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We all interact with our environment in some way with the senses we
possess. However, in an increasingly futuristic world the interaction
with our surroundings have mainly been focused with computer
technology, such as with our phone or television screens. Many
companies have tried to integrate augmented reality technology with
our screens, by giving us ‘evolved’ versions, where we can now
interact with a virtual environment by means of headsets, gloves etc.
This is virtual reality.
Virtual reality technology is an upcoming field which has many giants
in modern technology vying for the top position, eg: Samsung, Google &
Facebook. As competition is stiff, each of the companies have
developed or obtained their own unique VR reality devices to try and
carve a niche in the market. Other companies have also tried to make
VR technologies more accessible to the general population by reducing
the cost of the machines and giving them less functionalities than the
pricier versions (eg: Google Cardboard). The only problem with this is
that the consumer would not have the full VR experience they normally
would. The vast amount of development that goes into each high-end
headset (eg: the Oculus Rift) means it is difficult to substantially
reduce the costs in comparison to technology like smartphones, which
have been in the market for much longer. Virtual reality is a field
which is still in need of lots of research.
Each of the devices offered by the major companies have their own
unique properties, therefore the purpose of this article would be to
highlight the differences between them. The main companies described
would be Facebook, Google, Samsung, HTC and Sony.
Facebook’s Oculus Rift was purchased for $2 billion from Palmer
Luckey, and it is the VR headset that triggered the current VR trend.
It is one of the more expensive ones on the market, retailing for
around $600. It plugs into one’s computer and provides a 360-degree
view of the virtual computer environment, which makes it a very
immersive experience.
Google was one of the companies that tried to make the cost of VR low,
so they developed Google Cardboard, which retails for around $17, a