{"id":1078,"date":"2016-02-23T20:42:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T20:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.velocitymicro.com\/blog\/?p=1078"},"modified":"2020-04-07T19:39:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T19:39:21","slug":"what-is-virtual-reality-and-how-it-will-change-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.velocitymicro.com\/blog\/what-is-virtual-reality-and-how-it-will-change-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Virtual Reality and How It Will Change Gaming"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Oculus-Ready-PCs\"<\/a>The hype has been building for quite a while now, but 2016 looks to finally be Virtual Reality\u2019s big breakout year. And if it is, what a game changer it could be. Read on to learn more about the technology as well as the hardware and software that are driving this revolution. If you\u2019re ready to jump in and configure a VR-ready PC, check out these options.<\/a><\/p>\n

What is VR?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Virtual Reality, often called VR for short, is a three-dimensional computer simulation that the user is able to interact with using special equipment like gloves, masks, and helmets. Often seen as the Holy Grail of gaming, VR had always been better in concept (see Nintendo\u2019s 1995 Virtual Boy) than in actual practice, at least for the average consumer, until very recently. Now with the release of several promising VR headsets including the Oculus Rift as well as advancements in VR software and other technology, the concept of Virtual Reality is quickly looking more and more like an actual reality.<\/p>\n

Choosing a VR headset<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"htc-vive-product-1\"<\/a>
The HTC VIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the buzz created by Oculus\u2019 wildly successful Kickstarter<\/a> and subsequent $2 Billion acquisition by Facebook<\/a>, it seems like everyone is dipping their toes in this water by announcing a VR headset. Here are a few of the key players in VR hardware with releases pending for 2016:<\/p>\n

Sony Playstation VR<\/strong> \u2013 Formerly known as Project Morpheus, Sony\u2019s PS4 VR peripheral is set to become available this summer. Unfortunately for you PC gamers out there, Sony\u2019s VR will not have cross platform support and will only be compatible with the PS4.<\/p>\n

HTC Vive<\/strong> \u2013 Better known for its smartphones than gaming peripherals, HTC is now betting heavily on the VR market with their Vive. Developed with Valve, the Vive will supposedly work with Steam\u2019s ecosystem, opening up a world of potential gaming possibilities. Shipments begin in April.<\/p>\n

Oculus Rif<\/strong>t \u2013 The hype is real. Oculus has gotten the majority of the press coverage and with good reason. The Rift combines, form, function, and affordability better than any other competitor, and it is scheduled to begin shipping in March.<\/p>\n

The Virtual Reality Gaming Revolution <\/strong><\/p>\n

So what does all of this mean for gaming? Well, quite a lot. With VR now entering the mainstream, developers have begun to focus their resources on creating games designed specifically for the platform, which means not just a whole new genre of PC gaming, but a new way for games to be played. Imagine instead of interacting with a keyboard and mouse, you\u2019re inserted into a virtual and interactive world without limitation. Instead of playing as a character in a First Person environment, you\u2019re inserted into that environment. And as full body tracking, haptic feedback, and eye tracking get better and better, the possibilities could be literally endless. That\u2019s the prospect that VR potentially brings.<\/p>\n

And even more exciting, VR isn\u2019t limited to just gaming. Hollywood is expected to soon embrace the tech as well and develop movies specifically for the VR platform along with porting over older movies for a more VR like experience. Virtual offices could make working on a beach in Fiji from your home a reality. VR workouts could have you jogging across the Great Wall of China instead of staring at a treadmill screen.<\/p>\n

Building a VR-ready PC<\/strong><\/p>\n

To properly power a headset like Rift or Vive, you\u2019ll need some powerful PC hardware. And of course, this is where we come in. To render the graphics of a 360 degree virtual world, you\u2019re going to need a powerful graphics card, most likely an NVIDIA GTX 970 at minimum. CPU power will be less important, but still a factor, with a quad core i5 needed at least. Full spec requirements for the Oculus our outlined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Video Card<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
NVIDIA GTX 970 \/ AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

CPU<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

Memory<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
8GB+ RAM<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

Video Output<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

USB Ports<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

OS<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
Windows 7 SP1 64 bit or newer<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Need assistance configuring an Oculus-ready or VR-ready desktop? Contact us!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The hype has been building for quite a while now, but 2016 looks to finally be Virtual Reality\u2019s big breakout…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nWhat is Virtual Reality and How It Will Change Gaming<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Virtual Reality is a three-dimensional computer simulation that the user is able to interact with using special equipment like gloves, masks, and helmets.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.velocitymicro.com\/blog\/what-is-virtual-reality-and-how-it-will-change-gaming\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What 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