Virtual reality or VR has been one of the most talked about technologies in the past few years, but it was only recently that manufacturers introduced the VR head-mounted display for PCs, gaming consoles and smartphones, making it more accessible to the mainstream market.
Although many of the VR devices are more inclined toward gaming, they can still be used for other VR applications. Three of the upcoming ones, in no particular order, are:
Oculus Rift
The Oculus Rift is one of the premium VR head gears that will soon be available in the market. It is not a stand-alone device, however; it needs to be plugged into a VR-ready Windows-based PC and it uses its own set of programs. The consumer version is composed of two OLED display panels that give 1080 x 1200 pixel resolution per eye, with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. Its lenses also allow for a wider field of view.
It is currently being offered on a pre-order basis, costing $599 and is expected to be released on March 28. The pre-order package for the Rift includes an Xbox controller and two VR games, "EVE: Valkyrie" and "Lucky's Tale."
HTC Vive
The HTC Vive was unveiled at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress. It is a project by HTC and Valve and is designed to be used with Valve's OpenVR platform. It also needs a powerful PC to work.
The headset features a dual-screen display that offers a 1080 x 1200 pixel resolution that renders images at 90 frames per second and uses 32 headset sensors to work flawlessly. It is said the the HTC Vive headgear can give its users a room measuring 15 feet by 15 feet to work in, and a field of view of 110 degrees . It is also equipped with a front-facing camera to detect any moving or static object and it uses wall-mounted Laser sensors for the location and movement of the user.
Pre-orders will begin on Feb. 29 and the package includes two wireless controllers and room-scale motion tracking devices. It is priced at $799.
Samsung Gear VR
The Samsung Gear VR has been in the market since November of 2015 and costs only $99 USD. It is a stand-alone device but needs a smartphone that will act as its display and processor. It is designed to work better with several of Samsung's own Galaxy smartphones.
The Gear VR headset also incorporates a proximity sensor, a touchpad and a back button. The latter two are for virtual environment interaction. Its lenses provide its users a 96-degree field of view and, with the help of the Samsung smartphone's QHD display, can provide a unique VR experience with no cables and no high-end PC requirement. Users are only required to download the appropriate Android programs in order for it to work.
Aside from these three, there are the PlayStation VR, LG 360 VR, Zeiss VR One and One GX, Homido, Microsoft Hololens, and of course, the mass-produced Google Cardboard.
