Virtual reality (VR) showed off its
spectacular side at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, whisking people
onto hockey arenas, baseball fields and even into the internet with animated
film trouble-maker Wreck-it Ralph. But even with the impressive visuals, VR
appeared to be in the slow lane toward mass adoption, according to analysts and
industry attendees at the massive technology trade show. Fidelity Investments
let people step into financial portfolios, entering a digital world where share
prices were all around.
HTC is working with Firefox
browser maker Mozilla and Amazon's cloud services team to enable websites to
provide online access using eye-popping VR. Companies are finding efficiencies
and cost savings in using VR gear for tasks such as training workers or
designing products. HTC demonstrations included VR software to coach people on
public speaking. The Void VR system offers arcade-style experiences in several
countries, overlaying virtual worlds on real rooms to let people move about as
they might if really in the fantasy.
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