Virtual Reality Headset

A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted display that presents a wearer with stereoscopic images and tracks head movement, creating the sensation of being inside a computer-generated three-dimensional environment. Computer scientist Ivan Sutherland built the first head-mounted display system in 1968 at Harvard and the University of Utah, nicknamed the Sword of Damocles because a mechanical arm suspended the heavy unit from the ceiling. Consumer headsets remained a niche research and arcade curiosity for decades afterward until devices such as the Oculus Rift, funded through a 2012 crowdfunding campaign, revived the technology for mainstream gaming and other consumer uses.