With virtual reality (VR) you immerse yourself completely in a different, virtual reality. Experience a concert recording of Paul McCartney as if you were really there. Or view the most beautiful places in the world in 3D and 360 °. Do you think a huge supercomputer is needed for VR? No! You can do it with your smartphone and cheap (or slightly more expensive) VR glasses.
What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality is a completely new medium. Through a headset you see – and with headphones you hear – a computer-made reality. The new, virtual reality is life-size, 3D and you can look around 360 °. Because the virtual reality is tuned to your movements, you become completely absorbed. Virtual Reality is one of the services Flexitrent offers nowadays.
Total immersion
Virtual reality (VR) is all about “total immersion”, which means something like “total immersion”. In other words: you are so absorbed in the new reality that you forget the real reality. Don’t you believe this is possible? Then take a look at these videos of people who – sometimes even literally – fall from their seats in surprise at their first VR experience.
VR on your smartphone
VR does not require a supercomputer or headset worth hundreds of euros. In fact, you can do it on your smartphone, with glasses costing a few euros. Actually, VR makes a lot of sense on a phone, because a lot of the technology is already in smartphones. Think of a small screen with a high resolution, and sensors like a compass and a gyroscope (which measures the angle of rotation of the phone).
These VR glasses are especially for smartphones
Numerous VR glasses for smartphones are now available. The best known and most interesting smartphone glasses at the moment are:
Google Cardboard
A Google Cardboard is made of… cardboard. Really! Google designed these glasses and then published the construction drawings for free. As a result, you can make the glasses yourself (with this manual), or buy them from different manufacturers for a few euros. Google’s idea behind it? The Cardboard (“cardboard”) is dirt cheap, sometimes as little as 6.95 euros. And it works on almost all smartphones – the only glasses also on iPhones. So everyone can get to know VR in an accessible way. A bonus: there are a lot of (free) apps for these glasses. Considering the price, it shouldn’t surprise you that the hardware, and therefore the immersion experience, isn’t your thing. All in all, the Cardboard is one
a very nice introduction to VR. Flexitrent.com now offers multiple Google Cardboards and other Virtual Reality gear.
Samsung Gear VR 2
The Samsung Gear VR 2 is made by the well-known and renowned VR headset brand Oculus. The Gear VR 2 cannot compete with its bigger brother Oculus Rift, currently one of the best VR glasses. But it still gives a great VR experience. There are also quite a few apps available for these glasses. Incidentally, the Gear VR 2 only works with a few newer Samsung smartphones from the more expensive segment.
See, hear… smell and feel?
More and more is possible with VR. For example, a Japanese company is currently developing the VR Sense. In it you can not only see and hear virtual reality, but also smell and feel it! 4D, this is also called. For example, on a moving seat in a cabin you experience touches, temperature changes, wind, rain and smells! Recently you can also experience 4D in Pathé cinemas in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Synchronous to the film, your chair moves, you experience the weather and smell the scents from the scenes. No VR, but cool!
