When Oculus Rift appeared in the news and on the high-street many predicted that Virtual Reality was not for the main stream player, was a simple fad and a pastime for those that enjoyed high earnings, it was expected that the novelty would wear off.
Just how wrong can you be?
On the contrary, the popularity of Virtual Reality has risen year on year with all the big names like Sony (who cleverly marketed their VR headset in a special Christmas package a couple of years ago) HTC and Google besides other big names investing in this exciting technology.
Choosing a headset ultimately comes down to which platform is preferred, but for this article we are going to look at the Sony PlayStation VR which has proven unique among all the other virtual reality headsets.
Probably the most important feature of the PlayStation VR is that is the first headset that is compatible with a console, and Sony were savvy marketers when they made it the best-value VR headset for some time after its launch, the aforementioned Christmas special was bang on target as far as marketing goes and proved to be extremely lucrative for Sony.
Since the headsets launch both Oculus and HTC have lowered their prices to remain competitive in the market which allows consumers even more choice.
The design of the PlayStation VR headset is very different from the Vivi and Rift with high profile white highlights together with blue LED lights (not just for show.) With a full HD OLED screen the headset is different to the competition which have separate displays for each eye.
So, what can the potential buyer expect?
- Compatibility with any PS4 console with both the original and slim variation supporting VR.
- The headset houses several types of motion controls and in addition to the DualShock 4, the PSVR can be used with the motion controllers or with the more recent Aim controller.
- Not only does the PSVR have built in sensors the headset relies on the dual-lens PS Camera for even greater motion tracking. The movement and the position of the blue LED lights are tracked by the camera.
- With a dedicated VR processor unit and higher subpixel count the VR environment is dynamic yet less work for the hardware.
But What About Cybersickness?
Cybersickness of VR sickness used to be thought of as separate from the symptoms of motion sickness but the latest studies have shown that the two are actually related. This means that a lot can be done to ensure that VR sickness does not ruin the experience of being in a virtual environment.
Things like regular breaks, only playing for a few minutes at a time, keeping hydrated and regulating breathing patterns all help to make VR time enjoyable.
Of course, if the threat of VR sickness is definite then the only thing that can be done is to stop playing for a few hours as once symptoms begin, they rarely go away if players continue playing.
Fortunately, there was life before VR and this would be a perfect time to catch up on other favourite games like the best UK bingo sites where players can enjoy games whilst catching up with friends and family.
Whereas VR can isolate players, online games like bingo tend to bring people together, in fact, the whole ethos of online bingo is much the same as the bricks and mortar bingo halls and that is for people to meet, have a few games and a lot of fun.
