How virtual reality will change the world we are living in Part 1
Imagine for a moment that any distance you lost your irresistible, any desire got instant execution, and all the beauty of the world became available at the simple touch of a button or two. Wherever we put it, we are restricted: calves ache from the long walk, there is a fear of heights, not enough money for a ticket anywhere in the world, and the sofa has a powerful gravitational field. Yes, if we lived in utopia or was extremely rich, life would be simpler, but achieving this would take a lot of years. Fortunately, omnipotence is the recipe simpler: virtual reality.
The idea of virtual reality for many years, but only in the last few years, the world has gotten so close to this border that is and can feel. The term "virtual reality" came into use only in 1985, thirty years ago. The first technical realization of a device which, according to the plan developed by Ivan Sutherland, was to immerse people in imaginary world, was published in 1968. Because of the huge size and side effects is it called "sword of Damocles", and this idea has exhausted itself. However, once bill gates thought 640 kilobytes should be enough for everyone.
It is the period up to 2000, I deposited in the minds of people as "a history of virtual reality". Because of that, today's helmet and virtual machines is no surprise, and why the skeptics shrug their shoulders and say "already had it". In the air, an elusive feeling that virtual reality for a long time with us and never left. Thank the gods that there are in this world, fans of to break the patterns.
A hero of our time younger than many of us. In fifteen years, Palmer Luckey became the owner of the world's largest collection of headsets on display, worn on the head, thanks to their hobby. Sixteen assembled the first working prototype in his garage. In August 2012, the campaign launched on Kickstarter, already raising $ 250,000 in just a few hours. In March 2014, Oculus VR for $ 2 billion Facebook buys giant. Today 21-year-old founder of the company has become almost an icon of the younger generation of gamers, as well as one of the main evangelists of the "second wave" of virtual reality. What is the secret of success?
Today 21-year-old founder of Oculus VR has become almost an icon of the younger generation of gamers, as well as one of the main evangelists of the "second wave" of virtual reality
Glasses, helmet or headset Oculus Rift is very simple. Version Oculus Rift DK 2 (development kit) assorted specialists portal iFixit, and found there, in General terms, such items.
Much more interesting is how this device works and what makes it so magical, what could not be done the previous 50 years. The process of penetration into virtual reality is very simple. You put on a helmet, sit back, connect to external source of entertainment (computer, of course) and sink. Now it can be tested only in the presence of one of the developer kits, but Oculus is actively preparing everyone from developers to common users, the beginning of sales. An open platform for developers one of the perks of the Oculus. At the start from that will be in play.
In fact, Oculus has solved and continues to solve the main problems faced by virtual reality previous years.
In the 90s, a simple headset, thanks largely to the displays and tracking movements, cost about 15 thousand dollars. Relatively powerful graphics system could be purchased for 50 thousand dollars. Of course, virtual reality systems accrue to only the richest institutions and research laboratories and the military for training. Today, thanks to the incredible development of technology, the displays were worth mere pennies.
In the early 90s Virtuality Group has released a powerful virtual reality headset with an incredible on the time resolution 276x372. The latest version of the Oculus Rift boasts a resolution of 960х1080, and to its value we will return.
The team of Palmer Luckey managed to solve problems related to the quality perception of virtual reality. Solved problems of motion sickness (user was constantly sick) due to the blur of motion and an insufficient number of frames per second, as well as delays in the updating of the picture. Now testers spend a day with a headset on and I feel exhausted but happy.
Huge drop in the cost of processors and the General cheapening and miniaturization of related technologies (accelerometer and gyroscope) has led to the fact that the Oculus Rift will be possible to take in dozens or even hundreds of times cheaper than the best system of virtual reality ten years ago.