The Rise of VR

Virtual Reality technology is often discussed as being a new technology, one that has only emerged in recent years and touted as the next big thing in gaming. Casino games and multi-player video games are getting the VR make-over, and some of the new releases are truly out-of-this-world gaming experiences. What many people don’t realise, however, is that VR technology has been in use for some time now.

One of the first people to come up with the concept of VR was an author by the name of Stanley Weinbaum. In 1935, Weinbaum wrote a short story called Pygmalion’s Spectacles about a scientist who invented goggles that allowed him to not only watch a movie, but to experience it via sound, taste, smell, and touch. It didn’t take long for the science to catch up with the science fiction.

In 1957, for example, a cinematographer by the name of Morton Heilig brought Weinbaum’s fictional invention to life with the Sensorama. The Sensorama was an interactive theatre box that combined a viewing screen, audio speakers, oscillating fans, and a device that produced smells in order to create a multi-sensory experience for the viewer. VR technology has, in fact, been utilised in various sectors since the late 50s/early 60s – it just wasn’t called VR at the time. The term VR wasn’t coined until the late 1980s by computer scientist, John Lanier. Early applications for this tech included Air Force simulations for pilot training and travel simulations that were precursors to Google Street View.

From Arcades to Headsets

Game makers have long understood the gaming possibilities associated with VR – arcades featured VR games way back in the early 1990s. It’s just taken much longer than expected to perfect the hardware and make it affordable for the average gamer. The last 10 years, however, have seen some major breakthroughs in the development of hardware and software that can be used in conjunction with VR tech.

These breakthroughs have come along mainly thanks to a few genius minds, like Palmer Luckey, the brain behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, for example, and a big injection of much needed funding. Luckey turned his headset into a commercial venture through a kick-starter campaign, and two years later Facebook purchased the Rift company for $2bn.

Since Oculus Rift appeared on the scene, a number of competitors began to re-invest in VR and subsequently released their own headsets onto the market. Sony, Samsung and Google have each released their own hardware, and on the back of these releases a whole host of VR games and apps have burst into life.

Where once VR was reserved for the few hardcore fans that could afford it, it is now possible to pick up a headset for just under $500 – still pricey, but doable. These headsets work in conjunction with other pieces of hardware, and you still need a fairly powerful computer to get the best out of them. Or you can go with a PS VR headset that works with PS4 or PS4 Pro and enjoy all the VR games on the PS4 platform.

VR Games Making Waves

One of the most talked about VR games to hit the scene is The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners PS VR. Due to the incredible popularity of the original TV series, this game has managed to garner a lot of hype and by doing so has been a game-changer for VR in general. Incredible graphics, intense storyline, and awesome features – such as actually having to use physical strength to pull a weapon out of a zombie you’ve just killed – make this game a truly immersive experience. These VR games are bringing us the VR experience we’ve been promised for such a long time.

We also recommend you keep a look out for Danger Goat, Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Beat Saber for some original and truly diverse VR fun and games. But in all honesty, we still think that when it comes to VR, the best is yet to come.