Will Virtual Reality Change The Way Business Is Done?

Featured article by Philip Piletic, aspiring writer and blogger

Although many of us associate virtual reality as something used in a Star Wars film while they fly among the stars, it has slowly become how we interact with society and carry out our daily lives. Everything from video games, medical practices, sightseeing, and even the way that soon-to-be surgeons train for upcoming procedures. Virtual environments give us a better way to interact with the world around us without having to leave the comfort of our own home or place of work.

Oculus Rift

The major player within the virtual reality sector is, without a doubt, Oculus Rift. The tech giant started out on Kickstarter in the year of 2012 and soon blossomed into one of the largest companies on the planet today. In fact, the technology proved to be so useful and intriguing that the company eventually sold to Facebook in March of 2014 for $2 billion dollars–not too bad! When Mark Zuckerberg–the founder and owner of Facebook–was asked about his purchase of Oculus Rift, he was excited to say that the company had both commercial and professional use in the future.

You may be asking yourself how the virtual reality software works in order to create this breathtaking interaction that we take for granted. In laymen’s terms, the device relies on high-tech screens and motion sensors that track and implement your head movements in order to create a moving image. The screens located within the device create a layout based on the sensory input that your head movement gives the software. These technologies have also been used to help treat and reduce the amount of PTSD that soldiers experience when they return from the line of duty.

Samsung’s Gear VR

The Gear VR from Samsung, like the Oculus Rift, is a beautifully engineered device that comfortably sits atop your head in order to help you engage with the virtual environment you desire. In fact, the minds at Oculus were paramount in the creation and expansion of the Gear VR into the marketplace with technologies and software crafted by the founders at Oculus.

The proximity sensors located on the device monitor when a user turns the unit on in order to engage with the virtual environment. The main difference is that it actually uses your phone as a processing unit and for displaying content. This is also the reason behind it’s low price – the bulk of the money is actually spent on a compatible Samsung phone like Galaxy 7 or Note 7. Both of them are quite pricey, but for that money you’ll get both a world class smartphone and an engine to power your VR machine. Since its birth in September of 2014, the device has made its way into the homes of the general public as a reliable, sturdy and more cost efficient device as opposed to the Oculus Rift.

Virtual Product Interaction

With virtual reality (VR) software becoming more reliable and accurate, businesses are using devices such as the Oculus Rift and Samsung’s Gear VR to help customers interact with their products. Moreover, the real estate industry has incorporated this virtual solution as a means to showcase property to a client without the individual having to travel to the current location. This provides a comfortable, fast, accurate and stunning representation of how the property would look should the client decide to close the sale.

Similarly, production and manufacturing industries are making forward progression in how they critique and manage the delicate details of their workflow. Not only will this benefit the companies that craft and engineer the products we use on a daily basis, but it will create a higher level of production value for customers to enjoy.

Current Implementation

Edwin Rogers, a strong advocate and proponent of using VR within the business sector, expresses his sentiment that virtual reality is the “next big thing” in how we interact within the marketplace. Rogers uses the technologies made available from the Oculus Rift and Samsung’s Gear VR in order to engage clients within the space of high-class apartment buildings. Rogers exclaims that the VR technologies not only have a substantial impact on the world of architecture and real estate, but this can also be used within industries such as automotive and car sales.

Imagine for a moment a world where you can shop, browse, inspect and engage with your favorite products–big and small–without leaving the comfort of your own home. Rogers exclaims that the VR technology is so life-like that the tiles on the ceiling even shift and move with the amount of sunlight in the room!

Philip Piletic is an aspiring writer and blogger with a love for business, finance and technology. His goal is to give useful advice and help people adapt to ever evolving world of today.