When most people think of virtual reality headsets, they think of the Oculus Rift or the Samsung Gear VR headset. However, both of these businesses have been in operation since 2013 and 2014, respectively. So, if neither of them was the first to market, who was? Is this article about when was first VR headset made? The precise date of the first VR headset is unknown, but it was most likely in the late 1950s. However, the technology was not widely available to the general public until recently.
The PlayStation VR, which was released in 2016 by Sony Interactive Entertainment, was the first commonly available virtual reality headset for consumers, making this one of the most cost-effective options on the market. Statista predicted in 2016 that 42 million headsets would be sold globally by 2021, with sales reaching $9 billion that year alone. Some businesses are pouring large sums of money into VR technology. According to Fortune, Facebook has spent more than $3 billion on Oculus Rift since purchasing the company in 2014, and Google spent approximately $500 million on its Daydream platform in 2016.
When Did ‘Virtual Reality’ Become Common To the Public?
Notably, and somewhat predictably, the concept of virtual reality entered the popular consciousness through science fiction, specifically Stanley G. Weinbaum’s 1935 short story ‘Pygmalion’s Spectacles.’ This VR vision depicted a goggle-based contraption that provided users with a holistic holographic experience that included touch and olfactory elements.
So, when was first VR headset made? Whether we want to go so far as to say Stanley “called it,” his vision did offer something for developers to strive for and does border on the current state of VR some 82 years down the line.
In 1935
In his short story Pygmalion’s Spectacles, American science fiction writer Stanley Weinbaum presented a fictional model for VR in 1935. In the story, the main character meets a professor who invented a pair of goggles that allowed him to see in the dark a film that provides one with sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch You are in the story; you speak to the shadows (characters), and they respond the story revolves around you, and you are a part of it.
In 1838
Sir Charles Wheatstone was the first to describe stereopsis in 1838, and in 1840 he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society for his explanation of binocular vision, which led to the development of the stereoscope.
The study knows that the brain includes two photos one eye viewing each of the same item taken from different angles to give the image a sense of depth and immersion 3D. Wheatstone was able to create the first stereoscope thanks to this technology. It employed a pair of mirrors at 45-degree angles to the user’s eyes, each of which reflected a picture off to the side.
In 1956
Sensorama, the first VR machine, was created by cinematographer Morton Heilig (patented in 1962). It was a large booth that could accommodate up to four people at once. It used a variety of technologies to stimulate all of the senses, including full-color 3D video, audio, vibrations, smell, and atmospheric effects like the wind.
This was accomplished with the help of scent producers, a vibrating chair, stereo speakers, and a stereoscopic 3D screen. Heilig saw the Sensorama as the “cinema of the future,” and he wanted people to be completely immersed in their films. Six short films were made for it.
In 1960
Heilig also invented and patented the Telesphere Mask, the first head-mounted display (HMD). This resulted in stereoscopic 3D images with a wide field of view and stereo sound. At this point, there’s no motion tracking in the headset.
In 1961
Until Comeau and Bryan, two Philco Corporation engineers invented Head sight. The head sight was the first motion-tracking head-mounted display. It included video screens for each eye as well as a head-tracking system.
This, however, was not used for virtual reality; rather, it was developed for the military to allow them to remotely inspect dangerous situations. A remote camera imitated the user’s head movements, allowing the user to look around the environment.
In 1965
A computer scientist, Ivan Sutherland, presented his vision of the Ultimate Display. The idea was to view a virtual world through an HMD that replicated reality so well that the user would be unable to tell the difference. This included the ability for the user to interact with objects. This concept made use of computer hardware to create the virtual world and keep it running in real-time. His paper is regarded as the fundamental blueprint for virtual reality.
Of course, the ultimate display would be a room wherein the computer can control the existence of matter. A chair displayed in such a room would be suitable for sitting in. Handcuffs in such a room would’ve been limiting, and a bullet in such a room would be fatal. With the right programming, a display like this could be the Dreamscape within which Alice walked.
