You may still picture virtual reality like Google Glass: totally dorky and something only white dude gamer-types enjoy. But VR is very quickly proving itself to be far, far more entertaining (and useful) than any of us could have originally predicted.
It seems that every week a new virtual app is cropping up. And instead of making us groan, it's making us say wow. Personally, I've had a Google Cardboard VR viewer for around two years now. It sat on a shelf, largely unused until recently. Now, I whip it out regularly to look at new apps and games so I can feel visually immersed in the experience. Like swapping out my smartphone case, or plugging in a set of headphones, the VR viewer has become a need-to-own smartphone accessory.
The latest app we tried out, TinyEye, totally sparked our inner child. It's the perfect time killer for a rainy afternoon or an endlessly delayed flight (you don't have to use the VR viewer all the time).
Read on for this, and four other new apps, that make virtual reality something you'll want to use on the regular.
TinyEye
Remember those I Spy books you'd spend hours poring over in elementary school? Each two-page spread featured an assortment of (usually) tiny objects, and your task was to find specific items hidden in the photographic collage. Or the car game version — "I spy with my little eye...?"
TinyEye is the digital version of that. You can use the app with or without a headset, but Google Cardboard (or similar) is recommended. From there, you look into the app's colorful, three-dimensional, toy-filled world and try to spy the handful of objects hidden in the space. It's fun even as an adult, but if we'd had this as a kid? Mind blown.
Photo: Courtesy Yeti.
NextVR
If only you'd snagged tickets to this weekend's Beyoncé concert. Thanks to a partnership with NextVR and Live Nation, beginning this summer, you'll be able to experience exactly what it's like at the show — without leaving your couch. NextVR cofounder David Cole told Recode that the project will span from small, intimate performances to big music festivals. Experiencing these concerts through a headset will at first be free, but may eventually be a pay-per-event type of deal.
Photo: Courtesy NextVR.
Rukkus Seat360
For my boyfriend's birthday last year, I bought us tickets to a hockey game. We'd been to games before, so I vaguely knew what areas were better to sit than others. But there were some seriously discounted seats with an "obstructed view" that I considered — I mean, exactly how obstructed could they be? With Rukkus Seat360, I could have known exactly what the view would have been like from any seat in the stadium (obstructed or not) before making a purchase. Are those seats five rows down really worth $50 more? Now you can know — for sure.
GIF: Courtesy Rukkus.
Tilt Brush
Google's new Tilt Brush VR tool lets you paint in virtual reality. Architects and designers can use it to build and see their creations from every angle. Artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada says that he could see Tilt Brush transforming live installations at museums and galleries. But the app also has uses in the fashion space, allowing clothing designers to build a look around a dress form, and playing with colors and proportions more easily than ever before.
GIF: Courtesy Google.
GoPro VR
GoPro seems like a natural fit for VR content when you're feeling a little adventurous (well, adventurous enough to live through someone else's adventures!). With its new iOS and Android apps, you can view 360-degree content straight on your phone, or with a VR headset. You can see exactly what it's like to surf a Maverick, navigate a bustling market street with a moped, or scuba dive in a coral reef. While this seems mostly entertainment focused, as the app fills with user-uploaded content, you could use it to help decide where you want to go on vacation, and what activities you want to do on that vacation.
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