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In 1838 Charles Wheatstone discovered that if each eye sees the same 2D image the brain think it's a 3D image. This is the first discovery that leads towards VR.
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In 1929 Edward Link created the 'Link Trainer' which was a flight simulator that would train half a million US pilots for WW2.
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In 1935 Science Fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum wrote about goggles that allowed the user to see and interact with a fictional world. This is basically VR goggles in a nutshell.
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In the mid 1950s VR took another large step. Morton Heilig designed a device that was a theatre cabinet but could also simulate the senses normal theatre couldn't.
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This was the first time when a head mounted VR headset was designed. It was nothing like the ones we know today but it was a start.
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Throughout the 60s VR technology began to take shape. Soon there were designs for simulating and by the end of the decade an actual VR headset!
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During the 70s and the 80s VR was taking massive strides. It was getting new ways of simulating images and it was slowly becoming a common thing.
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In 1989 NASA began to use VR to help train astronauts.
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In the 90s both SEGA and Nintendo tried to make VR consoles to sell to the public. Both were massive flops. But in 1997 therapists started using VR to cure PTSD from war veterans. It allowed them to control what the people sees and experiences.
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When 'The Matrix' is released in 1999 everyone went crazy. It pushed the idea of VR to countless people.
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Google now lets people use Street View in 360. This changes a lot.
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As Google Street View goes 3D the Oculus has getting its first prototypes.
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During the 2010s VR exploded into the tech we know it as today. So many consoles were released it would be hard to keep track of them all. But I'll try.
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The Oculus Rift is fundraised for. It gets about $2.5 million
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Facebook buys Oculus. In the same year even more companies launch VR including Google and Sony. The PS4 gets VR of its own.
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VR headsets including the Rift and the HTC Vive. VR is exploding by this point.
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By this point the only VR headsets that survive are ones that don't need a computer or phone. They usually were cheaper.
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VR is evolving rapidly and it doesn't seem to want to stop. Who knows what is coming next. Maybe a Ready Player One style headset is coming.