In 1966
The first flight simulator for the Air Force was created by Thomas Furness, a military engineer. This aided the advancement of VR because the military subsequently provided a large amount of funding for the development of better flight simulators.
Ø In 1968
Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull developed The Sword of Damocles, the first virtual reality head-mounted display. This head-mount was connected to a computer rather than a camera and could only display simple virtual wireframe shapes.
Because of the tracking system, these models changed perspective when the user moved their head. It was never evolved further than a lab assignment as it was too heavy for consumers to comfy wear; because it was stopped from the ceiling, they had to be strapped in.
Ø In 1969
Myron Krueger, a computer artist, used computers and video systems to create a series of artificial reality experiences. He formed desktop environments that reacted to the people who were in them. These projects resulted in video place technology, which will be discussed further below.
Ø In 1972
Using 3 screens surrounding the cockpit, General Electric Corporation created a computerized flight simulator with a 180-degree field of vision.
Ø In 1975
Krueger’s video place, the first immersive VR platform, debuted at the Milwaukee Art Center in 1975. It made use of computer graphics, projectors, video cameras, video displays, and position-sensing technology, but no goggles or gloves were used. Video place was made up of dark rooms with large video screens that surrounded the user in virtual reality.
The users could see their desktop silhouettes trying to emulate their movements and actions; the users’ movements were captured on camera and transferred to the silhouette. In addition, users in different rooms could interact with the silhouettes of other users in the same virtual world. This fostered the notion that people could communicate in a virtual environment even if they were physically separated.
Ø In 1977
MIT created the Aspen Movie Map. Like Google Street View, this program allowed users to virtually wander through Aspen, Colorado. There were three modes to choose from: summer, winter, and polygons. It was made from photographs taken while driving through the city. There were no HMDs, but the use of first-person interactivity suggested that VR could transport people to different locations.
Ø In 1979
McDonnell-Douglas Corporation integrated virtual reality into its HMD, the VITAL helmet, for military use in 1979. To match computer-generated images, a head tracker in the HMD tracked the pilot’s eye movements.
Ø In 1980
Stereovision glasses were invented in 1980 by the stereographic company.
Ø In 1982
Sandin and Defanti designed the Sayre gloves. These were the very first wired gloves. They used light emitters and photocells in the gloves’ fingers to monitor hand movements. As a result, as the user moved their fingers, the amount of light hitting the photocell changed, converting the finger movements into electrical signals. This could have been the start of gesture recognition.
Furness developed the Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator, a working model of a virtual flight simulator for the military (VCASS).
Ø In 1985
Jaron Lanier and Thomas Zimmerman founded VPL Research, Inc. This company is widely regarded as the first to sell VR goggles and gloves. They created a variety of VR devices, including the DataGlove, EyePhone HMD, and Audio Sphere.
Ø In 1986
Between 1986 and 1989, Furness created the Super Cockpit, a flight simulator. The training cockpit included computer-generated 3D maps, advanced infrared and radar imagery, and the ability for the pilot to see and hear in real-time.
The tracking system and sensors in the helmet enabled the pilot to control the aircraft with gestures, speech, and eye movements. Discover more about Thomas Furness.
Ø In 1987
British Aerospace developed the Virtual Cockpit, which included speech recognition, in the same way, that Furness’ Super Cockpit did.
While working at VPL Research, Jaron Lanier popularized the term Virtual Reality. Sun Microsystems later purchased the VR and graphics-related patents. Dimension International developed software that could create 3D worlds on a PC.
Ø In 1989
Scott Foster founded Crystal River Engineering Inc after being awarded a NASA contract to create the audio component of the Virtual Environment Workstation Project (VIEW), a virtual reality training simulator for astronauts. This company created real-time binaural 3D audio processing.
Mattel, Inc introduced the Power Glove, which was based on VPL’s DataGlove. The Power Glove was a Nintendo Entertainment System controller accessory that never caught on because it was difficult to use.
