<div><strong>Mala Bhargava</strong><br><br>This week there's been a lot of hype around virtual reality, thanks to a developers' conference, Oculus Connect.</div><div> </div><div>Oculus is owned by Facebook which invested $2 billion acquiring it, with Mark Zuckerberg believing VR is going to be one of the most important platforms of the future. Many believe VR is in fact going to change the world - one day. </div><div> </div><div>Virtual Reality has made it to hype and back before, but now actual products are about to be commercially available, both mainstream and cheaply. Oculus and Samsung have created the Gear VR headset which will cost just $99 and will work with many Galaxy phones -that will instantly allow more people to experience some form of virtual reality. Facebook itself, HTC, Sony and many other companies have products ready or in the making. Incredibly, very soon, CNN is going to offer a front row view of the US presidential debates, for those who have the Gear VR. This is meant to give an immersive as-if-you-were-there experience.</div><div> </div><div>The VR broadcast of the debates is just the kind of real-world application of virtual reality that could be transformative in the future. If you've seen Google's Street View 360 degree photos and been absorbed by the panoramic views of places around the world, you can just imagine how that would be if brought to life and if you could feel as if you were really in that place. YouTube and now Facebook have introduced 360 degree videos that take the experience further, but VR will enable a person to move around and in some ways interact with the virtual environment.</div><div> </div><div>Before all that though, Virtual Reality has to become comfortable. It still means clapping a huge headset and goggles on to your face and people report feeling nauseous or getting a headache. In any case, it's not easy to use for a long time at a stretch.</div><div> </div><div>Nor has there been enough content for VR to go mass. But now, it's poised to begin, with gaming taking the lead and movies not far behind. Putting VR to educational use, taking it beyond Google Cardboard, is a critical area being worked on. Harvard Business School has even held a few virtual classes.</div><div> </div><div>There will be potential applications in many industries, from travel to health to business tu marketing, but as Mark Zuckerberg himself warned, virtual reality tech is going to grow slowly.</div>
