Being such a technically literate person, I hear about lots of new technologies and how cool they are. I spend lots of time on the internet with no intention, and this is where I pick up all sorts of news and information. One new technology I have heard about for a couple of years and dreamed about trying out is Virtual Reality (VR).
For those that don't know, Virtual Reality essentially transports you into another world. You may be in your bedroom, but put that VR headset on and you can be anywhere doing anything. And there's not just games on this, contrary to popular belief. There are movies, social apps, even Netflix in Virtual Reality. You can watch either 360 videos that wrap all around you, or you can watch regular 2d videos in your own movie theatre.
I was first shown VR at the Westminster Fall Fest. Westminster, MD, the town McDaniel resides in, has a fair every year to welcome in the fall season. This fair has rides, food, local vendors, and strangely enough, this year there was a virtual reality demo set up by a local IT company. My friends and I took turns trying it out, and for me the demo was revolutionary. I put on the headset, and I was in this trippy world that was changing every time I turned around. My mind was blown at how easy it was to feel presence in this virtual world, and how convincing this low resolution, low detail world was.
Once I finally had the chance to get a smartphone, I got the Samsung Galaxy S6, specifically because I could get the Gear VR if I had the phone. The Gear VR is a VR headset that works with high end Samsung phones. The Gear VR also has its own store with high quality games and apps, specifically designed for the headset. I have had the Gear VR for about six months now, and it has been very interesting experiencing all the games, videos, and apps that are available for it.
Out of all the things in VR so far, I think the most promising things are the videos and apps that take you to another place. I have an app that is just Google Maps street view in Virtual Reality, it is really fun to go to a random place on the map and look around, and it is cool to go to places you've always wanted to go, like Times Square and the Hollywood sign. There are videos that immerse you in another culture, like one where you are in a canoe paddling through a village that is literally floating above water, or one where you are eating dinner with a family in a foreign nation. You may not understand what the family is saying, but you have a sense of presence and feel like you are a part of the family.
My favorite experience that I always show VR newcomers is a Jurassic World promo video. No, there's no violence in it—throughout the whole video you are looking at a dinosaur playing around in the woods. Sounds boring, but it's really cool to see a dinosaur right in front of your face. Yeah, dinosaurs may have gone extinct 65 million years ago, but strap this headset on, and you can see a living breathing dinosaur with your own eyes. People love this video, and it gives them a feel for what VR can do.
Virtual Reality is something that I am enthusiastic about. I may be an early adopter, but I can tell that this could go places if it catches on. The sense of presence and the endless entertainment it offers is pretty phenomenal. The technology needs to mature a little bit before it can truly go mainstream, but once it does, it could completely change the way we consume media. Now excuse me, I am going to go into a world where I can Smash Glass by throwing balls.
