When we talk about VR these days a lot of focus is put on gaming and entertainment, but Virtual reality has the prospect of transforming our productivity as well. Envelop VR is one company that is pushing the boundaries of this concept with there recently released beta of Envelop for Windows.

So what is Envelop for Windows all about? The best way I could describe it would be to say that it is an immersive VR app that creates virtual desktop windows for use with your Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. The app gives users a virtual work space that allows them to interact with as many virtual windows as their PC’s can handle all from inside a VR interface. Users can manipulate their windows and even adjust their sizes as well as place them anywhere within the space that they choose. Imagine those 90’s Sci-Fi movie interfaces that seemed to hover in front of or completely wrap around the user.

While this is not completely new to VR as we have had Virtual Desktop interfaces for a while now, Envelop offers some cool features which have not been present in any of the other currently available solutions. One of which that I found extremely useful is the mixed reality functionality that lets you use a standard webcam to see your real hands in addition the keyboard or mouse while you’re in VR. This is especially helpful for those of us like myself who still need to look at their keyboards while typing and don’t want to fumble around looking for a mouse.

Envelop for Windows is also soon set to release an SDK that will allow developers to extend older 2D applications as well as newer 3D games or web sites into the immersive computing platform. Imagine browsing the web and seeing the items or images you are looking at jumping off the screen and sitting in front of you. This type of 3D product visualization has huge implications for future VR related e-commerce ventures. Other areas of interest that the SDK will undoubtedly unlock are centered around 3D data visualization. Database information will have the ability to be visually represented as an interactive 3D object, person or place. Data that is seen from all angles will become clearer and easier to understand. Just imagine a pile of money sitting on a desk that rises and falls as a representation of your stock portfolio. Envelop is also set to change the development of VR applications and games by letting content creators do their work while still in VR. No longer will developers have to enter and exit virtual reality in order to see their applications at work. The development workflow will change dramatically when developers no longer have to come out of VR in order to go back to a 2D work space for making changes or debugging issues. There are so many potentially exciting uses for this application and these few are just the tip of the iceberg. Soon we will all have the Sci-Fi desktops we have dreamed of for years and I for one am really excited at this prospect!

We will be keeping an eye on the further development of this amazing VR desktop replacement app. If you would like to experience this for yourself then head over to the Envelop VR website and sign up for the public beta. You can find further information here: https://www.envelopvr.com/

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