Back in June, Google revealed Cardboard: an open-source attempt at mobile virtual reality. Heck, even the "hardware" is open source --here are instructions to make your own, right now!
But the concept is more than a low-tech solution to mobile VR. It's emblematic of Google's approach to virtual reality: use the phone that's already in your pocket. Samsung's taking the same approach later this year with Gear VR, only it's also partnering with Oculus VR on the software side.
This stands in stark contrast to the PC-dependent, ultra-high-res experience Oculus VR and Facebook are aiming to achieve. The Oculus Rift headset both literally and figuratively kickstarted the re-birth of virtual reality in modern technology. It remains the peak of technological achievement in virtual reality. And now, the medium is splintering into two distinct futures: one of entertainment, the other of immersion.
"PRESENCE"
That word -- "presence" -- is at the heart of virtual reality. Game industry veteran Michael Abrash -- formerly of Valve, where he worked on research and development; currently of Oculus VR, where he serves as "Chief Scientist" -- described this ideal for VR during a talk in January 2014:
"It's the sense of being someplace else while in virtual reality; many people feel as if they've been teleported. Presence is an incredibly powerful sensation, and it's unique to VR; there's no way to create it in any other medium."
The medium's history is littered with failed attempts, even from gaming's biggest players (Nintendo's Virtual Boy, anyone?).
Indeed, that's the "magic" of virtual reality: being whisked away, instantly, to another world. You're not looking at another world on a screen -- you're there. At least, that's when VR works. The medium's history is littered with failed attempts, even from gaming's biggest players (Nintendo's Virtual Boy, anyone?). But with Oculus Rift, even the first demos shown on a duct-taped, slapdash prototype were incredibly impressive. It just worked, even if it was clearly rough around the edges. And even with those early demos, a PC was required to power them. The same can be said for Sony's Project Morpheus, powered by a $400 game console.
One early demo, dubbed "Tuscany" for its visual nods to the Italian region, wasn't much to look at. The art was low-resolution; the in-world lighting was barely there; the level of detail in general was pretty low. But even with bare bones demos like Tuscany, the world was believable because the demo's framerate was high enough and the headset was capable of refreshing video fast enough for it to seem real. Those demos seem rough now by contrast, but they're still far ahead of what we've seen running on VR headsets powered by mobile phone processors.
MOBILE VR AS IT STANDS TODAY
We've heard very positive things from folks who've tried Samsung's VR headset. The so-called "Gear VR" is still a development kit, and it's powered by a Galaxy S4; we're told that the consumer version will use a newer phone (maybe the Note 4?) with more horsepower. Though our sources only experienced a few demos, they repeatedly described them as "impressive," specifically with the caveat "for a phone."
Samsung still hasn't officially acknowledged that its VR headset exists (that's a real render of it above). Gear VR is said to be be unveiled in Germany at IFA, just a few weeks from now.
James Potter