The History and Advancement of Virtual Reality (KEY POST Week 6)

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When considering the EOTO Tech Timeline, I focused on Virtual Reality. Virtual reality is an invention that is a bit more abstract than some of the other technological inventions that are listed on the Tech Timeline. Because for hundreds of years prior to the invention of virtual reality technology, philosophers and inventors have been interested in exploring some form of virtual or alternate reality. And so, throughout history there have been those who attempted to actualize this concept with a very wide range of approaches. But the first virtual reality model that resembles what we recognize as VR today, was created by Ivan Sutherland and his student, Bob Sproull in 1968. Their virtual reality model somewhat resembled what we know today as a VR headset, but it was different in many ways. It was extremely heavy, and was so heavy that it had to hang from the ceiling. The virtual reality experience that it offered was nowhere near the VR that we are now accustom to. It was not interactive, and the user experience was very limited. The VR machine would show the user images of different settings and environments, and if you used your imagination, you could get the feeling that you were really there.

Through the 70s and into the 80s virtual reality made leaps of technological advancement, and VR saw most of its appearances in the science, military, and medical fields. For example, NASA frequently used virtual reality for training purposes. Although advancements in virtual reality were made, and the technology became significantly more prevalent throughout the 70s and 80s, Virtual Reality was not being used very often for recreational purposes. However, that changed in the 90s.

Throughout the 90s, the framework of the gaming-related virtual reality that we are now accustom to began to take shape. In 1993, the popular video game company, Sega, developed the gaming world’s first ever virtual reality attachment. At the time, Sega was the world leader in video games, and they saw virtual reality as the next step for the industry. Today, many would agree with the statement that virtual reality is the future of gaming, but Sega was certainly ahead of their time, and perhaps they were too far ahead. While they had great aspirations, the technology of the early 90s was not able to deliver a very functional VR gaming experience, and the product had several glaring problems. As a result, the Sega VR was never released to the general public. However, Sega’s attempt at innovation was a step in the right direction for VR, and the evidence for that became increasingly clear in the decades following their failed product. If you compare the product design and concept of Sega’s VR to the VR that we are familiar with today, there is a clear correlation. 

In 2020, we now have VR technology that is both highly sophisticated and interactive. The company, Oculus, which is owned by Facebook, is on the cutting edge of virtual reality technology. Their VR product, “ Oculus Rift” is an industry leader in virtual reality and the company has labeled itself as “The next level of gaming”. Experts predict that in the future VR will continue to move in the direction of interactive gaming, but they also believe that the future possibilities for VR are nearly limitless. Considering the exponential growth of technology, it is very possible that one day soon VR could have an impact on every day life, and even the way that we communicate and interact with one another. As the technology continues to rapidly improve, it will be interesting to see what the next steps for VR will be in the coming decades.

Source Links: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1992.tb00812.x
https://www.oculus.com/
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/story-sega-vr-segas-failed-virtual-reality-headset/74451237860349

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