As an idea, virtual reality has been around for many years now. During the last decade, great strides were made in its development, none more significant than the unveiling of the Oculus Rift, the device that many thought would become the turning point in the history of the VR tech.
However, despite all the developments, virtual reality is still a work in progress, and most people out there have either never used it or have only had brief encounters with it. In 2021, numerous tech companies are working on the development of both hardware and software for the VR, but progress is slow and not as great as we would have hoped for.
We take a look at some of the major problems that VR companies are faced with today, as well as the actual uses that VR has in our lives at this point.
How Far Along Are We?
Despite all the money and the time that was invested in VR tech so far, we have not come too far along in its development. The Oculus Rift and other similar devices have allowed users to experience what VR might one day become, but the limited selection of VR games and apps is making it hard for users to really get too interested in it.
Even if you wanted to spend your days hooked into the VR, you could hardly do so, as there are so few programs that actually allow for any kind of prolonged entertainment. Yet, the VR is being used both in the entertainment industry and some others in limited capacities.
The iGaming industry is one of those trying to utilize the VR with the development of gambling games in the virtual reality, as reported by indiagamblers.com. According to these reports, multiple companies are working on the development of slot games and table games that would allow players to experience the full scope of a casino environment without having to leave their homes.
On top of all the different types of gaming that VR developers are playing with, the technology is also showing promising results in various training and learning applications. At some point, we may be able to learn anything from simple things like gardening to complex medical procedures in the virtual reality, while expanding minimal resources and space.
Why Is VR Still Limited?
The biggest limiting factor for virtual reality at this point is the hardware. Today, the only way to access VR is through devices such as Oculus Rift, and unlike mobile phones that are easy to carry around, VR headsets are not very convenient to bring on your person at all. In fact, many of them are so bulky that your home may be the only place you will realistically use them at.
Software developers have been playing more and more with the idea of augumented reality and mixed reality, in which they are trying to mix the elements of the real world and virtual world to create a mix that works well and only requires a smartphone to access. A great example of this was the popular Pokemon GO app, which got millions of users around the world to engage in physical activity and share in what is probably the biggest AR social experiment thus far.