How smartphone-based VR works

There are many kinds of virtual reality technology in the world today, and thanks to the current level of excitement surrounding the technology there are more and more companies developing solutions that immerse users in a whole new kind of interactive experience. The two primary challenges VR tech face right now lie in demonstrating useful content to justify the experience, and creating accessible solutions that are either inexpensive enough that anyone can try it or complex enough that users want to make VR a fundamental part of their regular entertainment.

Today we’re going to talk about accessibility, specifically the push to make your smartphone the key component in the VR experience. We’ve seen several companies release accessories that you can slide your phone into, and in doing so gain a fairly inexpensive VR experience that can be appreciated anywhere. To accomplish this level of functionality, a lot of things have to be happening in your phone all at once. Here’s how it works.

The display and the lenses