Head set, but no headset?

Sunday, 29 October 2017

Now that you're reading this post, I assume you have "wrapped your head around" virtual reality and you are intrigued as to how it actually feels to be in one of those man made worlds (if you haven't already tried that is). Ever since the VR craze started around 2010, hardware companies have been busy with the production of various types of headsets. Today, with dozens of promising new ones in development and many, many other already available for purchase, comes the question: Which one should I choose?

I know about 3 categories of head-mounted displays (HMDs) that exist – so far, each of which offers a different VR experience and differs significantly in price. The first are the entry-level, handheld VR solutions. A fairly simple headset that works the same way the stereoscopes mentioned in “A Flashback in Reality” do, just instead of a drawing or photograph, you place your smartphone. Take a look at this baby over here: 

Ted Baker Google Cardboard

This is the very first VR headset that I got my hands on, thanks to my amazing girlfriend (check out her travel blog here), who won it from an ASOS prize draw (hence the Ted Baker print). She never used it, but as I was bored one day I decided to figure how it works and that’s pretty much the story of how I got into VR. This particular headset is called a Google Cardboard and it’s the most affordable VR experience that you can get, costing just 1-2£. 

These simple, handheld VR headsets are indeed cheap, but as you could probably guess, you can’t really do much with them. You can watch VR videos on YouTube, but after a while you get tired of holding it.  The “cardboard” has a button (with a magnet) for single clicks within the VR environment. It can be used for basic functions, such as selecting (or as a gun trigger in games).

Read more about the other 2 types of VR headsets in my next post.

Have you ever tried a VR headset? If so...