Ø In 1990
Virtuality, a virtual reality arcade machine created by Jonathan Waldern, was on display at the Computer Graphics 90 exhibition in London. Award-winning courses and realistic practice will help you advance your career.
Ø In 1991
Antonio Medina, a NASA scientist, created a virtual reality system to control the Mars robot rovers from Earth in ostensibly real-time, despite signal delays between the planets. This system is referred to as “Computer Simulated Teleoperation.”
Virtuality was created by the Virtuality Group. These were VR arcade machines that allowed players to play in a 3D gaming world. This was the first commercially available VR entertainment system.
Virtual reality headsets and real-time immersive stereoscopic 3D images were available in a Virtuality pod. Some of the machines could be linked together to play multi-player games. Some of the most popular arcade games, such as Pac-Man, eventually had VR versions.
SEGA revealed that they had been working on a SEGA VR headset that would be available for purchase by the general public. This headset was intended for use with arcade games and the Mega Drive console. Because of the influence of popular films such as RoboCop, it had a visor-like appearance. LCDs, stereo headphones, and sensors for tracking head movement were installed in the visor.
Even though four games were created for it, it was never released. One of the reasons for the cancellation was SEGA’s concern that people would injure themselves because the VR effect was too realistic. However, due to the limited processing power, this appears unlikely.
Ø In 1994
SEGA VR-1, a motion simulator arcade machine, was released. CyberMaxx, a VR headset from VictorMaxx, was released.
Ø In 1995
The low-cost home VR headset, known as “Virtual IO I-Glasses,” was finally released. This had the dual effect of making VR more accessible to individuals while also strengthening public criticisms of VR as a lonely device. The same year, Nintendo released their 32-bit “Virtual Boy” console, which included a slew of games for users to enjoy.
As more developments awaited the necessary technological advances, the VR hype faded, kept alive only by films like the original Ghost in the Shell and The Matrix, which assisted to implement the medium’s sci-fi possibilities in the eyes of the world.
With the VR hype never gaining the traction it had promised, it appeared as if the format had met its demise; however, as technology finally caught up with the supporting ideas, the next significant development occurred.
Ø In 1997
Researchers from Georgia Tech and Emory University used virtual reality to create war zone scenarios for veterans undergoing PTSD exposure therapy. This was dubbed “Virtual Vietnam.”
Ø In 2001
SAS Cube was the first cubic room to use a PC. It resulted in Virtools VR Pack.
Ø In 2007
Google Street View was introduced. Immersive Media was identified as the contractor who captured imagery for four of the initial five cities mapped by Street View, to use its patent-protected dodecahedral camera array on a car driven.
Ø In 2010
Google Street View now has a stereoscopic 3D mode. The prototype of the Oculus Rift headset was created by Palmer Luckey, an 18-year-old entrepreneur. It had a never-before-seen 90-degree field of vision and relied on a computer’s processing power to deliver images. This new development has rekindled and revitalized interest in virtual reality.
Ø In 2012
Luckey lifted $2.4 million for the Oculus Rift through a Kickstarter campaign.
Ø In 2014
Facebook paid $2 billion for the Oculus VR Company. This was a watershed moment in VR history because VR gained traction quickly after this also Sony revealed PlayStation 4.
Google Cardboard, a low-cost and do-it-yourself stereoscopic viewer for smartphones, was released. Samsung unveiled the Samsung Gear VR, a virtual reality headset that works with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone as a viewer.
More people began to investigate the possibilities of VR, including the addition of novel accessories, for example. Cratesmith, an independent developer, recreated a Back to the Future hoverboard scene by combining the Oculus Rift with a Wii’s balance board.
Ø In 2015
VR capabilities became more widely available to the general public, for example:
- The Wall Street Journal made its debut as a VR thrill ride that followed the Nasdaq Stock Market’s highs and lows.
- The BBC produced a 360-degree video in which users can see a Syrian migrant camp.
- At the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, The Washington Post debuted a virtual reality experience of the Oval Office.
- Confinement, a short VR film about solitary confinement in US prisons, was shown by RYOT, a media company.
