VR - the new frontier

Are you someone who has grown tired of the flat panel display and wish to watch everything in a theater screen? Do you sometimes wish you were part of the game you were playing? 

Well good news, because that wish is no longer farfetched fantasy or science fiction-- say hello to VR or Virtual Reality! 

The term is pretty self-explanatory, as it means once the user puts the headset on, they are transported to an artificial reality, which the user can interact with, just like in real life. 

By no means is VR new, because the term and some rudimentary versions of it had been kicking around since the '80s through various attempts at both the professional and the entertainment arenas. However, it never took off as it is doing now, due to previous limitations in technology and lack of computing power as well as innovation.

VR came back into the public spotlight when Oculus spearheaded their ambitious Rift project in Kickstarter, along with the not-so-VR Google Glass experiment. With currently available technology, it is now possible to truly delve in VR without faltering. 

Many people are under the assumption that VR is only for gaming and has no other function. Yes, the benefits that VR brings to gaming are astonishing and this is a sector that VR can truly shine in. However, VR has lots of potential outside the gaming market. If 360degree cameras are used for the shoot of a particular event or film, then users of VR will not be simply watching a video but rather, experience it as they would if there were there. 

It would also allow users to watch normal movies with a theater-like experience. With the recent announcement of a 3D brush, designers and artists will now be able to make 3D drawings which will benefit their fields immensely.

Unlike many of the other tech fads that have come and gone in the recent years, VR has the most potential and has the highest possibility of being carried over into the future. The development that some companies, for example Facebook, are going forwards with shows that many of the future's media contents will be targeted towards VR. 

VR may sound like an expensive piece of equipment but it really is not. Sure the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are expensive, but there are many other cheaper alternatives out there that do not cost an arm and a leg, and yet, offer at least 80 percent of the experience. 

Google Cardboard is a great entry level product for people who are curious. Many of these headsets are available here as well and at quite reasonable prices too. Tech stores like Gadget Gang 7 and 3D Solutions have many such VR headsets available, so check those out for things you might like.

By Intisab Shahriyar