虚拟现实终于好了。如果您经历过 90 年代的VR 技术(VR technology)，那可能是您从未想过会听到的。但是，如果您拥有任何当前一代的VR 设备(VR gear)，您就会知道在虚拟空间中有很多AAA 级的乐趣。(AAA fun)
尤其是VR 游戏(VR gaming)已经真正起飞，这可能会让人产生这样的印象，即这就是 VR 的全部优势。然而，有一些漂亮的应用程序将VR 技术(VR technology)用于创新游戏体验之外的东西。
从实际有用的实用程序到教育经验再到艺术。几乎所有东西都有一个VR 应用程序(VR app)。这五款VR 应用(VR app)是 VR 不仅可以用于视频游戏的完美示例。
Oculus Go 的虚拟桌面
Oculus Go是Facebook 旗下的Oculus推出的一款独立、独立的
VR 耳机(VR headset)。许多最初为系留Oculus Rift设计的应用程序已以一种或另一种形式移植到 Go。
一种流行的应用程序是虚拟桌面(Desktop)。基本上(Basically)，它将您带入一个虚拟空间，然后在该空间内复制您的桌面显示。这样做有很多理由。
一方面，这是一种在不分心或肩上冲浪(distraction or shoulder surfing)的情况下私下工作的好方法。这也意味着您不受物理显示器的限制。随心所欲，任意排列，任意大小。VR 桌面(VR desktop)软件还可以让您以原生方式观看360 度YouTube 视频等(YouTube videos)VR 内容(VR content)。
将软件带到不受限制的 VR 耳机上确实开辟了可能性。将它与蓝牙鼠标和键盘一起使用，您可以将您的桌面带到您家中的任何地方，只要有WiFi就可以到达。您也可以从世界任何地方通过互联网连接使用该软件，但显然延迟和带宽成为需要考虑的因素。
在这里(here)得到它。
谷歌地球虚拟现实
谷歌(Google)在数字化和绘制我们的星球方面做了很多工作。从Google地图中的卫星图像到Google 街景(Google Street View)，您可以在舒适的椅子上看到令人惊叹的世界。
所有这些地理数据捕获(data capture)的顶点当然是谷歌地球(Google Earth)，现在它并没有得到太多关注。因此，您可能会惊讶地发现Google 地球(Google Earth)有一个完整的VR 版本(VR version)，兼容Oculus Rift 和 HTC Vive(Oculus Rift and HTC Vive)。
Google Earth VR使用先进的摄影测量和 3D 渲染技术，让您可以环游世界，俯瞰城市，翱翔在峡谷中，并以某种泰坦巨神的身份体验世界。这里提供的图像确实是一个令人印象深刻的成就，它是一个很棒的教育工具，即使你不选择(t opt)VR(VR version)版本。
在这里(here)得到它。
时间
现代 VR 最棒的地方之一就是所谓的“临场感”。当你的大脑认为你真的在VR 世界(VR world)告诉你的任何地方时，你就会有这种感觉。这意味着您将周围的虚拟物体视为真实存在，其中包括虚拟人物。
这意味着社交VR 应用程序(VR apps)有可能为我们带来全新的在线社交体验(experience online)。vTime 是这种VR 应用(VR app)类型中最令人印象深刻的例子之一。这是一个跨平台的应用程序，让人们可以使用 VR 和传统的 2D 设备无缝地互相闲逛。他们将其称为“跨现实”平台，这实质上意味着同一虚拟空间中的人们将有不同的体验。
这些空间也很不错。从热带岛屿到舒适的壁炉休息室，vTime 为您提供与其他人相处的空间。虽然(Albeit)是卡通化身的形式。
虽然使用 VR 以外的其他东西效果可能并不那么令人印象深刻，但在使用此类社交应用程序时佩戴耳机的令人惊讶的临场感确实让您觉得这是一种特别的东西。
在这里(here)得到它。
亨利
虽然 VR 使用了我们已经知道的大量技术，但它实际上是一种适当的新媒体。这意味着人们仍然必须弄清楚如何使用它有效地讲故事。
与胶卷(film frame)不同的是，您无法完全控制观众看到或关注的内容。因此，创作者必须发明新的方法来巧妙而有效地为人们提供他们在制作内容时想要的体验。
VR 动画短片《亨利(Henry)》是目前在 VR 中讲述故事的最佳范例。这是Oculus Rift(Oculus Rift)、Oculus Go 和 Gear VR的(Oculus Go and Gear VR)展示作品(showcase title)。专业的渲染和设计，以及好莱坞级别(Hollywood-levels)的制作质量(production quality)，Henry展示了 VR 的可能性，并且尚未被超越。
故事本身非常迷人，但它与技术和艺术的里程碑和展示(milestone and showcase)同样重要。如果您拥有合适的VR 设备(VR gear)并且从未见过Henry，那么您需要立即进行纠正。
在这里(here)得到它。
倾斜刷
VR 主要被推广为一种消费其他人创造的东西的方式。无论是VR 视频(VR video)、游戏还是其他互动软件。谷歌(Google)从另一个角度看待它，而是创建了一个工具，允许您使用 VR 的独特属性来制作内容。
Tilt Brush适用于Vive、Oculus 和 Windows Mixed Reality 耳机(Oculus and Windows Mixed Reality headsets)。这是一个在三个维度上工作的绘画工具。(painting tool)或者，它可能是一个适用于画笔的VR 3D建模工具。真的，你必须重新评估你对事情的看法才能真正有意义。
即使您不想制作自己的作品，您也可以在 VR 中探索其他人的作品，因为它们是为了被看到。这是一种接近艺术的全新方式，它是光荣的。
在这里(here)得到它。
虚拟现实——不仅仅是满足眼睛
与任何新媒体一样，创作者和开发者仍在探索什么是可能的。从电视的主流采用(mainstream adoption)到现代电视(day television)的顶峰，花了几十年的时间。
正确(Proper)、实用的 VR 直到 2016 年左右才出现，所以看到如此多样化的应用程序已经是个好兆头。因此，如果您对 VR 游戏有点厌倦，那么该耳机没有理由积聚灰尘。还有很多事情要做！
5 VR Applications that Aren’t Games
Virtual rеality is finally gоod. If you lived through the VR technology of thе 90s, that’s something you may never have exрected to hear. However, if you own any current generation VR gear, you’ll know that there’s plenty of AAΑ fun to be had in virtual spacеs.
