The idea of live action technology might seem new, but consider historical paintings. The artists arranged battle and historical scenes to make others feel as though they were there and a part of the action, much like virtual reality headsets are trying to do today.<\/p>\n
Remember playing with the View-Master as a kid? You know, those toys that cycled through scenes or a story while you looked on? That 1939 invention was just a reconfiguring of (and major update from) the stereoscope invented 100 years before.<\/p>\n
Read More: Should You Buy a Virtual Reality Headset?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Things took a leap forward in the 1960s.<\/p>\n The Birth of Live Action Virtual Technology Users of this new technology, nicknamed the \u201cSword of Damocles\u201d (after the legendary story about being in a position of power), were then strapped into it. Of course, given the technology at the time, users weren\u2019t exactly greeted with the lifelike images afforded by today\u2019s amazing tech.<\/p>\n Other VR devices<\/a><\/strong> followed, each one building on the last. It wouldn\u2019t be until the 1980s that virtual reality accessories were marketed to the public. The system alone cost almost $50,000 \u2014 no small change even by today\u2019s standards.<\/p>\n Nintendo and Sega Genesis hopped on board the new craze. In the case of Sega, it was never able to release its VR Glasses project due to technical difficulties, even though the company had already completed games for it. Nintendo, on the other hand, did release a 3D gaming console, but with a series of issues (such as its less than comfortable headset), it didn\u2019t take off.<\/p>\n Live Action Technology Today
\n<\/strong>The first head-mounted display was invented, then the first motion-tracking display, and then the first display connected not to a camera, but to a computer. It was so heavy, it had to be hung from the ceiling \u2014 a far cry from today\u2019s cardboard-light displays.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>With Oculus Rift consistently making headlines and great leaps forward, the new release of the Playstation VR, Google Daydream<\/a><\/strong> in the works, and the HTC Vive and controllers that started shipping in spring of this year, it keeps getting better.<\/p>\n