Another area where virtual reality could have a dramatic impact is in online shopping, Gownder said.
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There is still a way to go before VR and AR find their way into most people’s everyday lives, but the innovations on show at CES certainly provide a window into this exciting new dimension.
This is the year virtual reality could really get real.
As an unrepentant early adopter, I should be excited.
As far as the specifications needed for an optimal Virtual Reality experience, Azor has praised the GTX 970 from GeForce. A beta version is available for download, and it’s now compatible with Oculus Rift. As a game that’s about jumping off a building and falling, it can be pretty intense (just ask me, I bumped my head on a wall while playing it). Nvidia said that VR takes seven times more graphics processing power than a typical PC game. “Virtual reality is going to be going very fast over the next year and the next decade”. And the images need to be rendered twice – once for each eye. If you are one of those looking to get their hands quickly on the new VR headset and can not wait till June, then be prepared to buy a gaming machine from Dell as well.
Acer’s Predator G6-710, one of many VR Ready PCs at CES.
Beyond how many people will be able to get these computers, though, the big question is how long “VR Ready” will actually mean ready for VR.
My PC is overdue for an upgrade. “This right now is the bare minimum”, I hear at their booth. The industry is anticipated to bring in $5.1 billion through gaming alone in 2016, and no product is more anticipated than the Oculus Rift. A new company called Archaen has spun out of Defective and is working on a “VR-first creation game and worldbuilding tool” called “Archaen Worldbuilder” that enables “room-scale VR level design”.
“We believe in this and want to make it a success”, Azor said.
“[Virtual Reality] is a new gold rush”, said one Nvidia spokesperson, “and Nvidia is selling the picks and shovels”.
“I think coaches that don’t implement this are really missing the boat”. Ditto for the space simulator Elite: Dangerous. According to Oculus, the plan was always to make sure that it fit within the $1,500 bracket for PC and headset.
VR enthusiasts, in the wild. The entire Oculus Rift package will include the headset itself, sensors, an Xbox controller, cables, and the Oculus Remote. Game developers will have a global…
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And the potential of virtual reality as an interactive platform can’t be understated.
