Today, we are witnesses to burgeoning consumer-accessible VR, an exciting technology that promises to transform in a fundamental way how we interact with information, our friends, and the world at large.
What is virtual reality? In general, VR is the computer-generated simulation of a 3D environment, which seems very real to the person experiencing it, using special electronic equipment. The objective is to achieve a strong sense of being present (presence) in the virtual environment.
Today's consumer tech VR involves wearing HMD (head-mounted display) goggles to view stereoscopic 3D scenes. You can look around by moving your head, and walk around by using hand controls or motion sensors. You are engaged in a fully immersive experience. It's as if you're really there in some other virtual world. The following photo shows me, the author, experiencing an Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) in 2015:
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