With each passing day, the possibilities with Virtual Reality are expanding. But how virtual can it become contemplates Orion Sandeep.

Imagine this, you come back home from a long day at work, school, or are tired in general. All your friends are out busy. There’s nothing worth watching on Netflix and all you want to do is have a great time while being entertained. All of a sudden, you see a weird this headset that you bought on a whimsy without having used it even once, staring at you, laying on the TV cabinet, untouched. Just waiting for you to switch it on and take it. You think to yourself “What’s the worst that could happen?”.

So, you pick it up. Switch it on. And flick it over your head. Suddenly, you’re transported into a completely new reality. You’re no longer in your house, but on a wild rollercoaster ride with your buddies across the globe. You’re in the middle of a lush green forest, you feel the world under your feet. The gentle breeze, those animals grazing in the distance and birds chirping away, the noises echoing as you travel along. You look down and see your physical body. You’re alive in this world. You’re living in this world. “What is this world?” you say to yourself. A voice booms out , “Welcome to the virtual world. Where possibilities are endless, and your imagination can flow wherever you want it to”.

So, I’m assuming you’ve either noticed the recent buzz of Virtual Reality and wanted to know more about it, or you’re an avid tech geek who just can’t wait to get their hands on the future of technology!

Regardless of whether you’re one of those people or not, you’re reading the right article as you may find the next possible entertainment device for both yourself and your children (if you have any)!

Now Virtual Reality (commonly referred to as VR), can seem a bit outlandish and complicated at first, but in actuality, is quite simple. What is it? Well…it’s your reality, but virtual. Still don’t understand? Don’t worry, we debunk it for you!

What is VR?

In simple terms, Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-made simulation in which a person (you!), can interact with the artificial 3D World by using electronic devices such as a VR Headset, remote controls, and more!

It’s used for a variety of purposes such as entertainment, gaming, and education, but is also beginning to become quite prominent in many industries like healthcare.

It rose to fame through the gaming industry but is now a booming sector for tech enthusiasts and is slowly going to become more prominent in our reality.

But what’s the point of VR? Why was it created?

Virtual Reality is used to create immersive experiences that can help educate and even entertain us. It allows us to feel as if we’re within the digital world and are interacting with it, and with the flick of a switch, we’re transported to a whole new dimension!

It’s helped the disabled feel like they’re roaming the world and allowed the dreamers to live in a paradise, fuelled purely by their imagination. It’s built opportunities for people of determination. It’s allowed patients in 3^rd World Nations to be helped by the best of the doctors from remote locations. And has even gone as far as helping the military defend their borders without physically being there.

Uses of Virtual Reality

Healthcare is one of the largest use cases for VR and is constantly innovating itself with its use of it. Initially, it was only used by surgeons who were not in the hospital or were unable to make it to the patient in time.

The military has been using VR for decades now. It began in the 1980s during the Cold War where soldiers were able to get real-time battlefield experiences whilst roaming around in an empty room.

We couldn’t leave gaming behind, could we? After all, the Gaming Industry was one of the key contributors to bringing it mainstream.

Whether it be car racing games like Project Cars or Grand Turismo Sport to even games that test your reflexes and physical abilities like Beat Sabre, the VR Space in the Gaming Industry is one of the largest.

Recently, there’s been a lot of chatter on something called ‘The Metaverse’, which, if you’ve seen Ready Player One, will already know a lot about. But if not, it’s basically our real-world put into the world of VR where we’re in control of our lives, world and progress! You can earn money from it and is also looking to implement cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructures! It’s being developed by Epic Games (you may know them as the creators of ‘Fortnite’) with a funding of $1 billion!

How to get a Virtual Reality setup?

The good thing about Virtual Reality is that it works on basically everything. We’ll get into some of the main ones!

Playstation VR

If you’re on PlayStation, you’re in luck! PlayStation themselves have their own VR devices that you can purchase for 1200-1500 AED called PlayStation VR! They have a wide variety of games and are extremely easy to use! Unfortunately, Xbox consoles still do not have VR support.

Oculus Quest 2

For you mobile users, the Oculus Quest 2 is one of the most compatible ones out there! It works on both IOS devices (IOS 10+) and Android Devices (Android 5.0+) as well as PC! So if you’re looking for a great all-rounder, this is your go-to, all for a price of 1400-1500 AED! It’s one of the best headsets for PC gaming and is also incredible for mobile viewing, gaming, and streaming!

Anyways, back to reality, Virtual Reality is incredible. The experiences that come from it are inexplainable and the future of it is definitely something to look out for! If you’re someone who is driven by their imagination, wants a break from reality, or is just someone who loves to create new experiences and live in the moment, this is for you.

Orion Sandeep is a 15-year-old boy with a vision who is a sushi addict and an avid gamer. He lives to vibe, loves to laugh, and has jokes so bad you just have to laugh at them!