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‘Virtual reality has to be used with caution’ says expert

Virtual reality is being billed as the be all and end all of televisual entertainment by many, but some are concerned about the risks behind the immersive tech.

Despite having produced extensive content for VR platforms, Steve Lloyd, Commercial Director at 360-media firm SphereVision has expressed his reservations with the tech.

“Virtual reality has to be used with caution,” Lloyd warned speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews. “It can be a sensory emotional experience.

He continued: “In reality, if you’re watching a video as a tour in an extreme environment, you need to hold on to something as it does take over your senses. It’s easy for someone to fall over.”

Despite the concerns, Lloyd is a proponent of immersive visuals, and talked up SphereVision’s previous work.

Back in August, the company was commissioned to work on a virtual reality simulation that offered point of view narrative of a stroke victim.

“Certainly with the stroke video, it’s better than watching standard linear program video,” explained Lloyd. “360-degree video suits very well the VR experience.”

The video sought to represent the experience of having a stroke, in hopes of educating health professionals about what it’s like to be a patient.

Related: Oculus Rift vs Project Morpheus

This year has seen a raft of consumer-grade VR devices land, including the Oculus Rift DK2, the Samsung Gear VR, and Google’s do-it-yourself Cardboard headset.

There’s also a growing selection of virtual reality apps on the Google Play store and iTunes, including SphereVision’s own app, which showcases VR-friendly 360-degree video.

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