Page 44 - Campus Technology, May/June 2018

LEARNING SPACES
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“Probably the best thing about VR in 2018 is that it is a lot more affordable now and that democratizes it. Today, you can get a VR-enabled laptop and headset for under $2,000. That makes it much easier to think about integrating it into classes.”
— John Bowditch, Ohio University
Game Research and Immersive Design Lab at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication, is already seeing promising developments on that front as he prepares to open a new 20-seat VR classroom. “Probably the best thing about VR in 2018 is that it is a lot more affordable now and that democratizes it,” he said. “We purchased a VR helmet 13 years ago, and it was $12,000 just for the headset. The machine that ran it cost about $20,000. That would be a nonstarter beyond purchasing just one or two. Today, you can get a VR-enabled laptop and headset for under $2,000. That makes it much easier to think about integrating it into classes.”
David Raths is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia.
RELATED READING
Learn more about Virginia Tech’s Cube space in “Virtual Reality Space Lets Students Experience Big Data.”
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | May/June 2018