You must have heard about VR or virtual reality . Here’s everything you need to know about virtual reality. So stay with us.
Virtual reality is a technology designed to create the feeling of being in a virtual world. You enter the virtual world using tools such as virtual reality glasses and you feel like you are there. In this virtual world, you can interact with virtual objects and characters and gain various experiences in a realistic way. The feeling you get in virtual reality is completely different from playing or acting in a 3D environment on a 2D screen. In virtual reality, you experience the feeling of real presence in the virtual space. This is usually done using a pair of virtual reality glasses that place one or both screens close to your eyes. These glasses can track your location and transfer it to the virtual world.
This technology has grown significantly over the past decade. The best VR glasses have ultra-high resolution displays, more precise motion controls, and even the ability to use them wirelessly.
VR is getting more and more interesting, but if you want to know where we are now and how we got here, we will guide you to understand VR better.
What is NFC technology and how does it work?
What is VR?
Virtual reality technology attempts to create a realistic 3D image or environment that people can perceive as a real environment and even interact with it realistically. Although we did not reach the virtual reality level of the Matrix movie, glasses, games and new virtual experiences can be quite realistic and surprising. Even if you know you are in a virtual space, you can interact with the virtual environment created using your natural body movements, use gesture control of your hands fingers, and even some virtual reality glasses with facial expression tracking. Good
In VR, you can pick up objects, throw them, build things, bend over for a closer look, or lie on your back and stare at the stars. Even looking back is a new experience, instead of always looking straight ahead, as when working with a regular monitor or TV.
Virtual reality glasses, controller and tracker are used to achieve this experience, so the game knows where you are and what you are doing.
How does VR work?
Virtual reality works by placing a small screen, usually a high-resolution LCD or OLED monitor, a short distance from your eyes. This screen is powered by stereoscopic lenses and distorted to appear three-dimensional. As you move your head, the headset tracks your position and direction and adjusts the in-game visuals accordingly, emulating your real-world movements in the virtual experience.
The combination of the general appearance of virtual reality glasses and the ability to see hands and other limbs with motion tracking gives you a sense of reality in the virtual world and you feel that you are really present in the virtual world you are exploring.
Virtual reality is distinctly different from AR (augmented reality), which places virtual objects above the real world. AR has fixed points that your eyes can use as reference points for tracking and navigation. In virtual reality, the entire environment is simulated and realism is more difficult to achieve. Advanced VR projects include the senses of touch and even smell, but in VR this is often limited to seeing, hearing and touching simple objects. You will be amazed at what you can do with these senses.
What hardware does the VR use?
Virtual reality glasses are the most important part of today’s virtual reality. This piece of hardware usually includes screens that show the virtual world, lenses that show everything to your eyes in 3D, and an audio device such as a speaker or headphones. Most VR glasses have mechanisms that can be mounted on your head, and some have built-in cameras for monitoring. Others include face trackers and additional ports for adding accessories.
Some VR headsets, like Valve Index, are wired to a powerful gaming PC to run, while others like Meta Quest 2 are designed for standalone use and have their own internal battery and processing power. There are older VR headsets designed to work with mobile phones, but these are now outdated and largely obsolete.
VR glasses are in most cases the only hardware you need to enjoy VR, but most VR systems use other components to make the experience work better.
1- Viewers
Some virtual reality glasses use built-in trackers that have depth-sensing cameras on the glasses and detect their position. By the way, some have external detectors that need to be installed in the corners of the playground. Each virtual reality glasses contains some form of accelerometer and gyroscope used to monitor the tilt and direction of the glasses.
2- Controls
Virtual reality glasses allow you to explore and interact with the virtual world using a few buttons on the glasses (especially old VR glasses that work with mobile phones). More advanced VR glasses have a wand-like control lever. Even more advanced virtual reality systems; Controllers have individual fingerprinting capabilities. Some VR systems can track your hands and fingers without the need for a hardware controller, and some even offer full-body tracking so you can use your legs and lower body as additional input.
3- Graphics processor
Virtual reality games and experiences require significant processing power to render realistically, even on inexpensive VR glasses; For this reason, a virtual reality glasses must either have its own internal processor or be connected to a powerful processing system. This system can be a desktop or laptop computer or, in the case of PSVR and PSVR2, a PlayStation console.
