Unit 1 Research Paper 1: Paradigm Shift
Introduction
In the past, virtual reality technology was thought of by many as a gimmick, and the hope for it to become a mainstream technology was discarded as products did not work as how the public envisioned. However, the proper technology is now available to make virtual reality just that: a reality. The entertainment industry is on the verge of a monumental paradigm shift that will completely transform the way these entertainment mediums are experienced. The typical experience of video games is one with a controller with joysticks that are used to control where the playable character is looking along with a monitor or television screen in front of the player. Today, this scenario is so typical that the detachment between the player and what is happening on the screen is something considered to be normal in the experience. In the next couple years however, this detachment will be largely erased as working virtual reality headsets become available to consumers across the world.

Summary of Key Findings
One notable product in the field of virtual reality technology is the Oculus Rift. What makes this product and others like it different from the virtual reality fad that permeated the entertainment industry a few decades ago? The Rift uses 360 degree low latency head tracking, an integral part of the complete virtual experience. In previous VR headsets, the latency, or delay, between a player’s head movement and the visual representation in game could cause motion sickness, making it unpleasant or completely unusable for many players. In addition, the Oculus Rift has stereoscopic 3D view, which uses two high definition lenses, one for each eye, to emulate the effects of depth and scale, which recreates those moments in 3D movies where the player feels like he or she can reach out and touch the object seen on screen. The recreation of how the brain uses sight to perceive one’s environment allows the viewer to experience the same feeling of riding a rollercoaster by just watching a virtual simulation in the headset. This revolutionary technology, combined with a 100 degree field of view in-game, allows the creators of the Rift to accurately mimic the workings of human eyes and bring the possibility of virtual reality to life. An incredible use outside of video games is military simulation training using these same technologies. Virtual Battlespace is a simulation program developed by Bohemia Interactive Simulations and is used by the US Army and U.S. Marine Corps as well as other armed forces across the globe, such as the UK Army, the French Air Force, and the Royal Navy.

Conclusions
Although this specific program will likely not become available to average consumers, the same foundations for the simulation will be available on the marketplace while being affordable at the same time. In time, applied use of virtual reality such as the Oculus Rift will become mainstream and accepted in everyday life not only due its entertainment value, but also due to its affordability for consumers everywhere. Thoughts of virtual reality often resemble fantastical scenarios reminiscent of scenes in movies with similar themes like Gamer, The Matrix, Total Recall, and Inception. After one delves into the VR technology in products such as the Oculus Rift, one will begin to believe, and he or she will brace themselves for the tidal wave that is the paradigm shift of virtual reality.

References
Bohemia Interactive Simulations. (2015, January 1). Virtual Battlespace 3. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from https://bisimulations.com/virtual-battlespace-3
Oculus. (2015, January 1). Next-Gen Virtual Reality. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from https://www.oculus.com/rift/
Silva, M. (2015, January 9). CES 2015: Oculus Rift Crescent Bay is the Most Impressive VR Demo I've Ever Experienced - IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/09/ces-2015-oculus-rift-crescent-bay-is-the-most-impressive-vr-demo-ive-ever-experienced