Virtual reality snuck up on us. The technology has long been the stuff of science fiction, the ultimate merger of spectator and spectacle, man and machine. Rudimentary forms of VR have been around since the 1850s, when fashionable Parisians were delighted by the stereoscope, a binocular device that immersed viewers inside “3D” images. As time wore on, VR entertainment became more sophisticated and included movies, video games and more, all of which approximated the ideal of a fully immersive virtual environment. However, true VR — the kind dreamed up in films like Tron — remained elusive until the past few years, when a number of high-quality VR headsets hit the market in quick succession. This coincided with the appearance of inexpensive smartphone accessories like Google Cardboard, which made fully interactive VR experiences as accessible as YouTube videos. These accessories work with apps that cleverly utilize motion sensors embedded in smartphones to approximate the responsiveness of high-end virtual reality headsets. If a 19th-century stereoscope enthusiast could try out one of these apps, they would say it was a case of science fiction come to life. The impact of the VR revolution is just beginning to be understood. ... , Architizer Editors, read more Architizer http://ift.tt/2phRZKZ
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