The Oculus Rift: The Next Step in Virtual Reality Technology
A blog about the coming of the Oculus.
By AdamTropics on April 1, 2013 in Technology
Technology is constantly changing and evolving. The computer was first introduced to the world in 1938. Now, 75 years later, we carry computers in our pockets. Imagine what this technology will be like in another 75 years? We are now fortunate enough to live through a period where virtual reality technology is being pioneered. This new technology has the potential to change everything from gaming to science. It can create a future where we have all of our meetings virtually, visiting exotic locations without ever leaving our homes. We are about to enter the age of virtual reality. Welcome to The Oculus Rift: The Next Step in Virtual Reality Technology.
What is the Oculus Rift?
The Oculus Rift is the next step in virtual reality technology. The Rift gives players a much more immersive experience than the current generation of console games. The Rift’s primary competition, the Sony HMZ-T3W (codenamed Morpheus), is set to be released in 2016. Both products are still a ways off from mass production, but they have the potential to revolutionize gaming and entertainment.
Virtual reality has been a hot topic for years. The idea of being able to see a 360 degree view of a world has obvious advantages in entertainment and simulation training. However, until recently, most virtual reality systems were too bulky or uncomfortable to be used without causing motion sickness.
The Oculus Rift breaks this barrier by using much lighter materials and a specially designed LCD screen to minimize motion blur and visual distortion. In addition, the Rift includes an external camera that tracks head movement and adjusts the image on the screen accordingly, preventing motion sickness.
The Rift will cost about $300-$400 when it’s released in late 2015 or early 2016, making it competitive with current generation consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It is compatible with any PC system that runs Windows 7 or newer and only requires an HDMI port for connection.
The Oculus Rift
Welcome to the next generation of virtual reality: the Oculus Rift. This blog will attempt to explore the world of virtual reality and what it means for us as humans. With the Oculus Rift having just been announced, I believe that now is the time to explore this new technology and what it can do for us.
The Oculus Rift is a head-mounted display with a wide field of view and high resolution display. It utilizes a gyroscope and accelerometer to track motion and is capable of fully immersing its user in a virtual world just by looking around. This technology is something that has been dreamed about since the beginning of science fiction, but could not be realized due to limitations in technology. Now that we have entered a new generation of technology, this dream has become reality.
I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I am enjoying writing it!
My name is Mitchell Silverman and I am the editor of The Oculus Rift. I am a writer and web developer, working mostly in HTML5 and CSS3. I started this site because I was fascinated by the technology behind the Oculus Rift, and wanted to learn more about it. I hope my knowledge will help you understand what is going on with this new tech.*
The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head-mounted display (VR HMD) designed by Oculus VR, an Irvine, California-based company founded by Palmer Luckey. The technology was developed with the support of John Carmack and id Software, who integrated the device into their engine. Oculus wants to make virtual reality a standard part of everyday life.
The Rift was developed as a Kickstarter project in August 2012. After raising $2.5 million over initial expectations, the project quickly became one of the most successful campaigns ever on that funding platform. On March 25th, 2014, Facebook purchased Oculus for $2 billion dollars.
The Rift has been compared to “an IMAX theater in your home,” with many developers discussing its potential as a new medium for gaming and even movies. Several major game developers have signed on to support the Rift’s development kits, including CCP Games, Epic Games and Valve Corporation. The development kits are expected to begin shipping in March 2013.
Virtual reality is the next frontier in technology, and the Oculus Rift is one of the most exciting products on the horizon. Recently acquired by Facebook, the Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head-mounted display that allows you to experience 3D environments and interact with them in a whole new way.
The Oculus Rift’s Kickstarter campaign was wildly successful, and gained a lot of excitement for this technology. The current development kit has allowed developers to create immersive gaming experiences like never before, and it’s only going to get better. There are even plans for virtual reality movies!
For more information about this revolutionary technology, check out the links below.
Virtual reality technology has been around for quite a long time now. In fact, the first head-mounted virtual reality system was developed in 1968, when Ivan Sutherland and his students at Harvard University developed a system known as The Sword of Damocles.
Of course, the system looked nothing like what we imagine it to be today. The device was hooked up to a computer and consisted of a helmet that was connected to a mechanical arm. The arm was attached to the ceiling and held the helmet above the user’s head.
The device was meant to provide users with an experience that involved looking at 3D objects. However, it failed to do so because it required too much space and wasn’t portable at all.
As time went on, however, several other virtual reality systems were created by various researchers and scientists, including NASA astronauts and their flight simulator systems. It wasn’t until the 1990s that this technology really took off among the general public, though. This was when Nintendo released its Virtual Boy gaming system in 1995 and Sega released its Sega VR headset in 1993.
Unfortunately, both these products were commercial failures as they only provided users with stereoscopic 3D display technology rather than actual immersive experience.