The video presenter also explained that people who need glasses could use the headset without them because the headset would automatically adjust to the wearer’s vision.
At the end of the video, the woman on screen said that headsets were available for immediate purchase and ten people at a time could try a headset if they wanted.
Some of the people watching the video had looks of annoyance, believing that what was being presented was not what was really available. It was common among VR headset companies to use presentation videos that made the headset resolution appear better than it was.
Yujin, one of the men who had been watching the presentation, stepped forward and approached one of the booth babes and asked, "So, I can try on one of these headsets right now?"
"Yes, sir," said the woman. "If you’ll follow me to demonstration booth number one, I’ll help you try out the headset and answer any questions you might have."
"Okay, sure," said Yujin.
The woman turned and led the Yujin to the far-left room of the ten small rooms arrayed at the back of the Horizon VR display.
They entered, and she directed him to sit in a chair that was set against the left wall of the small room.
On the wall opposite where a grid of cubbyholes. She removed a sealed bag from one of the cubbyholes and returned to stand in front of the seated man.
"We sanitize the headset after each use and seal it in a bag so we know which headsets are ready for use," said the woman.
She opened the bag and helped Yujin put on the headset and gloves. He was wearing glasses, so he removed them and put them in his breast pocket. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novelFirｅ.net
"The gloves will be loose and your view through the headset will be fuzzy until the system finishes initializing," she said as the man donned the gloves, then the goggles.
After he finished inserting the earpieces, the young woman said, "Press the button on the right side of your headset and the initialization will begin. It only takes a few minutes."
He pressed the button and, almost immediately, a fuzzy white blob appeared in front of him. Then a voice said, "Please focus on the object in front of you and follow it with your eyes. It may initially appear as a fuzzy white blob."
He did as directed. The fuzzy blob slowly resolved into a fuzzy white cube that slowly began moving left and right, up and down, and towards, then away from him.
Soon the fuzzy cube crystalized into a metallic cube with sharp edges and writing on each side. And as he watched, the writing became clear enough to read.
When he realized he was reading text more than two meters away from himself, without glasses, he gasped and grabbed the headset and pushed it up his forehead.
The metal cube disappeared, and he was back in the small room, everything fuzzy. He pulled the headset back down, and the metal cube reappeared. And to his surprise, the room wasn’t fuzzy.
"How is this possible?" exclaimed the man.
"That’s our proprietary jell crystal display, sir. It has a variable incidence of diffraction and can adjust to nearly any diopter or level of astigmatism."
He lifted his hands up to look at them and noticed that the gloves he’d donned were now translucent.
He grabbed the headset with one hand and lifted it up again to look at his hand. As soon as he did, he saw that the glove was black, not translucent.
He returned the headset over his eyes and felt each hand with the other. The gloves had somehow shrunk and were fitted to his hands, not loose, but not snug. It was almost like they weren’t there.
The woman walked him through several demonstrations, and with each he was more and more amazed. The graphics resolution was so high, he couldn’t even see individual pixels.
The workspace mode was a dream, and he knew his wife would love the 3-D video experience.
"Can regular videos be converted into a 3-D video?" he asked.
"They can, but depending on the video, the result may be disappointing. There’s a tutorial that explains how the process works and what kinds of videos produce the best conversion results."
"What if I want to work with two computers at the same time?" asked the man.
"Ah, we do offer optional multiplexers that allow you to connect 2, 4, or 6 computers to a single headset. The multiplexers and headset are still being certified, so they are not yet approved for use in certain high-security settings."
"Ah, you’re talking about classified government systems," said the man.
"Yes. We are not sure if the headset and multiplexers will meet the requirements for use in those environments, but we are confident that they will meet the less stringent requirements of certain industry standards."
"Well, this is simply amazing. It’s so light, it feels like I’m wearing a lightweight ski mask. Can I really buy one right now?"
"Yes, sir. But only one per customer. You’ll receive a special CES discount of 25 percent off. But we’ll also provide you with special codes you can use to pre-order up to five more headsets at a discount of 15 percent."
"Outstanding!" exclaimed the man, reaching for his wallet. "Where do I sign?"
He was already daydreaming about using the headset at work. With the multiplexer, he could merge all his work computers into a single virtual workspace. Even better, he could include his personal laptop and watch anime while he worked without his boss even knowing!
By the time Yujin left the booth, he was on cloud nine. The headset was so cheap, even his wife wouldn’t be able to complain about the expense. And when he showed her the 3-D video app, he was certain she’d beg him to buy one for her.
He was walking towards the border of the Horizon VR display when a man in a dark suit stopped him.
"Hey, you just bought an AVR Explorer, right?"
"Sure did," said Yujin.
"Is it really that good?" asked the man in the suit.
"Good? It makes every other VR headset I’ve tried feel like a 1950’s dive helmet with a 4-inch tube TV bolted on. It’s beyond amazing. I have no idea how they did it, but the graphics are insane. I couldn’t detect the individual pixels. At all."
"That’s hard to believe," said the dark-suited man.
"Then just go try one," said Yujin. "Once you do, you’ll understand. Everything we saw in that presentation was real. First time I’ve ever seen reality match the demo."
He turned and rushed off, eager to brag to his co-workers. They’d be able to buy their own AVR Explorer eventually, but for at least a few weeks, he was going to be the envy of his workplace.