VR then, VR now, VR the future???

Strangely, Virtual Reality headsets have been around since 1968, when the ‘sword of Damocles’ was invented by professor Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull. It was a cumbersome thing, which was so heavy, it had to be suspended from the ceiling. Thankfully, development has made it far less awkward now and we can be certain advances will come thicker and faster yet.

In the 2010s popularity grew with the introduction of the Oculus Rift and when Meta saw the potential, they purchased Oculus and advances have been steady since, with recent predictions in headset ownership from the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicting a 44.2% surge this year alone.

In many ways, the idea of Virtual Reality is considered one of high gaming usage and geared to gaming specifically. However, many industries are recognising the value of Virtual Reality with many investing heavily in its value in supporting training (surgery) and design (construction, architecture). There are many more.

Sport provides many games, which undoubtedly offer a great deal of fun. There are many fitness apps too.

What Runmaka VR are aiming to do is a combination of fun and development. Our goal is to provide a unique, structured training environment that can be accessed whenever. We are aiming to break down certain barriers to training – facility costs and availability / weather issues / no one to train with and so on.

Outside of the initial outlay for the headsets, we will always aim to ensure our app is priced in such a way (£12.99) that it proves cost-effective when compared with other costs associated with training. We aren’t seeking to replace though. Nothing will beat ‘real life’ training if its available. What we are offering is something else, something extra, something new.

As a coach, I’ve always felt we were lucky in cricket, as there are a multitude of manners in which to train – nets, 121 coaching, bowling machines, scenario training etc... Technical sessions can be broken down into isolated detail and built back up.

The simulator will be able to provide all of the above over time. Net style random deliveries from a range of bowling styles, coach interaction, specific delivery training and a multitude of options for the coach / player to select from to develop on the feet ‘thinking’, ‘decision making’ and ‘technical growth’.

I’ll keep repeating, we are still at the very beginning, but when Ivan Sutherland nailed his first VR headset to the ceiling, I’m sure deep down, he suspected we would be where we are now and there is so much more to come, from all of us…