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Surprising Science

VR Headset Brings New Dimensions to Gaming

Thanks to a huge Kickstarter response, the Oculus Rift is ready to bring virtual reality technology back into gaming, motion sickness and all.
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Article written by guest writer Kecia Lynn


What’s the Latest Development?

TechNewsDaily contributor Robert Workman reports on the Oculus Rift, a new headset that provides a look at what virtual reality (VR) technology could become. While still in the prototype stage (and funded with more than $2.4 million from a Kickstarter campaign), the headset allows its user to become fully immersed in a three-dimensional gaming environment. It also permits actual interaction: “You can turn your head and peer around the video game world, and the perspective within the game keeps up with your movements.” In the past, this was done with a kind of joystick; the Oculus Rift has it built in.

What’s the Big Idea?

During the demonstration, Workman and his team used the device with an upcoming remake of “Doom 3: BFG Edition”; other games are supposed to be available when the Rift is released. In general, the product received favorable reviews except in one category: the ability to keep one’s stomach steady while using it. “Some people complained of motion sickness while road-testing the device, and we felt a couple moments of disorientation after taking it off. But that just shows how much this device really draws you into its game experience, and there’s literally nothing like it.”

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

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