Immersive technology is versatile and varied, offering a whole range of practical uses that make our lives easier, from virtual events to AR apps. In our ‘Quick guide’ blog series, we take a look at some of the services we offer here at Infinite Form to help you understand the types of experiences available – and how they benefit you. Here we look at one of our core services and how it all began for us when we set up shop six years ago: virtual reality.

What is VR?

A virtual reality experience places users inside a computer-generated simulated environment, allowing them to interact with the 3D world around them. Experienced through a headset, VR simulates human senses – sight, sound and touch in particular – creating an as-near-to-real experience as possible. There are thousands of VR headsets on the market, ranging from high-end PC-powered setups to cheap and cheerful mobile headsets.

Why use VR?

VR allows you to experience the impossible – making it both a useful tool and a great source of entertainment. It’s versatile and scalable, ranging from interactive free-roam experiences where you can move around and interact with a physical space – to fold-up cardboard headsets that run from just a mobile phone – meaning you can use VR for anything from a detailed training simulation to an interactive multiplayer game to a short and punchy brand experience.

What are the benefits?

Completely immersive

Unlike augmented reality, which merges virtual elements with the real environment, VR places you in a completely different world with six degrees of freedom (6DOF). That sense of physical presence enables the user to connect more completely with what they’re seeing – inspiring a feeling of active participation that encourages greater engagement with the content.

Highly engaging

You can’t get distracted in a VR headset. This makes it a highly engaging platform that’s proven to have beneficial effects, with a recent study by PWC revealing that people trained using VR are up to 275% more confident to act on what they learned. For brand purposes, time in VR means uninterrupted brand exposure combined with a memorable experience, driving conversions. In fact, Touchstone Research discovered that 80% of consumers said they feel positive towards brands using VR.

Versatile

When it comes to content, VR is incredibly versatile. You can simulate pretty much anything, from a highly realistic emergency scenario for training purposes, to the outer reaches of the solar system, to the nerves inside the brain. That’s why it’s been proven to work so well across a wide range of sectors, including training and education, entertainment and games, automotive and retail, and experiential marketing – to name just a few. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at some of our VR achievements.

What is free-roam VR?

Free-roam VR is the next step in virtual reality services. Users can move freely around a virtual space without being tethered to a computer or hampered by wires – allowing them to walk around a physical space much as they would in the real world. This provides an overall experience that is as close to realistic as possible – drawing in interaction with physical objects and other people in a simulation that mimics real-life capabilities, while transporting users to different worlds. Free-roam VR underpins ‘destination VR’ – where users can go and enjoy a virtual experience in a dedicated venue. We work closely with our sister company, XIST VR, to provide high-fidelity, fully interactive and cost-effective free-roam VR solutions.

How do we do it?

With over half a decade’s worth of experience, we’re pioneers in creating immersive VR experiences. In fact we started building in VR when it was only just coming onto the market – evolving hand-in-hand with the tech as it moved from cardboard headsets and mobile apps to the powerful standalone headsets and innovative free-roam capabilities we see today. So our team are experts in every aspect of creating innovative and immersive virtual reality experiences, simulations and games. And we’re here to help you build the experience you need.