Many people wonder where this new technology is going. Through some extensive research I know exactly where it is headed and have made this article as a guide.
The future of virtual reality is VR replacing many aspects of actual reality. We will see full body VR suits, big movies and events in virtual reality, and most of our day-to-day parts of our lives will be influenced by it.
The Future of Virtual Reality Hardware
Virtual reality hardware has come a long way over the years. You can take a look at our full guide to the history of VR by going to our article by clicking this link.
Virtual Reality headsets
Headsets are the bread and butter of virtual reality, and they are getting better and better all the time.
New headsets are coming out constantly that have some new feature or optimization, which gets me really excited for VR in the future. There are a lot of different levels of virtual reality that people are experiencing, and each level is getting better in its own right.
Tethered Headsets
These headsets are at the cusp of virtual reality technology. They have the best resolution and tracking because they are backed by a powerful computer that does all the calculating for it. These headsets run high-end experiences that really amaze people when they try them. All of the really big developments in virtual reality will be using these types of headsets.
The way things are going with these headsets, they are hoping to use all sorts of cameras that are on these headsets to be able to interact with the real world as well as the virtual one in order to provide a more realistic experience. Don’t be surprised if you end up wearing a headset all day when they get more user-friendly and mainstream!
Stand-alone Headsets
Stand-alone headsets are really great because they are great virtual reality experiences that are completely mobile. These headsets have batteries as well as onboard chips that run the calculations.
These headsets are really amazing, and they are quickly chasing after the tethered headsets in terms of experience. As virtual reality progresses, more and more people will be using these headsets in order to do things in there current jobs and education.
Pretty soon we will be able to get the full virtual reality experience from stand-alone headsets instead of them having to be able to be hooked up to a computer for full optimization.
Phone VR
This type of virtual reality is a bit of a gimmick for now, but as cell phone technology gets better, this will be an experience that will surprise you. The future of VR technology does not lie in Phone VR even though it is a great way to show off the concept.
Controllers
Controllers for virtual reality look really strange to people that have never been in VR. These controllers are designed to show how the human hand is moving in virtual reality, and therefore they are moving towards gloves.
In the movie “Ready Player One” they use haptic gloves in order to interact with their world. Their headset tracks their hand movement and the gloves simulate touch.
For now, we have controllers that sense what position your hand is in order to give you control, but eventually, they will be a complete simulation of the hand, and the controls for the game will be inside the virtual reality program instead of outside.
Other Hardware
There are plenty of other things that will come out in the future that will further enhance virtual reality, and some of them will blow your mind.
Omni-directional treadmills
This is a treadmill that will simulate walking in virtual reality. This type of thing is expensive and requires a lot of space, but as more and more people use virtual reality in their daily lifestyle, it will be commonplace.
The Infinadeck is a great example of an omnidirectional treadmill. Although it isn’t quite market-ready, you can see the potential of the technology.
I cannot wait for more people to have these. This will allow for easier movement in virtual reality, which will allow you to use your hands for other things then controlling movement.
Haptic Clothing
Haptic clothing will be the way that we experience touch in virtual reality. Earlier I mentioned the haptic gloves in Ready Player One, but this is that on a full-body scale. Imagine feeling the virtual world on your skin!
This is a very early version of a haptic suit, but the technology is getting better and better. The opportunities for this are endless!
The Future of Virtual Reality Software
Now that we have talked about the things that make you feel like you are actually in the virtual world, let’s talk about the virtual world itself.
High-Quality Programs
One of the biggest issues with VR today is a lack of really premium programs. Although many programs and games exist, very few are really high end.
Programs like Google Earth VR are amazing, but they are relatively simple. These companies are just dipping their toes in the VR space.
Eventually, there will be as many programs for virtual reality as there are for your phone. Programs to do anything from fight space monsters to doing your business taxes.
There are endless applications to virtual reality, and as more and more people have access to these programs there will be more and more developers looking to get there hands on that market.
Futuristic VR Interaction
Interaction in most VR games is really simple. Most VR headsets have microphones so you can talk to other people in games, but there is so much more potential here.
In Rec Room, for example, the interaction is done really well. The game senses your tone of voice and makes the avatar portray your emotion. Although this isn’t always accurate, it is a step in the right direction.
Eventually, we should see some sort of facial recognition hardware and software that will make your avatar show what your facial expression is as well as capture your voice. A great example of this technology is the Animoji program on the iPhone X.
Notice how the cartoon characters follow his facial expressions? This same technology could be applied in virtual reality multiplayer games to better simulate speaking with another human being.
A large part of our communication is through facial expressions and body language, and VR will bring that into play as the technology develops.
Artificial Intelligence In VR
Artificial intelligence is going to be a huge part of our lives, so it makes sense that it will also be a big part of virtual reality.
Imagine a really high tech voice assistant overlaid on top of reality. These AI assistants will give you advice and help as you go about your daily tasks. In the movie “Iron Man”, Tony Stark uses an advanced AI to design his Iron Man suit. I imagine AI to be really similar to how it is portrayed in that movie.
Movies
When James Cameron’s “Avatar” came out, it was first shown in the standard 2D format, but then it became the highest-grossing film at the time because it was the first film to take full advantage of 3D technology. No other movie has taken advantage of that technology quite as they did.
VR technology will do something similar once movies begin being produced for the platform. Eventually, you will be able to sit down with a VR headset and feel like you are sitting in the same room as the actors.
Watching movies is a relatively simple experience at this point. You sit down and watch the screen. In a VR movie, you will have to turn your head in order to view what is going on all around you or you will miss something. It will become a much more active experience.
There are already a few movies that have been made. Granted, the movies are not great but its a start. Here is a video of a guy playing one such movie.
Pretty soon here we will have a full IMAX theater virtual experience!
Art/Design
Artists have been using digital media for years, and it has produced some really beautiful art, film, and even video games. There are so many different ways to make art, and virtual reality is getting added to the list.
There are plenty of 3D sculpting apps on each virtual reality device, and people have made some really impressive designs.
One such program is called tilt brush by Google. I absolutely love this program, and playing in it makes me want to be an artist! Check out the Google ad for it:
Work
If you are one of the people that got the chance to read “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline, then you understand exactly what I mean. In the book, people use VR to work instead of commuting to any sort of office. The Virtual reality is real enough that they can do almost any task that they could do in a physical office inside of a virtual one.
The great part about this is that it saves so much money on real estate costs because of your home doubles as a workspace.
My father has to travel 3 hours in total per day in order to work his job. Imagine if he didn’t have to travel at all and could have the same level of interaction at home than he did in the workplace.
I find the idea of people using virtual reality to work really fascinating and space-saving. It could solve a lot of city planning and traffic issues that we face on a global scale! I know that I would be really happy to use virtual reality to work instead of wasting time and gas money traveling to work each day!