THE BIG BOOK SERIES VIRTUAL REALITY - THE COMPLETE GUIDE 2016 – the year when virtual becomes reality... INSIDE: VR buyer’s guide including headsets, cameras and more; the free apps that will immerse you in this exciting new world; meet the man who changed VR forever – Oculus Rift founder Palmer Luckey… All this and much more with our new 116-page guide to the world of virtual reality.

WELCOME

VR: THE PAST • Things have come a long way since the humble View-Master. It’s time to chart the evolution of virtual reality

THE HISTORY OF VIRTUAL REALITY • The Oculus Rift didn’t appear from nowhere. Step back in time to see how art fused with technology to create entire worlds…

EVOLUTION OF VIRTUAL REALITY • The rise, fall and rise of a new world

THE VIRTUAL BOY • Nintendo’s ill-fated attempt at gaining a foothold in the immersive 3D gaming market

The innovator • Paris-based artist Nicole Stenger is credited with creating the first totally immersive movie, Angels, between 1989 and 1992

THE OMNIDIRECTIONAL TREADMILL • Who’d have thought that running on the spot could be so much fun?

IMMERSED IN FILM • From ‘Scent of Mystery’ to ‘The Matrix’, Hollywood has long been fascinated with the concepts of viewer immersion and VR its movies. Here we reflect on five key klicks that aim to lift viewers into another world...

THE GAMECHANGER • WHY IS 2016 BEING SEEN AS THE YEAR OF VIRTUAL REALITY? IT’S ALL DOWN TO THE OCULUS RIFT AND ITS TINKERING FOUNDER

VR: THE PRESENT • It’s time for you to choose the VR unit that best suits your needs and budget, plus how VR’s used in the wider world

AFFORDABLE VR UNITS • You can sample the delights of virtual reality for under £90.00…

GOOGLE CARDBOARD • Your first steps into the virtual world won't require deep Oculus-sized pockets All that's needed is to go all Blue Peter...

MID-PRICE VR UNITS • Tipping over into three figures cranks you export from VR – and what’s delivered...

TOP-END VR UNITS • Spend over £350 and you’ll never want to return to planet Earth. Welcome to Oculus Rift, Sony…

ACCESSORIES • These affordable extras will enhance your virtual experience…

360° CAMERAS • Making movies isn’t the sole preserve of Hollywood: virtual-reality cameras are on the market from less than £300. Here are five across the fiscal board...

REAL-LIFE APPS • Project yourself from your armchair into a dramatic world of heightened reality…

CG APPS • While transporting to a virtual ‘real world’ appeals to your pragmatic side, computer-generated apps send you into the fantastical…

LONDON’S MOST CUTTING-EDGE COMPANY? • Shoreditch-based Inition are at the forefront of VR and AR technology. Our reporter spent a day immersed in another world…

VIRTUAL SUCCESS • THE BENEFITS OF VR ARE FILTERING THROUGH TO PROFESSIONAL CLUBS AND MEDIA OUTLETS ALIKE. WE EXAMINE ITS IMPACT ON SPORT…

VIRTUAL SUCCESS • Behind the scenes with US production company Headcase...

VR THEME PARKS • Thorpe Park and Alton Towers are rolling out the VR rides in 2016

CONFRONTING – AND BEATING – TRAUMA • POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IS SADLY ALL TOO COMMON IN RETURNING SERVICE(WO)MEN. THANKFULLY, THERE’S GROWING EVIDENCE THAT VR CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT

CASE STUDY • Marine Merkle experienced first-hand the benefits of virtual therapy after active service in Iraq and Afghanistan

HOW BRAVEMIND FITS IN • Virtual real it y is one element of exposure therapy to treat individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder...

REVOLUTIONISING INDUSTRY • The Oculus and Samsung headsets might only just be hitting the market but VR technology is already established in a number of...