14 DAY TRIAL // A Canadian team of techies have come up with an amazing virtual reality headset that turns any iPhone into a Minority Report-style experience using technology similar to that of Oculus Rift.
Posted to Ingiegogo and hoping to raise a cool $100,000 ($88,000 USD / €70,000) by December 23, Pinć VR can be yours for $99 CAD ($88 USD / €70).
Mainstream possible only through smartphones
Digital Agency Cordon Media Inc. believes true virtual reality applicability means to put it in the hands of everyone and not restrict its usage to the confines of an apartment or a special room set up to experience VR.
Instead, the company’s product makes virtual reality available to any iPhone owner by means of a smart headset that uses Oculus Rift-style technology, coupled with software that looks like something out of Minority Report.
Pronounced “pinch,” the device is basically just a case for iPhone 6 handsets that comes with a free app “designed to deliver the next level of computing to the mainstream via Virtual Reality.”
“Pinć is the first VR platform that fits in your pocket allowing you to use your phone traditionally without any interruption with the ability to unfold into a Virtual Reality Headset with integrated controllers,” according to the Canadian company.
Cordon explains that the product is “built on the concept of spatial computing, turning browsing, multitasking and shopping into an immersive virtual reality experience.”
The patent-pending prototype is controlled by “optical control rings” that the user wears on his / her index fingers to allow the rear-facing camera on the case to track something it can recognize easily and efficiently.
The solution may not be ideal for those who were hoping to see the Minority Report truly materialize in the real world, but it’s as close as you’re going to get in this day and age.
Virtual Reality more and more present in consumer electronics
There was a time when VR kits were deemed science fiction material. Game development studios were among the first to eye its potential, and Cordon is looking to take things even further, by putting the technology in everyone’s hands.
As always, half the job is in the hardware while the other half is in the software. With the physical parts locked and loaded, all the Pinć really needs now is some awesome new games and (why not?) even a full-blown 3D operating system.
Visit the project’s Indiegogo page to learn more about Pinć, and consider supporting it with a small donation if you don’t plan on securing your own headset just yet.
