Time Magazine’s August 17 edition is dedicated to Virtual Reality and Oculus Rift. The Rift will become one of the first consumer VR headsets. The headset will allow consumers to watch “conventional” movies in a virtual reality setting, experience games in an immersive way, watch new 360 degree videos, connect on social applications, and apply it professional and industrial uses. Last year Facebook invested $2 billion dollars into Oculus Rift. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, stated the next obvious step for social media is VR. The company is working to make 360 degree videos and developing its own virtual reality apps.
The future of Virtual Reality is not solely tied to entertainment. Oculus Rift and Facebook are not the only new and upcoming VR appliances. The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys agreed to a two-year deal with StriVR Labs. StriVR helps the Cowboy’s quarterbacks watch plays from a virtual perspective and make quicker decisions through mental repetition. Outside of sports, VR has helped patients with PTSD by replaying familiar war scenes for the wounded veteran so their brains can replace fear with familiarity. Forensic researchers want to bring VR to a courtroom to allow the entire room to be virtually placed at the crime scene.
Virtual reality can be used for attending tech conferences, previewing new office buildings, attending all hands meetings, military training, and teaching dental students—the possibilities are endless. Virtual reality is slowly moving away from exclusively gaming and entertainment and entering many practical fields.
-Alycia McGeever
Social Media Intern at Ryzen Solutions