How does virtual reality goggles work is a common question we get here at Delta.
Virtual reality is a computer-generated environment through which the user can immerse into a virtual world. This technology is very exciting, but the hardware and software have to deliver much more to develop the interest of the people. When we put on a VR goggle it takes us to a virtually simulated environment which is different from the actual surrounding. If you have ever used a VR goggle, then you know what we’re talking about. But you might have a question that, “How does virtual reality goggles work?”. So, we are going to answer this question in detail.
A virtual reality simulation consists of two main components that are the source of content and a user device. Today, VR systems include goggles, headsets, special gloves, and treadmills. VR devices are proving to like the real world. It gives the user experience of high-quality image and interaction possibilities. The basic phenomenon on which the performance of a virtual reality goggle relies is motion delay, pixels, image resolution, fps and audio/video synchronization. Let us get into the detail of how VR works.
The Basic Concept of How VR Works
The basic objective of virtual reality is to simulate a perfect vision. Every goggle aims to deliver a perfect immersive environment for the user providing a great experience. A VR goggle sets up a virtual screen in front of the eyes of the user expelling any interaction with the real world. Generally, two lenses are in front of the eye and VR screen that adjusts automatically depending on the eye movement and positioning. The display on the VR screen is rendered by using an HDMI cable from a PC or using a mobile phone.
To create an immersive virtual reality, certain requirements include a minimum frame rate of 60 fps (frames per second), an equally competing refresh rate and a minimum 100-degree field of view. The detailed background of fps and refresh rates should be known to understand the perfect working of virtual reality. In a nutshell, the frame rate is the ability of GPU to process the images per second, screen rate is the speed of display to render images and FOV is the extent of display that a human eye can see.
How Virtual Reality Is Different from Augmented Reality
Many people get confused with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. There are separate headsets available for VR and AR. Both provide an excellent experience, but there is a little difference between them.
Virtual reality is all about immersing into an entire virtual world that can be seen through a screen using a headset or goggle. The real world and environment around you isn’t the part of your experience. But augmented reality is a mixture of the virtual world and the real world. For example, you are looking at your car or a road and there could be digital character and content overlaid on them.
Spectacles/goggles launched by Google in 2014 “Glass” is an AR (augmented reality) device, but the company is not selling them and have given up on the idea of an AR device. However, more hardware for augmented reality is on their way that will be equivalent to PlayStation VR and similar devices that focus mainly on gaming. But for now, the most affordable way to experience augmented reality is through a smartphone. It uses the camera to overlay text and graphics to display it in front of you. The face-magling lenses and filters of Snapchat use augmented reality. Detecting a face and applying augmented reality on it.
Basic Working and Sensing of VR Goggle
The three main important things to get a good user interaction through VR goggles are:
- Head Tracking
- Eye-Tracking
- Motion-Tracking
Head-Tracking
The head tracking system allows the goggle to follow the movements of the user’s head to sides and different angles. It uses 3-axis (X, Y, and Z) to align directions and movements. The tools involve gyroscope, LEDs, and accelerometer. To work, the head tracking system needs low latency. Latency should be around 50 milliseconds or less. If not, the user will feel motion delay and lag during the VR simulation.
Eye-Tracking
VR goggles use an infrared system that detects the movement of the eye-ball. It tracks the direction in which the eye is moving inside the VR goggle. It helps in improving the VR experience for the user and creates a more realistic view.
Motion-Tracking
Motion tracking helps the user to look around. Without motion tracking, you would be unable to move around. It works on the principle of DOF (degree of freedom). There are two types of motion tracking which are optical and non-optical motion tracking. Optical motion tracking is a camera on the VR headset that follows the movement of your head. On the other hand, non-optical tracking uses other sensors to detect the motion of the head. Some of the devices that work precisely use both of the tracking systems.
The Basics of VR Goggles
VR goggles are the most important piece of virtual display components. The more modern and expensive the device will be, it will portray a better virtual experience of gaming and other application. Whereas the cheap headsets use a cellphone that is mounted in front of the headset.
