#ionvr

Mobile VR and The Hardware Advancements it Requires

[ad_1]

Virtual reality is set to make a big incursion this year, with many VR companies trying to seize a share of the pie in what will likely become a heated battlefield. Mobile VR, while somewhat underrated, is growing too.

While the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift have advantages over the untethered Gear VR, IonVR and other mobile solutions, technology like Intel Real Senseand Project Tango are…

New Post on http://techdistrict.net/featured/mobile-vr-headset-beginning-to-make-waves/

Mobile VR Headset Beginning To Make Waves

VR (“virtual reality” for the acronym-challenged) is an old concept dating back to 1950’s Sci-Fi, which involves replicating for the user an environment which simulates their physical presence in worlds, whether real or imaginary. Sega, yes that Sega, came out with one of the first VR headsets in 1991, and there have been many over the years who have tried to usher in the virtual world to no avail. Much of the issue stemmed from the lack of supporting technology which has severely limited the positive experience for the user. All of that is beginning to change, and it’s happening quickly.

By now, if you’ve spent any time in the mobile or uber-geek world, you’ve probably heard about Oculus and GearVR. In many respects, they are both sides of the same coin: both are proprietary in their usage. GearVR is a mobile-powered headset (requiring a Samsung Note 4 or S6 as its screen) with Oculus optics, and Oculus is the full package but requires a wired connection to a high-powered computer to drive the technology. As a result, both are high-priced options for VR with at least $800 needed for GearVR (Note 4/S6 + GearVR), and $350 for the Oculus DK2 (Rift not available for purchase until Q1 2016) plus a relatively recent computer with high-end graphics, memory, Windows 7/8/10, etc. Of course there are other options (HTC and Valve’s Vive VR, LG’s VR, Google Cardboard, etc.), but all have their user-adoption issues and technology limitations.

Enter a new player, IonVR.

Hailing from the relative obscurity of Boise, Idaho, this new headset has begun to make a lot of waves in the VR world. Everyone who so far has been able to experience the IonVR, from Patrick Moorhead, in his Forbes article, to Robert Scoble, via his candid interview at Sun Valley, Idaho’s Tech on Deck 2015, have been singing its praises. In a world where skepticism about new technology is beginning to grow, companies are scrambling to get in line to check out this new VR offering.

Some Of The Most Interesting VR May Have Not Even Been At E3 http://t.co/XwRCsfKeRe #VR #VirtualReality #Gamedev pic.twitter.com/CVLsjrckxq

— Patrick Moorhead (@PatrickMoorhead) July 3, 2015

This VR headset for your mobile phone is the one that won’t make you sick. https://t.co/GvxP3bppdt Tech blew me away.

— Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) July 10, 2015