What is Virtual reality and what should it be? ESSAY

A virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a 3D images or an environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment like a helmet or gloves with sensors. There have been plenty of different virtual reality devices being produced year after year such as the oculus designed specially for games, the Samsung s5 headset which is for their phones, HTC Hive, Sony Morpheus, Microsoft Hololens, Razor OSVR and the list goes on. Virtual reality products have been becoming more and more popular but is the approach that companies have taken towards them the right one? How will it affect the user? and will it be worth the buy?

Can the next big thing be virtual gaming? Yes, companies have been working on virtual gaming devices for a while and it’s now that they have become open for the world to use. Oculus Rift was available to use at PAX, and now virtual reality gaming centre will be opening in Australia. So no one can really say that virtual gaming isn’t going to make it because as everyone can see it’s soon going to hit the shelves and able for anyone to buy. The idea of being wrapped up in a reality that is created and not real has been the goal of many computer programmers and scientists all over the years and now that they are almost finished the producing them gamers as well as non-gamers can now do what only their imagination could and live in a fantasy world. A virtual reality is something that feels real but isn’t, and that’s what the Oculus rift and the other devices will provide. Many different fields can use the VR as a way to train students whether they be primary school children to university students without putting them in harm's way, this includes the fields of medicine, law enforcement, the army and aviation. It also helps those who cant experience a full life do things they can't do due to disabilities as well as visiting cities that they wouldn't have the money for and just do any activity that the user desires. VR headsets have many advantages and uses to it besides just for gaming so yes the companies who have been making these helmets have been going the right direction with the headset because it isn't just an entertainment device but also a device which can be used to teach others and can be used by doctors to help their patients.

If consoles are affecting some people mentally and giving them a more anti-social and violent behaviour, would that make the VR Headsets have more worse affects too?

A big worry about the headsets is that as the VR environments become much more higher quality and immersive it would take them away from their real life and entrap them into the virtual world which they live in and could also lead to low-self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness and insignificant . But let's be honest here, that won't happen to majority of gamers out there so it's not really something to be too worried about unless the person has had similar things happen to them in the past due to consoles or any other technology. Many people do suffer from motion sickness though and the VR headsets were known to trigger it as well which is a big con for people who suffer from it and want to buy the product for themselves.

another side affect with VR headsets is that the makers of flight simulators found out that the pilots who had used such simulators sometimes made mistakes during actual flight because of the differences between the simulated environment and reality. The problem isn't permanent but because of this, pilots who have used simulators aren't permitted to fly unless they've been away from them for at least 24 hours.

Everything has its side effects, some more than the other but that shouldn't stop people from buying it because it doesn't affect everyone.

 The question everyone asks themselves before anything, will it be worth the buy?

The technology for such an experience is still new and experimental and buying it when it can still be improved and made better isn't a very wise thing to do. The hardware needed to create a fully immersed VR experience is still cost prohibitive. According to the Oculus VR co-founder Nate Mitchell, the Oculus will be offered around 200-400 dollars which isn't really that much but you'll need a really good computer to run it and that can cost up 1500 dollars if you know what you're buying. But if you're willing to put your time into the VR headsets and not buy and not use it after day 1, then yes, I do believe the product is worth the buy because it is revolutionary to gaming and you really wouldn't want to miss out on something like it.

A virtual reality is something that feels real but isn’t, and that’s what the Oculus rift and the other devices will provide. Out of all the consoles and different platforms of gaming to come out, virtual reality has definitely taken the spotlight for gaming even though it may be slightly more expensive than most consoles which have came out. It's no doubt something that everyone should check out and consider buying because it is a game changer and could be the future of gaming and the ender of next-gen console gaming.