to flickering and motions sickness. If you want to stay on the safe side, you should stick to state-of-the-art gear, such as HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
The risk of injuring yourself is minimal. For example, Vive will scan the room you are in by using its “Chaperone” feature. That information is used while you are playing and, whenever you get close to a wall, the software will lift a virtual wall so that you know not to bump into it.
Yes, developers are constantly working on improving their virtual reality headsets. The products are PC-based, which means there is room for upgrades. This very fact also means that you should expect gradual improvements, which means that every next version of the system will deliver an enhanced experience and a better product, but you shouldn’t expect anything revolutionary.
The new versions will probably have the same or higher price tag than the current generation headsets. However, the good news is that you can expect the older systems to become cheaper as the companies release new versions of their products.