Digital tools: Dispensing with reality

Many technology enthusiasts out there will be aware that 2016 is meant to be the year that virtual reality simulations really take off. Most of the major games platforms plan to release headset units that allow the user to immerse themselves within the world they are playing in. Already some mobile phones manufacturers are advertising smartphone extensions allowing the operator to adapt their handsets into a visor to view the images on the screen as an immersive three-dimensional world. The technology has been around for some time and there have been notable launches in the past. Some may remember Nintendo’s Virtual Boy way back in 1995. The aim was to extend the GameBoy platform to be used via a virtual reality headset. However, limitations of the graphic interface and its resolution combined with the discomfort of wearing the adapter meant that this proved to be an expensive flop. Improved display technology, better resolution graphics and more appropriate display content have now made virtual reality displays commercially viable and meet the demands of the viewing public.