- Gloveone’s Kickstarter campaign was a success. These gloves allow users to interact with virtual objects by allowing them to feel and interact with them.
Ø In 2016
Lots of companies were developing VR products by 2016. The majority of the headsets featured dynamic binaural audio. Haptic interfaces lacked development. Haptic interfaces are methods that enable people to interact with computers through touch and movement, such as the Gloveone gloves that were in development. As a result, handsets have been generally button-operated.
HTC has unveiled the HTC VIVE SteamVR headset. This was the first commercially available sensor-based tracking headset, allowing people to navigate freely in space.
Ø In 2017
Many companies, including HTC, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, are developing their own VR headsets. Sony, Samsung, and so on. Sony may be working on a PlayStation 4 location-tracking technology similar to HTC’s VIVE.
Ø In 2018
Oculus debuted a new headset prototype, the Half Dome, at Facebook F8. This is a varifocal headset with a field of vision of 140 degrees.
Virtual reality has advanced significantly and is now used in a variety of ways, including providing immersive gaming experiences, treating psychological disorders, teaching new skills, and even transporting terminally ill people on virtual journeys. VR has numerous applications, and with the advancement of smartphone technology, VR will become even more accessible.
Ø In 2019
According to Forbes, this is the Year of Virtual Reality. Facebook’s standalone headset, Oculus Quest, sparked a lot of interest and momentum, selling out in many locations and generating $5 million in content sales. The transition from tethered to standalone VR headsets represented a shift in the immersive ecosystem, as standalone headsets are much easier for the average consumer to use.
According to Road to VR, the number of monthly-connected VR headsets on Steam has surpassed 1 million for the first time. On April 12, Nintendo entered the VR market with the Labo: VR kit for Nintendo Switch. Beat Saber became the first application to sell over one million copies in less than a year in March.
Ø In 2020
The Oculus Quest 2 will be unveiled on September 16, 2020, as part of the Facebook Connect 7 event. As an incremental update to the Quest, The Quest 2 received mostly positive reviews and continues to sell in the millions around the world.
Virtual Reality’s Future
The journey begins with the question of when was first VR headset made. So, how do we proceed from here? Virtual reality is finding new applications all the time, and with the backing of multibillion-dollar technology companies, you can bet the technology is here to stay. VR software is advancing at the same rate as its compatible hardware but this is the most promising opportunity for those in the race.
On the business side, the competitive environment should indicate that good news for consumers is on the way. Pricing will be critical to the consumer market and making advanced technology a commonplace item in our lives.
VR is currently viewed primarily as a gaming experience, but the prospective future uses are entirely up to the imagination. Mixed reality experiences, or interactive content that are part wearable technology and component virtual reality, are a good way to get started with VR.
The following are the most concrete future virtual reality predictions:
- AR and VR will converge to form a new type of experience.
- The introduction of advanced virtual social interactions.
- VR interaction will take place via handheld devices.
- VR headsets will become more slender, resembling sunglasses.
Conclusion
Indeed, this article provided you with all the necessary information about when was first VR headset made? VR has advanced in a variety of ways, with applications ranging from medicine to entertainment, and it has even established itself as a format worthy of the Cannes Film Festival. VR is showing great promise as a filmmaking tool, and it is also showing promise in journalism, with The New York Times leading the charge with just an extensive collection of interactive experience-based professional journalism VR experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was the first application of virtual reality?
A: Meanwhile, Jaron Lanier popularized the term “virtual reality” in the 1980s. Ten years later, virtual reality (VR) was being used for training and simulation in the United States military and NASA.
Q: Why was the virtual reality headset created?
A: This bizarre-looking device was designed for military use and included a head mount, video screen, and a tracking system linked to cameras. The key advancement, in this case, was that users could now move their heads to adjust their view of the scene.
Q: Why do I get motion sickness in virtual reality?
A: VR causes motion sickness, which causes people to feel ill. When your brain believes you are moving but your body is not disconnected between the two occurs, causing enough confusion to make you feel ill.