Virtual reality glasses let the user see a completely virtual world and interact with simulated objects as if they were in the real world. This environment can be based on movies, video games, or created from scratch. Thanks to the various motion sensors, the person wearing the glasses can even control the position of the eyes and head in these simulations.
Virtual reality has been around for a few years, but the goggles to access it are often expensive and difficult to set up. In the following lines, Cuban VR explains what virtual reality glasses do and how they can transport people to virtual worlds.
What are virtual reality glasses?
The virtual reality headset is part of a head-mounted device that includes a screen, stereo sound system, sensors, and motion controls. When a person puts on the glasses, he cannot see what is around in the real world and starts to visualize only the simulated contents.
Unlike augmented reality or mixed reality, virtual reality prevents any interaction with the real world. This means that user immersion is complete. Most virtual reality headsets available on the market use controls similar to video game joysticks.
Gloves with sensors can be built into more futuristic models. This lets you move around in the virtual world with your fingers, gestures, touches, and other body movements.
How virtual reality glasses work
With the right hardware and software, anyone can use virtual reality glasses to enter a fully interactive virtual world. When the headset starts up, users are presented with a realistic simulation that functions like a lobby and is equivalent to a computer’s homepage.
There, it is possible to open different applications, live with other people virtually, change settings, and update the device, among other functions.
In modern headsets, images are made by a video source like a phone, computer, or even the cloud. The lenses divide the video into two parts, forming a stereoscopic 3D image, displayed on the screen.
Thanks to built-in sensors, the environment changes as you look around, shift your eye focus or raise your hands.
In addition to basic functionality, virtual reality headsets are quite powerful. For example, there are productivity apps that let you create product designs and save the designs as 3D files in the cloud.
It is worth mentioning that more sophisticated virtual reality headsets have screens with a very high refresh rate to render content instantly.
Types of virtual reality glasses
There are different kinds of virtual reality glasses on the market right now, made by companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Meta. Some of them are:
- Rift Glasses;
- Microsoft Hololens;
- HTC Vive;
- PlayStation VR;
- Samsung Gear VR;
- Google Cardboard;
- Valve Index VR;
- Meta Quest.