HANDS ON GUIDE

10 - Virtual Reality / 3D displays

Better than they were in the early 90s

WHAT IS IT?

3D displays are another technology always promising to be around tomorrow’s corner. In the 90s we had Virtuality arcade machines and the Nintendo Virtual Boy. Both promised to bring VR to the masses. Both sucked.

Today, the situation is more rosy for 3D displays. A range of 3D monitors now make use of polarised glasses to trick your mind into thinking an object is 3D. The effect of using it is better than most 3D displays we’ve seen so far. VR headsets are lighter than those of the 1990s, they can be used with a wide range of PC games, and they work better now than ever before. Are we on the cusp of the age of virtual reality?

HOW DO THEY WORK?

3D screens and VR headsets may produce a similar effect, but they work very differently. Most consumer 3D screens we've seen usevarious forms of stereoscopy. This involves projecting two images simultaneously, each slightly offset from the other. Polarised glasses then filter your vision so that each eye sees a different image. When your brain recombines the data, it perceives an image with real depth.

VR headsets are different. They usually render each frame alternately between your left and right eyes, so while one eye is being refreshed (off) the other is displaying its image (on). The system does this so fast that your brain can’t notice the difference. Again, each image is slightly offset from the other, necessary to produce the effect of depth.

WHAT COULD GET IN THE WAY?

3D displays are better than ever, but still not perfect. The effect is almost 3D, but it’s still impossible to compare the effect with real 3D vision. The brain is only partly fooled. The immersion that we were promised in ‘The Lawnmower Man’ is nowhere in sight yet. Using a VR headset is still not very comfortable. Some people develop headaches after using them for a short space of time. Moving your head to look around feels more natural, but the weight of the headset makes it more of a chore than moving a mouse. These problems need to be solved before VR will really catch on. Holographs, or the projection of a 3D image, may become possible before true virtual reality.

ETA

They exist now. In ten years, they might be worth using.

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