Now comes word from the cutting-edge and ever-so-quirky world of virtual reality that a Toronto-based startup called Metatecture has come up with a way to have that quality VR experience you’ve been looking for but at a fraction of the cost of a $350 Occulus Rift development kit.
And you can look like a weirdo in the process.
Here’s the pitch from Metatecture:
Introducing the AirVR
By adapting VR headset technology to existing iOS tools, users can buy AirVR for $45, strap their iPad mini or iPhone 6 Plus to their face with the special mount, and go to town.
As CNET points out,
is a head-mounted display that works for the or . The prototype looks like a weird set of goggles with straps that go over your head. The iPad or iPhone slips into a mount on the front and you look through two lenses at the screen. It works in conjunction with apps that have been optimized to display in two parts so that each eye gets a separate image feed.
An extra strip of screen real estate is turned into a touch interface for controlling your AirVR experience. Functions include calibration settings that make it possible to quickly adapt the headset for different users. AirVR’s creators plan to bundle the gadget with photo, movie and panoramic-image apps.
As for Metatecture’s progress in gaining financial support for its invention, its Kickstarter page says the company’s more than halfway to its $20,000 goal, with more than $10,000 pledged already.
Credit: Kickstarter.com