To enhance the experience of virtual reality, a good quality headphone can be used along with the VR goggle. There are some other accessories available too, that can be used to get a good experience. These accessories include hand controllers and treadmills that improves the experience of virtual reality.
How Does Virtual Reality Goggles Work?
Virtual Reality goggle is becoming more and more popular day by day as they are a good source of entertainment. They are very light in weight and comfortable that allows the user to mount it on their head and enjoy gaming and other entertainment spheres. They are better to wear than the standard head-mounted display devices.
Advanced VR goggle contains a more advanced head tracking system. The goggle is connected to a PC through HDMI that adjusts the images of virtual simulation as the wearer move in the environment. The goggle enables the wearer to see 3D images that give an experience of depth of perception. Most of the VR goggle uses a tracking system that changes according to the wearer’s movement. For example, if a wearer moves his head and walks in a different direction, the virtual display changes in front of him. As the tracking system is connected to a computer so the images are adjusted according to the movement of the wearer.
How the 3D Image is Created?
The depth of a 3D image can simply be explained, the glasses display two separate images (different to each eye) which brain processes and combines into one. The two separate images are in front of two lenses. The lenses are angles in such a way that it creates are a 3D environment for the user. So the wearer gets to see a single 3D image, this is mostly accompanied by audio/video visual that makes the experience of the wearer worth remembering.
The basic aim of the virtual reality goggle is to provide the wearer a world that is realistic and behaves similarly to the real world. Any drop in fps or an increase in latency will cause a motion delay and disconnection between the wearer and the virtual simulation.
Now you might have got the answer to the question, “How does virtual reality goggles work?”.
How Does Virtual Reality Work in Film Making?
Many of the virtual reality developers are working for improving the VR experience for gaming. But there are many activities relating to entertainment and media. Filmmakers and journalists are using 360-degree cameras to find angles on the stories.
A famous filmmaker explicitly said that he is interested in finding a medium that is more powerful than cinema, than theatre and even powerful than literature or any other medium that could connect one human to another. The traditional media companies have now recognized the importance of virtual reality. For the time, VR shooting and editing are pretty expensive but as soon as the prices of VR shooting comes down, be ready to see more media companies exploring the potential of virtual reality.
How Does Virtual Reality Goggles Work in Social Media?
We all know who Mark Zuckerberg is. He announced that Facebook will buy the Oculus because he said that virtual reality can be the next big platform that could connect billions of people. Here the contradiction happens when the new developers are working on developing software to enhance the solo-experience while wearing a VR goggle that isolates the wearer from the real world.
Although many companies are working to make VR more social. Oculus has launched much software that allows people to watch online videos in a virtual cinema with other people. A prototype has also been created where two people can interact with each other with a wide range of objects. Developers are working day and night to make the VR goggle more social.
How Does Virtual Reality Goggles Work in Sports And Music?
Many VR developers are working for the sole purpose of watching a football match via VR goggle. NextVR is working on sports and entertainment. It has worked with the US Open tennis tournaments and many boxing matches and a live Coldplay gig as well. It is currently working to produce a series of music concerts live.
LiveLike and other companies want to broadcast sports matches for friends to watch together and chat during the match as well. The British broadcaster has launched a Google Cardboard app, that features a sports show featuring David Beckham.
How Does Virtual Reality Goggles Work in Tourism?
The key selling point for the VR goggle is the fact that it puts you in a place that you have never visited in real life. It can be because the travel expenses are too high, or you don’t like flying. Here VR Goggle comes in handy and gives the experience of actually being in a place that you are virtual.
Many of the VR company sees potential in virtual travel. Because the majority of the people will never get to experience these travel explorations. The thing that matters is that the VR goggle will help these people to experience the travel they have always dreamed of. There are some applications through which you can see the places at your home. If you want to decide whether you need to visit a certain place or not, so you can first see it in the virtual world and then you can decide.
How Does Virtual Reality Goggles Work in Medical and Therapeutic?
