Last week at the Game Developers Conference, Oculus unveiled their new flagship virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift S. It will be launching in the spring of 2019 for $399. This updated version of their rift headset includes a higher resolution display, improved optics, and a new feature they are calling Passthrough+ (utilizing a pair of cameras giving the user the ability to see their surroundings without taking the headset off). Oculus partnered with Lenovo to design the headset to be more comfortable and have better integrated audio. Consumers who purchase the headset also get access to the Rift platform which gives them instant access to the best VR games currently available. Older rift owners will also be able to take advantage of this Rift platform with continued software updates.
I think that this is great! Improvement to VR tech while simultaneously making it more accessible to more people because of its cheaper price. I think there is a stigma that VR is specifically for gamers (which it is currently primarily used for), however, there are many other practical use cases for this technology that makes this announcement even more exciting. Virtual reality can be used in many different fields, such as science and education, healthcare, virtual tourism, and much more. Some great examples are using VR for exposure therapy (help people with phobias like fear of flying), 3D reconstruction, and visiting new places and experiencing new cultures. For these reasons and much more, I am excited to see the future of this tech and welcome any price drops.
source: https://www.oculus.com/blog/announcing-oculus-rift-s-our-new-pc-vr-headset-launching-spring-2019/
This looks so cool! It will be interesting to see how VR really transform so many different industries and in many different ways. I think the applications in healthcare are most exciting to me, as it would be using technology to truly help improve peoples lives.
VR is an industry that has piqued my interest for some time. I currently have access to the PlayStation VR and the technology simply amazes me. I find as the technology is becoming more fleshed out, it is becoming more accessible to the masses and less of a gimmick. I am very excited to see where VR takes us- not just in the gaming sense, but in practical situations too. Companies can use VR technology to show off products to customers in any location. There are also many benefits that other professions such as doctors and engineers can use to implement the technology.