Optical illusions help you explore a virtual world on foot

摘要

I'm walking through a villa in sunny Tuscany - or so it seems. Donning the Oculus Rift headset (see page 19), I am immersed in my environment. But it's not just the wraparound visuals that are fooling me. Thanks to a few clever perceptual tricks, I feel like I'm walking naturally, even though my feet are only moving back and forth on a static platform. The buzz around the Oculus Rift headset is giving virtual reality a new lease of life. But however immersive the visuals, you are usually stationary when using it, moving your avatar via a control pad or keyboard. Now hardware is adding the sensation of movement to virtual adventures, without leaving you feeling nauseous.