VR gaming in particular has really taken off, which might lead to the impression that this is all that VR is good for. However there are some nifty applications out there that makes use of VR technology for something other than innovative gaming experiences.
From actual useful utilities to educational experiences to art. There’s a VR app for just about everything. These five VR applications are perfect examples of how VR can be used for much more than video games.
Virtual Desktop for Oculus Go
The Oculus Go is a standalone, self-contained
VR headset from Facebook-owned Oculus. Many applications that were originally
designed for the tethered Oculus Rift have been ported in one form or another
to the Go.
One popular application is Virtual Desktop. Basically, it puts you into a virtual space and then replicates your desktop displays within that space. There’s a lot of reasons to do this.
For one, it’s a great way to work in private without distraction or shoulder surfing. It also means you aren’t constrained by your physical monitors. Have as many as you want, in any arrangement and at any size. VR desktop software also lets you watch VR content like 360-degree YouTube videos natively.
Bringing the software to an untethered VR
headset really opens up possibilities. Use it with a Bluetooth mouse and
keyboard and you can bring your desktop with you anywhere in your home, within
reach of the WiFi. You can also the software over an internet connection from
anywhere in the world, but obviously latency and bandwidth become factors to
consider.
Get it here.
Google Earth VR
Google has done a lot to digitize and map our planet. From satellite images in Google maps to Google Street View, you can see an amazing amount of the world from the comfort of your chair.
The apex of all this geographic data capture is certainly Google Earth, which doesn’t get that much attention these days. So you might be surprised to hear that Google Earth has a full-on VR version, compatible with both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Using advanced photogrammetry and 3D rendering
tech, Google Earth VR lets you fly around the world, looking down into cities,
soaring through canyons and experiencing the world as some sort of titanic god.
The imagery on offer here is really an impressive achievement and it’s a
fantastic educational tool, even if you don’t opt for the VR version.
Get it here.
vTime
One of the best things about modern VR is
something called “presence”. That’s the sensation you get when your brain
thinks you really are wherever the VR world tells you. It means you perceive
the virtual objects around you as really there, which includes virtual people.
This means social VR apps have the potential
to bring us a whole new social experience online. vTime is one of the most
impressive examples of this VR app type. It’s a cross-platform application that
lets people use VR and traditional 2D devices to hang out with each other
seamlessly. They refer to it as a “cross-reality” platform, which essentially
means people in the same virtual space will have different experiences.
Those spaces are pretty nice too. From tropical islands to cosy fireplace lounges, vTime makes a space for you to be with other human beings. Albeit in the form of cartoony avatars.
While the effect may not be all that impressive using something other than VR, the surprising feeling of presence with a headset when using social apps like these really make you feel like this is something special.
Get it here.
Henry
While VR uses plenty of technologies that we already know, it’s actually a properly new medium. Which means people still have to figure out how to tell stories effectively using it.
Unlike a film frame, you can’t take total control over what the viewer sees or pays attention to. So creators have to invent new ways to subtly and effectively give people the experience they intended when making their content.
Henry, a VR animated short, is currently the best example of how to tell a story in VR. It’s a showcase title for the Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and Gear VR. Expertly rendered and designed, with Hollywood-levels of production quality, Henry shows what’s possible with VR and has yet to be topped.
The story itself is pretty charming, but it’s just as important as a technical and artistic milestone and showcase. If you own the right VR gear and have never seen Henry, that’s something you need to rectify right away.
Get it here.
Tilt Brush
VR has been promoted mainly as a way to
consume things that other people have created. Whether it’s a VR video, game or
other interactive piece of software. Google looked at it from another
perspective and instead created a tool that allows you to use the unique
attributes of VR to make content instead.
Tilt Brush is available for the Vive, Oculus and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. It’s a painting tool that works in three dimensions. Or perhaps it’s a VR 3D modelling tool that works with brushes. Really, you’ll have to re-evaluate how you think about things for it to really make sense.
Even if you don’t want to make your own creations, you can explore the works of others in VR, as they are meant to be seen. It’s a whole new way to approach art, and it is glorious.
Get it here.
VR – More Than Meets the Eye
As with any new medium, creators and developers are still exploring what’s possible. It took decades from TV’s mainstream adoption to the pinnacle of modern day television.
Proper, practical VR has only been around since around 2016, so seeing such a diversity of apps already bodes well. So if you’re a little burnt out on VR games, there’s no reason for that headset to gather dust. There’s plenty more to do!
