Where Is Virtual Reality Heading?

Virtual reality (VR) has had somewhat of a bumpy ride, starting with its promise for 3D gaming and then branching out to enterprise uses, such as training and education, health, and communication. Here, we review how VR started, how VR is being used, and where it is heading. Most importantly, we show how VR and the Metaverse will significantly change how we interact with technology and each other.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

• The history of VR, including its gaming start and what the current status is
• Which VR headsets are relevant and which industries have been using them
• Understand what VR’s significance is to the Metaverse

History of VR

VR has come a long way since its early beginnings, evolving from the realm of science fiction to an everyday technology that has transformed various industries. Over its history, many researchers, inventors, and enthusiasts have contributed to the development of VR. The following are important points in VR’s history.

Early concepts and precursors (1800–1950s):

• Stereoscopy and the stereoscope (1838): The concept of virtual reality can be traced back to the early 19th century with the invention of the stereoscope by Charles Wheatstone. Stereoscopy involves the presentation of two slightly offset images to the left and right eye, creating an illusion of depth perception. The stereoscope marked the beginning of 3D imagery and laid the groundwork for future VR technologies.
• Sensorama (1956): In the 1950s, filmmaker Morton Heilig designed and built the Sensorama, an arcade-style machine that offered an immersive multi-sensory experience. The Sensorama...

Gaming start and its current growth

As a driving force in VR adoption, VR gaming has revolutionized the way we interact with digital environments, allowing players to immerse themselves in realistic 3D worlds. Over the past few decades, VR gaming has evolved from a niche concept to a widely accessible and increasingly sophisticated technology. In this section, we review the history of VR and gaming, including location-based VR and social VR, and explore the key developments, challenges, and breakthroughs that have shaped this industry.

Early beginnings: 1960s–1980

As previously noted, the concept of VR dates back to the 1960s when Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull developed the Sword of Damocles HMD. Although rudimentary, this device laid the foundation for future VR technologies.

In the 1980s, the term VR was coined by Jaron Lanier, founder of VPL Research. VPL Research developed the DataGlove—an early VR input device that allowed users to interact with digital...

VR and mixed reality (MR) devices

We have included MR devices here in the same section as VR devices rather than including them in the AR section. Our reason for doing so is that even though MR devices can do both VR and AR, the type of AR that MR headsets can do is called passthrough AR. Passthrough AR, also known as passthrough mode or camera passthrough, is a feature in some virtual reality headsets that allows users to view their real-world surroundings through the headset’s built-in cameras. This mode essentially passes through the video feed from the cameras to the headset’s display, enabling users to see and interact with their physical environment without needing to remove the headset.

Passthrough mode can be useful in various scenarios, such as checking on your surroundings, finding objects, or interacting with other people in the room while still wearing the VR headset. It can also enhance safety by helping users avoid potential hazards and obstacles in their...

Everything else but gaming

VR has seen significant advancements in recent years, leading to a wide range of innovative applications across various industries. The immersive nature of VR has made it a powerful tool for both small and large enterprises, offering unique solutions to business challenges and fostering growth. Here, we will review some major applications for VR outside of gaming, including training and education, design and prototyping, marketing and sales, remote collaboration, healthcare, and real estate.

Training and education

One of the most prominent enterprise uses of VR is in training and education. Companies across multiple sectors leverage VR to deliver realistic, immersive, and risk-free training experiences. Some examples include:

• Safety training: VR enables workers to experience hazardous situations without any real danger. This is particularly useful for industries such as construction, mining, and oil and gas, where on-the-job accidents can have severe consequences.
• Soft Skills Training: VR can also be used to teach and develop soft skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution, and customer service by simulating realistic scenarios that require employees to interact with virtual avatars.
• Military and Law Enforcement: VR is widely used to train soldiers and police officers in various combat and crisis situations, improving their decision-making and reaction times in high-pressure environments.

Design and prototyping

VR technology has revolutionized...

VR and the Metaverse

In the previous chapter, we addressed how AR will be used in the Metaverse, and we made it clear that there was a solid place there for AR. The reason why this point had to be made is because the Metaverse initially was thought of as a VR-only domain. This comes directly from Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash, where people use VR to access the Metaverse, a term that Stephenson coined himself. So, when we talk about the Metaverse started bubbling up after the Oculus DK1 headset came about, it was assumed that VR was the unique way to access the Metaverse.

What is it about the VR that still clearly anchors it in the Metaverse? The idea is that the Metaverse is an alternate 3D reality where you can immerse yourself, taking you away from the real world. This alternate reality could be a completely fantastical one where the rules of physics do not apply, where there are creatures that have been created by humans, and where there are...

Summary

This chapter threw light on the history of VR and how gaming spurred its development. We showed you which VR/MR headsets were notable, what the general features and desirable specifications are, and what some of the cautionary things to be aware of are. VR and the Metaverse were then discussed.

VR and the Metaverse are two of the most significant technological advancements of our time. VR allows us to experience and interact with digital worlds in a more immersive way than ever before, while the Metaverse promises to create a shared virtual space where people can work, play, learn, and socialize together.

The importance of VR lies in its ability to simulate real-world experiences, explore new environments, and interact with virtual objects in a more engaging and interactive way.

The Metaverse, on the other hand, has the potential to change the way we live, work, and play by creating a virtual space where people from all over the world can come together and interact...