Virtual reality allows players to immerse themselves in an extraordinary new world, putting yourself in the heart of the situation without actually being there. Using nothing more than technology the user can travel to different virtual worlds, from exploring a spooky Stranger Things game to an action packed military training programme, the list is endless.
Launched in 2016, PlayStation VR is now the best-selling high-end VR headset. Due to the VR headset being attached to the box and not a phone it allows the experience to be a lot more complex. By adding motion sensors and an external camera it improves the head tracking making the VR that bit more real. Even though this headset has been voted one of the best choices to fully experience VR you will need to also purchase a play station camera and motion controllers – to capture full body movement, but the end result is definitely worth it.
Resident Evil 7 : Biohazard
This is a game that can be played with and without VR. It allows the player to fully experience a tense horror game and places you in the centre of a horror film in which you are the director of. Deciding the characters every move – will you be able to survive?
The game itself is identical, including being able to look in your inventory. That being said, gun combat is the biggest control change. You can freely aim by moving your head, which makes lining up shots easier than using the right analogue stick.
This experience isn’t for the faint hearted as your entire view is taken over by the surroundings of the game, meaning you can’t even look away! Buy it here if you dare…
Medical training
Virtual reality headsets are also being used to medically train students for surgery.
Cleverly, putting them through the experience of what it would be like without practising in real life on someone. Students can also pause, rewind and fast forward certain points to make sure they can perfect their skills and know the exact stages to go through for that particular surgery.
This is a great way for students to learn with the use of modern technology.
Military training
United States Armed Forces have been using VR to train soldiers before putting them in a harmful environment. This way they can practice certain training exercises in a risk-free environment so they can replicate this in the field.
Individuals who used the equipment said “You may not be able to smell the aftermath of the bomb, but, through the virtual reality headset, you can certainly see its awful effects”. Demonstrating that even though you aren’t there your sense of fear is heightened as you are only given a certain amount of time to help the other soldiers.
As those individuals who come through the training programme are age 16-24, the use of VR has been a great additional as this is the focused age group that will usually be involved in gaming anyway.
VR is evidently becoming a technology that is impacting greatly in today’s games and even day-to-day tasks.
Written by: Leah Cottham
