With a consumer ready version of the Oculus Rift expected to be released in the near future, a number of other virtual reality companies are looking to get a head start in the market with their own products. Last month we introduced you to one of these new virtual reality headsets, the vrAse a headset that uses your smartphone as a screen. Well that’s not the only product of that kind – yes, there’s another! It’s called the 360specs, and they claim to be able to transform almost any mobile device into a virtual reality headset.
The man behind the 360specs is Ray Latypov, a man who’s not a newcomer to the idea of virtual reality. In fact, he’s worked on a number of virtual reality products in his time, including creating the Virtusphere which is essentially a 3D reality ball that the user can enter and move around inside.
The prototype for the 36specs was created almost a year ago, and since then it has undergone a number of tweaks in order to improve the comfort level and overall quality of the product.
Essentially, the user simply has to call up a 3D image or app that uses 3D technology on their smartphone, and then slide the mobile device into the top of the 360specs. The headband then has to be adjusted in order to not let any external light into the headset, and the user is good to go! The user can also adjust the distance between the 360specs lenses and the mobile device in order to improve the clarity of the images being displayed.
The virtual reality experience will of course change depending on the size of the screen of the device that they’re using, however the creators of the 360specs claim that the best size will be 5-7inches. In fact, they say that watching a movie using the 360specs and a 7-inch tablet will be similar to watching a movie on a 130 inch TV. The creators of the 360specs also plan to make 4 different versions of the product in order to accommodate for different sized devices.
The user can also add a pair of headphones to the mix, and they have a complete virtual reality experience! The best part of the whole project? The 360specs are expected to cost as little as $39! The first batch of 360specs is supposed to be shipped as early as February of 2014, and it’s expected to come with a number of 3D photos, videos, and apps. Ideally, 3rd party developers will create 3D apps, which might eventually mean that using your mobile device as a virtual reality headset will become a normal thing!
