![]() Once you’re inside, you’re surrounded by the windows on your computer screen. So you can type on your actual physical keyboard and see it in the virtual space. The webcam is pointed at your computer keyboard, and that video feed is brought into the VR experience. Using it requires an HTC Vive of Oculus Rift (sorry, Gear VR owners), and a webcam. If you already have your computer setup for VR, then getting started with Envelop is as simple as downloading the company’s software and strapping on a VR headset. “So you can decide that you want to work while sitting on a roof, or on the beach, or in a Victorian mansion with a fireplace.With Envelop for Windows, you can see and move whatever you’re working on in a 360-degree space. ![]() “I like that it lets you pick an environment that helps set the tone for what you’re working on,” Donovan says. The program creates a shared virtual environment (complete with virtual sofas), where other users in far-flung locations can come hang out and share a screen. “You’re free to actually ‘touch,’ move, and manipulate your applications” without the barrier of a monitor, he adds.īigscreen is designed for more collaborative work. “If you think of a computer monitor as a window into a virtual world, using Envelop is like being on the other side of that window,” Donovan says. As the most straightforward VR desktop app, Virtual Desktop is best for people who want a big-screen experience without a steep learning curve.Įnvelop does a better job taking advantage of the capabilities of VR by allowing users to position applications in a three-dimensional space. Essentially, it looks like a wraparound workspace that’s far larger than any monitor on the market. Virtual Desktop is the most basic of the trio and gives users a bare-bones VR translation of their desktop. All three programs currently work only with Windows and require a high-end PC-connected VR rig such as an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Virtual Desktop, Envelop, and Bigscreen are among the most notable applications that can transport your desktop PC into a virtual world. “I’ve been working like this for about four months, and it really helps for tasks like coding, where I want to be hyperfocused on one thing and avoid distractions.” “I work in an open office with typical noise and fluorescent lights, and working in VR helps me tune it out and see nothing but my work in the exact environment I want,” says Jack Donovan, a New York-based software engineer who often wears an Oculus Rift VR headset while he works. Think of the technology as an enormous screen that wraps all the way around your head, giving you the world’s largest multi-monitor setup. This teleportation act is great for gaming, but it also got me thinking: can the distraction-dimming effects of VR transport the typical office worker out of an open office and away from chatty co-workers, and perhaps help with focus and productivity in the process?Īfter experimenting with several software applications that bring your PC desktop into virtual reality, and speaking to early adopters who have spent months working in these environments, I’m convinced that VR can make at least some office workers more productive. ![]() ![]() ![]() If you’re willing to strap on a headset and headphones, virtual reality can immerse you in another world. Applications like Virtual Desktop and Envelop, when used with a VR headset, transport your desktop into a virtual environment, making for an immersive work experience and cutting out the distractions of real-world workplaces. ![]()
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