Virtual reality
VR is most commonly used in entertainment applications such as gaming and 3D cinema. Consumer virtual reality headsets were first released by video game companies in the early-mid 1990s. Beginning in the 2010s, next-generation commercial tethered headsets were released by Oculus (Rift), HTC (Vive) and Sony (PlayStation VR), setting off a new wave of application development. 3D cinema has been used for sporting events, pornography, fine art, music videos and short films. Since 2015, roller coasters and theme parks have incorporated virtual reality to match visual effects with haptic feedback .
VPL Research
VPL Research was one of the first companies that developed and sold virtual reality products. It was founded by VR pioneer Jaron Lanier in 1984. VPL started in the corner of Lanier's cottage in the San Francisco Bay Area. "VPL" stood for "Virtual Programming Languages", and Lanier said that the goal of the company was to bring virtual reality to a mass audience. In 1990, VPL Research filed for bankruptcy and in 1999 all of its patents were bought by Sun Microsystems.