History of virtual reality
Last updated
Last updated
This is a brief history of virtual reality, from its origin in the 19th century up until today.
The stereoscope of Charles Wheatstone demonstrated that our brain processes a 2D image from each eye into a single 3D object with depth. This came to be known as stereopsis, and it’s the basic premise that makes virtual reality a reality
The Link Trainer, created by Edward Link in 1929, can be seen as the first commercial flight simulator. It was meant to safely and effectively train pilots, and it was used to train more than 500,000 US pilots during the Second World War, as well as the pilots from almost every other warring nation. The Link Trainer would pitch and roll as the pilot used the controls. Although there was no visual aspect, the Link Trainer still showed the power of an immersive environment to train people in a faster and more cost-effective way.
Ivan Sutherland was already a well-respected computer scientist, because he had created the computer program Sketchpad, which helped pave the way for human-computer interaction. But he went a step further and designed what is now considered to be the first head-mounted display (HMD). Along with his student, Bob Sproull, Ivan Sutherland created the Sword of Damocles, a piece of headgear connected to a computer that would let the user see grid-like surfaces superimposed on a real background. These grid-like surfaces changed in perspective as the user moved their head. But the device, apart from being awfully creepy, wasn’t very practical. It was very heavy and required a mechanical arm to function, which is why it was never more than a lab project.
Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist who’s widely considered to have coined the term “virtual reality.” In the mid-1980s, he founded VPL Research, through which he sold VR goggles and gloves. VPL stood for Virtual Programming Languages, and Lanier’s goal was to bring virtual reality into a mainstream VIRTuAL Reality audience. Unfortunately, the company filed for bankruptcy in 1990
In 1993, Sega introduced the Sega VR, a virtual reality headset meant as an accessory for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive console It was meant to be released with four launch games in 1994, but it remained a prototype and a flop for Sega. However, this was the first major example of a gaming company showing interest in VR
Nintendo closely followed Sega’s VR initiatives by introducing the Nintendo Virtual Boy, a gaming console that could display stereoscopic 3D graphics. Gamers would place their heads against the eyepiece to see a monochrome display. However, the Virtual Boy flopped as well, because of its lack of color in the graphics, and because the console wasn’t comfortable to use.
While the Matrix wasn’t a technological innovation, it introduced millions of people to the idea of virtual reality, i.e. a different world that people could access by being “plugged in.” Considered to be one of the best movies of the 90s, the Matrix helped move virtual reality from a hobby that only nerds should be concerned about into an extremely cool idea.
As you can see, the history of VR is riddled with flops and mistakes It took until 2012 before we arrive at the beginning of what could now be considered the “modern VR industry.” It took so long for a variety of reasons, but mainly because hardware and lens technology had to become better and cheaper, and because 3D development tools had to be created for developers to work with. The VR industry as we know it today started with the 2012 Kickstarter campaign of a new tech company: Oculus VR. They wanted to create the most immersive VR device for games, and had the backing from a big name: John Carmack, the creator of DOOM. The Kickstarter campaign raised $2.5 million, far above its original goal of $250,000, and was marketed to bring 3D gaming to the next level. Only two years after the company’s inception, Facebook bought Oculus VR for an enormous $2.3 billion. Since then, the company has gone on to release many different VR headsets, some of which are considered the best in the industry