Virtual reality headset types
Below we will introduce you to the best virtual reality headsets, although this information is not related to the headsets introduced this year. In the past decade, PC VR glasses have become one of the main focuses of VR glasses manufacturers. Early releases like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive helped form the VR industry. Modern examples include Valve Index, Pimax 5K Super and HP Reverb G2. These headphones usually have the best displays, the highest quality images, and higher refresh rates. They want to have the best game library on the Meta Store and SteamVR platform. These headphones can be wired or wireless, use internal or external monitoring, and have different controller options. They are always the most expensive and require a powerful and expensive gaming PC to run them.
1- Console virtual reality headsets
While few console VR headsets are on the market, PlayStation VR (PSVR) and PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2) are two reliable and very popular options that have proven to work. These headsets don’t have all the features of the best PCVR headsets, but they were considered competitive at launch. These headsets are generally less expensive than PCVR solutions, but they are not cheap and require a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 console to run them.
2- Standalone virtual reality headsets
Standalone VR headsets have built-in processing, on-board tracking, batteries, and wireless controllers. These headsets are designed to include everything you need for a virtual reality experience. This makes it possible to provide a more accessible way to experience virtual reality. But these headsets are limited by limited battery life, and their built-in GPUs are nowhere near the graphics processing power of console and PC virtual reality headsets. However, standalone VR headsets are cheaper; especially you don’t need a console or peripheral computer to run them.
Unique feature of each earphone
All of these headphones have different features. These features can affect the headset and user experience of virtual reality in different ways. Some of these components are:
1- Resolution
The number of screen pixels used in the headset, which is expressed as an equation obtained by multiplying the number of horizontal pixels by the number of vertical pixels, is called resolution. Headphones with higher resolution will display images to the user more clearly and with less flickering lines. Texts are more legible and distant objects are easier to identify. First-generation VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have a total resolution of 2160 x 1600, while next-gen headsets like the Pimax 5K Super have a resolution of 5120 x 1440. There are higher resolution headphones, but the higher the resolution, the greater the demand for graphics processing.
2- Refresh rate
This value indicates how many times the screen can update its display per second. The regeneration rate is expressed in Hertz (Hz). A higher refresh rate can make animations smoother, as well as improve the interactive experience and give the user a sense of being in a larger virtual reality environment. This criterion is also useful in reducing motion sickness. While most VR headsets support a minimum refresh rate of 90 Hz, some can support refresh rates up to 120 Hz or even 180 Hz.
3- Angle of view
This value indicates how many images are available inside the headset. The natural viewing angle of the human eye is around 200-220 degrees, while most VR glasses only offer a viewing angle of up to 110 degrees. This means there is some black stripe on the sides, top and bottom to see the image in the earpiece, but this is mostly in the peripheral areas. Some headphones also support viewing angles of up to 200 degrees, but they are rarely used. A wider viewing angle can help you immerse yourself more in the game or experience.
4- Lenses
There are different types of stereoscopic lenses. Fresnel lenses are one of the most popular lenses; However, it has been criticized for having a very small sweet spot where VR images are the sharpest, and also for having bursts of light and “god rays” in high-contrast scenes. Most next-generation VR headsets use flat lenses that are smaller and lighter, reducing the glare found in Fresnel lenses. However, they do not transmit light effectively to the user, so they may produce duller images or may require much higher screen brightness to avoid lens flare.
5- Sound
Every VR headset has a different solution for creating sound. Some headphones offer over-the-ear headphones, while others use generic speakers that don’t cover the ears. Using loudspeakers in public can make it easier for you to hear the sounds around you, but it will reduce your in-game experience. Some headsets only have a 3.5mm headphone jack, allowing you to connect any headset or phone. Sound quality differs from headset to headset, and the Valve Index headset is particularly popular with its headsets.
6- User comfort
Each VR headset has a unique design on the headband, weight and faceplate. This makes the comfort level of each headset quite different; some earphones are light and well balanced. Other headphones let you game for hours while your face hurts after a while. Lighter headphones are generally more comfortable, but there is no guarantee that they will perform better.
7- wired or wireless
Some headsets, like Valve Index, are wired and connect to a gaming PC or console and a power source. Other headsets like the Meta Quest Pro are completely self-contained and work wirelessly. Others, such as the HTC Vive Pro 2, can be upgraded with a wireless kit. Either way, wireless earbuds offer more freedom and a more immersive experience, but you have to worry about battery life, which can cut down on gaming time. Wireless headphones are heavier. Wired headsets are definitely simpler and can provide higher quality uncompressed images, but wired headsets can remind you that you are not in a virtual world, which is one of their drawbacks.