Oftentimes referred to as VR headsets, virtual reality glasses are becoming an indispensable tool in the entertainment and gaming world nowadays. Compared to the ordinary head-mounted display, these goggles are lighter and at the same time more comfortable to wear. Majority of these tools come with a plethora of interactive devices such as video, audio as well as head tracking.
So, how does it work?
Virtual reality glasses are specially engineered to let users see life-size image, creating a 3D virtual surrounding with no limitations we normally experience with computer and TV screens. Therefore, no matter what angle you look, the screen attached to your face will always follow you.
According to experts, the video is sent from the computer or console to the glasses through HDMI cable. VR glasses utilize two feeds that are sent to a display or even two LCD displays. Meanwhile, adjustable lenses are put between your eyes.
VR headsets can boost immersion by means of increasing the field of view. You should know that a 360-degree display isn’t necessary and quite pricey. Lots of high-end headsets settle on either 100 or 110-degree field of view. To prevent stuttering or making users feel uncomfortable, the minimum frame rate should be about 60 frames per second.
The CAVE System
The VE (Virtual Environment) system can project images on walls, rooms ceiling and floor, and this is called CAVE or Cave Automatic Virtual Environment. A user can move around in CAVE display by wearing specially designed glasses in order to complete the moving illusion through the VE. The CAVE display gives the user a wider field of view that greatly helps in user immersion. This can also allow many people to share the VE experience at the same time. CAVE is much more expensive and requires much more space as compared to other systems.
Closely related to the display technology is the tracking system. Tracking systems can analyze the user’s point of view orientation in order for computer systems to send the proper images to visual display. Most systems require the user to be tired of cables to the processing unit that will limit the motion range available to him.
The development of tracker technology tends to lag behind the other virtual reality technologies as the market for this kind of technology is mainly focused on virtual reality. Without the other applications or discipline demands, there won’t be any interest in developing the new ways to track the point of view and movement of the user.
Engineers, theorist, and scientists have designed and invented dozens of applications and devices in order to achieve the success of this goal. Their opinions differ on what precisely constitutes a true virtual reality experience, however, in general, it includes 3D life-size images that appear from the user’s perspective.
Additionally, it also incorporated the ability to track the motion of the user, particularly his eye and head movements, and adjust the images correspondingly on user’s display in order to reflect the perspective changes.