Learning Virtual Reality

Preface

Virtual reality has captured the world’s imagination. Over the last few years, developers and enthusiasts in the thousands have devoted countless hours to coding, designing, and speculating about the possibilities of this exciting new medium. Affordable hardware systems like the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and Google Cardboard VR allow consumers to experience virtual reality firsthand in the comfort of their homes, in a cafe, or on the train to work. Press coverage has reached beyond the trade press and blogosphere to mainstream publications extolling the virtues of VR, and the possibilities seem endless: from gaming and cinema to architecture, education, training, and medicine. Even though it has a long way to go, virtual reality appears poised to become the next major entertainment medium, and perhaps even the computing platform of the future.

I first tried an Oculus Rift in the summer of 2013. I was, to put it bluntly, underwhelmed. The graphics of the original development kit (the so-called “DK1”) were low-res by today’s standards, and I lasted about 10 minutes before the nausea kicked in—which, according to my friend Dave, was an impressive display of endurance. I put the device aside, grumbled “not ready,” staggered back to work, and didn’t give the matter much thought again until nine months later, when the tech industry was set on its ear by the announcement that social media giant Facebook had acquired Oculus VR, the makers of the Rift. Like many of my peers, ...