Virtual Reality (VR) is  a term used to describe an entertainment experience in which an individual is able to immerse themselves into another environment through some form of visual technology.

A VR experience allows the viewer to feel as if they are somewhere else in full 360 spherical degrees–sometimes a real place (as with actual 360 VR recordings) and sometimes a fantastical place (as with VR games and animated short stories). Although, answering the question, "What is Virtual Reality?", takes more than just giving a definition and showing products. You honestly need to experience it, even with a low end device, to understand how tremendously it is about to impact our society. If you'd like us to send you one, call us today: 201.294.9557.

VR Viewing Devices

There are two main types of VR Viewing Devices: Mobile VR devices and Full Feature VR devices.

Mobile VR Devices

Mobile VR devices incorporate a person’s smartphone screen into a special case, enabling the headset to fit snugly on the user’s head. Optics build into the headset improve the experience so the user does not feel as if they are looking into a screen inches from their eyes. Headsets range in price from $25 -$150, and require a smartphone with a relatively large, high resolution screen, ideally with greater than 400 pixels per inch (PPI) resolution.” Smartphones newer than the Samsung S5 and the iPhone 4s are sufficient. Within the Mobile VR category of devices, there are two subcategories.

Lite Mobile VR devices use a traditional smart-phone with an inexpensive headset–such as the Google Cardboard ($15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Premium Mobile VR devices use a traditional smart-phone with a premium headset–such as the View-Master DLX VR ($25)–pictured below–or the Samsung Gear ($99)–pictured below.

  

Full Feature VR Devices

Full Feature VR devices incorporate a high-resolution and large screen into the device but must be tethered to either a computer with an advanced graphics card or a gaming console to function. Likely to cost between $350-$500 by late 2016, headset prices currently range from $599 to $799, but are exacerbated by the additional cost of a PC ($999 minimum) or a console ($399). Within the Full Feature VR category of devices, there are two subcategories.

Full Feature PC VR devices use a pc with an advanced graphics card capable of driving high resolution and refresh rates, such as the Alienware computer ($999) with the Oculus Rift Headset ($599)–pictured lower left–or the HTC Vive ($799)–pictured lower right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Feature Console VR devices use a traditional gaming console–such as the PS4 with the Playstation VR Headset ($399), pictured below. This device is not shipping to consumers until October 2016.