We hear so many news about how VR is changing the present and what other amazing things it will bring in the future, how it will influence our ways of living and working. We see more and more VR studios popping up, virtual experiences being enhanced with headsets and controllers. Even more apps (useful or not) are being launched in the virtual reality. But do we know everything about this new hot topic? Do we understand it fully? No one has the absolute knowledge, but we for sure want to improve our expertise on virtual reality (cause we’re building a platform, duh!). So we gathered 5 things you didn’t know about virtual reality – until now.
1. 1987 – the year of VR
Virtual reality has been under development for many years before it actually got a name. Probably among the things you didn’t know about VR is also the “birth date” of this technology: 1838. That is when the stethoscope was invented – which is considered to be VR’s grandpa. After years of research and experiments with creating virtual reality, in 1987 Jaron Lanier first came up with the term “virtual reality”. Lanier is the co-creator of the Dataglove and was part of the first company who ever sold VR goggles.
2. VR is here to stay
77% of the millennials are more willing to embrace new technologies (AR/VR) at their work place. Or at least that’s what a study about the future workforce conducted by Dell discovered. Be it for training, 3D visualization, presentations or just collaborating, virtual reality is ready to be adopted as a worktool. Sooner rather than later, virtual reality will play a major role in our workplaces. This is also due to the fact that more and more people choose remote jobs, which makes virtual sharing a major thing in our daily activities
3. VR is affordable
If you looked into it, you know that headsets are not cheap. But it’s not a luxury either. Actually, the prices for hardware vary a lot, which makes it affordable for everyone ready to go virtual. Not that long ago some VR headsets could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Today, however, a powerful VR device doesn’t cost more than a gaming console. Rumour has it that one of the most popular headsets – Oculus Rift – is launching an option that will open up the virtual reality market to millions of new potential users.
(By the way, if you want to use MeetinVR and don’t have a headset we offer a non-VR version of the software. All you need is your PC so you don’t have to miss out on the meetings)
4. VR is not only for entertainment
Admit it, if you think of VR you immediately think of playing a game or watching some super SF movie. The reality is that VR is used nowadays for an increasing number of business applications, but also for military training and healthcare. Actually, one of the things you didn’t know about VR is that the military and healthcare fields have been experimenting with the technology long before the Oculus Rift. It is even used in flight simulations or treating post-traumatic stress disorders.
5. If you’re using it for the first time, it can be quite disorienting
There is a slight possibility to get “simulation sickness” if you are trying it for the first time. The symptoms are similar to those of motion sickness. Some people lose track of where they are and sometimes feel a bit of nausea or a mild headache. Others (like our colleagues most of the time) loose track of time and spend hours playing. So no need to be afraid! Once you get hooked into the experience you won’t even notice how time flies.
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