Page 26 - Campus Technology, June 2017

COMPLETE GUIDE TO VIRTUAL REALITY
these run on the pricier side. “Most schools have just one or two, while many have zero,” Georgieva said.
“Right now, if you want the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which I really like, you’re talking close to $2,000 per setup,” noted Craig.
As VR achieves more mainstream application or commer- cial adoption, however, educators can expect to see more high-quality headsets at lower price points. Georgieva re- cently gave an industry talk at the 2017 SXSWedu confer- ence, where she shared with educators what to expect in headsets and options that will enable them to experiment with VR without breaking the bank.
Microsoft has been collaborating with its partners, such as HP, Acer, Dell and Lenovo, to develop VR headsets that will work with lower-end desktops. Later this year, the companies will debut headsets for $299, “which is much more afford- able compared to HoloLens,” commented Georgieva. “These headsets, while tethered to PCs, will provide a somewhat im- mersive experience and we expect that they will quickly find their way to campus labs and makerspaces.””
In addition, many Kickstarter crowdfunding efforts are bound to make high-end headsets more accessible for teaching. “That’ll be a way for schools to get more innova- tive and get to experiment with these devices at lower price points,” Craig said, citing the NOLO project as an example, which will be releasing its product in June. The NOLO sys-
tem is meant for mobile VR headsets and gives users that “6 degrees of freedom” (or 6 DoF) motion tracking that is currently only found in high-end headsets.
2) Hand Controllers for Increased Interactivity
Craig and Georgieva both agree that hand controllers add a whole new level of engagement for users.
“I’ve been using Google Daydream and I love it because adding a hand controller to mobile VR, I think, makes a world of difference,” said Craig, pointing out that Samsung has also implemented its own hand controller for Gear VR.
“Microsoft just announced their new motion controllers at Microsoft Build, which together with the headset will
Microsoft HoloLens
bring the price to $399. While we still have to test the quality of these devices, this no doubt will open new options for experimentation,” Georgieva said.
Both HTC Vive and Oculus have hand controllers that enable full-motion interactive experiences that can power experiential learning. “We already see interesting applications for STEM education. It will be also interesting to see how platforms like zSpace, with their stylus and AR glasses, continue to develop their immersive applications,” said Georgieva.
3) Easy-to-Use Content Creation Platforms
There is a great deal of experimentation going on with VR content at the moment. Most of the content develop-
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | June 2017
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