The Future of VR

The Future of VR

I've always been an avid gamer since I was 6 years old. I always wondered if it would be possible to be totally immersed in a game where I could control everything with my mind instead of a handheld controller. When the first VR, virtual reality, headset was introduced I knew the gaming industry would be taking great strides. Just recently, Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One" highlights the possibility on a movie screen. It's like watching your dreams become closer to reality, but it's on a screen which fuels the dream to one day transform into a reality. 

Hardlight VR Inc. took their first steps into making VR more immersive by releasing a $300 haptic jacket that is equipped with haptic sensors in October 2017. This jacket allows users, for example, to feel the impacts of a punch, a bullet hit, or a sword hit.

Now, HaptX is developing a full body suit that is also equipped with haptic sensors  as well as a better representation of a user's movement in VR games instead of holding controllers. These types of simulation equipment can be used for recreational purposes or training purposes for law enforcement or military purposes. Other companies are developing ways for a VR user to stay in one place but move freely and naturally to mimic running, walking, rolling, crouching, crawling, etc. While companies are innovating to get their "new" product out there, others are waiting to copy the product to make it cheaper for consumers. Hopefully one day we will achieve total VR but until then, we'll see where technology takes us.

WSJ