Technology is still ever expanding with large companies investing mass amounts of money into different projects waiting for one the general public will buy. The latest and greatest has come out as virtual reality. Virtual reality was first invented in the 1920s solely for a flight simulator. Today, the technology has become more available to the public at a price almost everyone can afford.
To experience virtual reality, on the cheapest scale, one can buy a cardboard viewing set for about $20. For the program to view the virtual reality all one has to do is go on the App Store or Google Play Store and download any virtual reality app. These cardboard sets are very basic, including the appropriate lenses to view the virtual reality on a smartphone and a magnet that communicates with the phone. Also, on the side of the box there is a magnetic ring one can pull down to control the app.
Within these apps one can view a variety of environments. The simplest and perhaps the most awe-inspiring experience would be the Urban Hike mode in the Google Cardboard app. In this portion of the app one is immediately put in Paris. Using the head-tracking feature of the phone, the user is able to look around and look up at the Eiffel Tower, while feeling like he or she is actually there. The user can move around the setting in which he or she is in with the magnetic ring and transport to several other major cities and even virtually swim around the Great Barrier Reef.
Additionally, there are many other apps which put users on a roller coaster, in space, and even in some games. Since the technology is so new there isn’t as much of a variety as most would hope when investing their $20. Nevertheless, the advancements for this technology are already happening, with virtual live courtside seats at a basketball game a leading innovation currently happening. This technology is truly intriguing and will continue to awe us with several breakthroughs in virtual reality apps in the future.