iPhones become virtual reality headsets with Pinc
As major technology companies begin testing the waters with virtual reality products, few are daring enough to suggest manufacturing their own custom headsets. Oculus, the Kickstarter company recently acquired by Facebook, and Sony’s Project Morpheus are among the few who have ventured to build dedicated VR headsets. For others, like Samsung with its Gear VR accessory and even Google with its Cardboard project from this year’s Google I/O, the short-term solution for virtual reality adoption comes from smartphones. The latest in a series of visor products that take advantage of smartphone displays is Pinć, an iPhone 6 case from Cordon Media that targets mobile ecommerce as one practical application for virtual reality technology.
The Pinć (pronounced “pinch”) system works with two fundamental components. First is the fluorescent orange visor, which unfolds from an unassuming iPhone case to create an immersive virtual reality experience. Next are the pincers, rings with LEDs that allow the iPhone camera to track the wearer’s fingers through space. With compatible smartphone software, Pinć allows wearers to pan and zoom through virtual environments with their fingers and head tracking, and the company recommends a handful of possible user interface arrangements for developers to explore. The arrangement is reminiscent of the futuristic user interface from Minority Report, but the system is slightly more practical than the movie’s computer interface used to predict crimes.
Pinć enters crowdsource funding on Indiegogo today, but the platform’s intentions are beyond novelty and internet buzz. The product’s designers foresee adoption by retailers and online ecommerce sites to allow shoppers to virtually inspect and explore items before adding them to their carts. In the future, Pinć expects to add Twitter integration and augmented reality environments to the platform, providing additional immersive experiences and bridging online and offline shopping experiences.
“We really feel the next killer app for VR, outside of gaming, is mobile commerce.” —Milan Baic, Creator of Pinć
According to speculative science fiction, virtual reality promises to be the computing platform that dominates this century. But judging from existing efforts from even the largest technology players, it’s difficult to imagine this future. Pinć represents a step toward practicality and market viability with the help of retail partners. As other companies make their first attempts to design truly useful and engaging virtual experiences, the virtual reality industry is only just entering its infancy. Dedicated VR products from Samsung, Sony, Oculus, and others are pioneering steps toward what virtual reality could become. For now, VR enthusiasts can rest easy that the technology is on the right path, even if they feel silly with smartphones strapped to their faces.