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Another garage breakthrough strikes again. Palmer Luckey
designed his first working prototype of a head-mounted 3D display in his garage
at the age of 16.
Now 21, Palmer is the founder of Oculus VR, a company that is on the verge
of releasing the Rift, an affordable virtual-reality headset for playing
ultra-immersive video games and mentioned in this CR4 Post.
Although Palmer has no form engineering training, years
of amassing and tinkering with head-mounted displays inspired him to design his
own prototype and it has garnered the attention of venture capitalists to the
tune of $91 million. The device has also attracted a following, including game
programmer John Carmack, who led the development of influential video games
such as Doom, Quake, and Rage.
But Facebook stepped up, buying the company for $2
billion this spring. This purchase is a sign that virtual reality (VR) is now
sharp and cheap enough to have a huge potential for more video games. And now virtual
reality doesn't have to stay in the realm of video games. The technology also
has applications in teleconferencing, online shopping, and more passive forms
of entertainment like movies. VR technology has been used for several years in
some industries, including medicine where surgeons routinely practice
operations using VR simulation. But the Rift offers better resolution at a
lower price than anything on the market today.
Image Credit: Technology Review
When you use the Rift, you feel as though you're inside
the virtual world. The technology, adapted from parts of smart phones, follows
the movement of your head in real time. This allows the user to lean in to take
a better look at a virtual flower or look into the skies at a virtual cloud.
The retail version will launch later this year or early
next year. The Rift will offer resolution higher than 1,920 by 1,080 pixels per
eye.
My first concern when I read about this technology was if
it was going to make me motion-sick. Oculus reported that while some testers
have reported nausea, they have almost eliminated this problem in the latest
version. The experience is helped by the many stimulating worlds that artists
today are able to create.
Keep your eyes out for the Rift on the market! Learn more
about it by watching the video here.
Would you be interested in buying a VR headset?
This article is brought from MIT 10
Breakthrough Technologies 2014
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Re: Virtual Reality and Facebook
