A stroke patient stretches out a weak arm and grabs a hovering spaceship. A chronic pain
sufferer uses her head to bat balls at cartoon bears. A veteran relives his battlefield experiences in a safe environment to help deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Therapeutic approaches that immerse patients in virtual environments abound. Until recently, though, the treatments were mostly limited to severe cases in clinical settings because the commercial hardware was expensive. High-end virtual reality setups require not just the headset, which can run several hundreds of dollars, but motion-tracking sensors as well as a dedicated game console or a fast-processing PC with a heavy-duty graphics card. The costs can start adding up into the thousands of dollars.
But thanks to a recent proliferation of VR hardware, including headsets that incorporate a user's smartphone, prices are falling faster than you can blast a bear. Samsung's Gear VR costs $99. Google's new soft Daydream View, which comes with a Bluetooth controller and limited motion-tracking controller, currently sells for $79. The Mi VR Play from Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is only $29. Mobile VR startup, VicoVR, which is developing an affordable full-body tracking system, is expected to ship their first units by the end of the year. A price hasn't been announced yet, but when the company launched their IndieGoGo funding campaign earlier this spring, the all-inclusive gaming bundle went for $219.
https://www.livescience.com/56864-affordable-vr-will-take-immersive-therapy-mainstream.html
