The Latest News on Virtual Reality

In a previous post, I wrote about the advances of Virtual Reality, namely in video games. However, companies are choosing far more practical applications for VR, and the possibilities are exciting.

If you haven't already read about it, Disney recently invested in VR through its Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR experience, and the game will open at both Disney parks by January. The game uses a real-life, custom-made environment so that the users feel like they are actually on Mustafar fighting as Stormtroopers. More and more companies are creating similar environments, syncing the game under the headset with the real world in order to provide a more real experience.

Also, HTC, the company that created the Vive headset for use with Steam video games, started its Vive X program in April 2016, which encourages Virtual Reality development with its headset, has invested in 40 VR startups, and plans on adding 26 more, including Neurable, which is currently working on a brain-computer interface that would make controllers, or even gloves a thing of the past for Virtual Reality. HTC also hopes to achieve wireless VR, and it sounds like these startups are the right step towards that goal.

Furthermore, VR is arriving in other circles of interest. There is a push for experiences similar to IMAX where VR would be available to the public in location-based venues. In education, people have considered the possibilities when implementing VR into teaching anatomy or countless other areas of study, especially in the medical field. Even Gevenchy, a French fashion company, has created fashionable "VR glasses" for those who want to look good while experiencing augmented reality.

With the increase in availability of these headsets for developers, I believe we can expect the world of Virtual Reality to quickly expand into more areas than just Skyrim.