THE BENEFITS OF IMMERSING MYSELF INTO VR ENVIRONMENTS
People have been entertained by VR (Virtual Reality) for a very long time now. This technology goes all the way back to the Victorian era (the latter half of the 19th century) at least, and has progressed throughout the past 150 years or so.
As a collector of antiques and historical archives, my mum has a few old stereoscopes from 1870-1910. These antique toys consist of a non-digital headset for our eyes to look through with a pair of lenses. Then a card (with twin photos printed on it) is placed in a slot located in front of the two lenses. Finally, after sliding the card backwards/forwards along a vertical shaft, a 3D photographic image appears in the viewer’s eyes. The photo is usually in sepia or monochromatic tone, yet some of the stereoscopic cards in her collection were hand painted at the time of creation. Whenever I use an old stereoscope I’m always amazed about how life-like these monochromatic images appear, and it does feel very much like using a “time machine”.
Today’s version of the stereoscope would definitely have to be the VR/Mixed Reality headset. Just like stereoscopes, these headsets have twin lenses which together create 3D imagery, except that it’s all done by a computer of course. Another key difference is that the images seen aren’t stationary, and move as if they exist in actual life.
It too has to be mentioned that headsets work in Mixed Reality (XR), which is essentially a combination of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality (or AR) uses a player’s actual environment, yet digitally changes or adds certain things into the scene. An earlier example of an AR game was the app Pokemon Go, where it used actual environments (with streets, forests and water), though added fictional Pokemon to see whilst the user looked at their screen.
I’ve now been using Meta Quest headsets for two years at a local gaming hub that I attend, and now I have finally gotten my own. This year my occupational therapist gave me the suggestion of saving up for a headset, because they’re very good for my claustrophobia (as they’ll give me a visual illusion of being in an open area) and there are also games which teach life/community skills in realistic environments or vehicles.
At this current moment (regardless of how much I enjoy them) the only VR/XR devices within my budget are big, bulky headsets that I have to strap on. However soon I’ll be able to just use eyeglasses. Earlier this year I bought my first pair of Meta Smart Glasses, and despite not being able to see digital imagery I can still use them as headphones (connected to my iPad with Bluetooth) and I can take photos/videos of what I see. I can also ask Meta AI to tell me what things in front of me are, in either English or other languages, and my glasses can translate text within the camera’s view. The auditory information comes to me via the inbuilt speakers, and I verbally ask the glasses questions (in the exact same manner as voice dictation on any smart device).
Eyeglasses that use Mixed Reality (VR and AR in combination) do now exist. So luckily I shouldn’t have too long to wait until I can experience all of the things that a headset offers, from just wearing my normal glasses! I’m already enjoying the fact that I no longer have to wear uncomfortable headphones, that make my ears sweat, itch and hurt. Thus I now know that I will eventually experience the same level of physical convenience, when I enter VR/XR worlds without the feeling of tight straps around my head in the near future.