

And even since then, today's smartphone graphics chips aren't quite up to the task of rendering complex 3D worlds with high-resolution textures in a way that passes muster up that close. These were impressive early attempts at "cheap VR," but the screens on most smartphones just don't pack enough pixels to deliver a sharp image a few inches from your eyeballs. These modest VR setups had you strap your smartphone into a viewer fitted with lenses, allowing your phone to become both the screen and the graphics-rendering device charged with creating an immersive world. And Google's updated Daydream View landed in late 2016, upping the sophistication and comfort factor, while delivering a more robust environment for developers. The simplistic, though still impressive, Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR platforms have both been around since 2014. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).ĭecades after the 1992 flick The Lawnmower Man got our hopes up (and the ill-fated Nintendo Virtual Boy dashed them a few years later), virtual reality (VR) is finally happening in a big way. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.

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