Virtual Reality is under the exploration of medical professionals and the healthcare industry. Medical professionals are using VR, AR and games to train new and young medical students with virtual surgeries and operations. This enables the students to experience the surgery from a surgeon’s perspective. Osso VR is a company that is working for this cause, developing surgery simulation for students that works with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Many hospitals are exploring if the therapy can be given through virtual reality. Helping patients to relax while they are in their home. Patients can also relax by using VR goggles and fly above the sky or swimming in an ocean. With all these advancements in technology, MindMaze is working exceptionally in making VR software that could play a vital role in the rehabilitation of stroke, spinal cord injury and many bed rested patients.
How Virtual Reality Goggles Will Work in Future
Although the virtual reality has been here for decades and developers are working on it too. It is still in the starting phase of its development. This is the reason we can expect that technology will improve as many new games are still trying to enhance their VR experience. So we can say that VR technology is growing rapidly and is also educating people that besides entertainment, many things could help humanity using virtual reality.
There could be a good argument until the technology gets fully developed. The content that is being created is getting cheaper and more influential. Whether you are a technology lover or not, it is no doubt that VR is gaining the attention of people old and young and they consider them lucky if they are among the first user to experience the VR goggle.
Platforms for VR Goggles
There are many types of VR Googles. It depends on the compatibility of the goggle that what platforms it supports. Here we are only discussing three platforms on which VR goggle is classified.
- VR Googles for PC
- Virtual Reality Googles for Mac
- VR Googles for PlayStation
- Standalone and Mobile VR Goggles
VR Googles for PC
VR goggles can be compared to a monitor that acts according to the input provided such as data glove and controllers. It helps the user to experience a 3D world. Some glasses use augmented reality that projects a 3D image on a real-world object. This reality is known as augmented reality.
But when it comes to virtual reality, the PC sends two separate images to both eyes. The brain process these images and the image appears to be one in the eyes of the user. Multiple sensors sense the movement of the head and eye. The sensor is commonly known as a gyroscope.
There are two types of goggles mainly, one contains wire and another is wireless. The design of the VR goggle is to enhance the gaming experience of the user. There are many PC powered VR headsets available that can provide high-end gaming experience to the user.
VR Googles for Mac
According to some rumors, Apple has been working and researching for virtual reality goggles that have been mentioned several times on multiple forums.
The only headset that can support Mac is HTC VIVE Pro. There are almost no games or applications on Mac and there are no signs of future development till now.
VR Googles for PlayStation
Sony has launched the official PlayStation VR headset that you can use to enjoy virtual reality games. Moreover, there are dozens of games as well in the market. You can have an excellent experience through Playstation VR.
Sony company researchers are experimenting with VR with gaming consoles like PS3 and PS4 that would contain a tracking device ensuring the best experience of virtual reality. This means that VR goggles should be made and sold at affordable prices so that every gamer can experience the new era of gaming that is the virtual reality.
Standalone and Mobile VR Goggles
Standalone VR headsets do not require any mobile or PC, the can work alone. They have their own operating system and storage. You can download games, applications, and videos. Therefore, you can enjoy VR without any hassle.
Mobile VR goggles need mobile to work. Your mobile fits into ht headset and it shows you a virtual display. You can enjoy 3D movies, videos, and games.
Closing Thoughts
Virtual reality goggles are still in the stages of improvement. The existing devices on the market are also good as the developers are working day and night for preparing a device that could help the users to experience the world by sitting at home. The basic working of the virtual reality goggle is with a pc. It connects with an HDMI cable that provides a crystal clear display for the user and tracks every movement and improves the user’s experience.
Another type of virtual reality goggle uses a cellphone. There are many ways in which a virtual reality goggle can work but there are many aspects of it that are in research. The main features on which the working of VR depends are the fps, refresh rate, fps and degree of freedom. Without their perfect input, the experience can go best to worse in no time. We have tried to explain you the whole working of VR, now you might have got a detailed answer to your question, “How does a virtual reality goggles work?”
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