Re: virtual monitors
"Not yet, but they are improving. There are Oculus prototypes that are full 1080p, plus for business purposes you don't need stereoscopy; a single screen, even a Cardboard solution with a sufficiently-high-res smartphone will suffice."
The VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and other upcoming models that have been getting attention lately probably wouldn't be great as monitor replacements for at least the near future, simply because they're designed more for spreading their resolution out over a wide field of view. You don't need a 100+ degree viewing angle for a virtual monitor, so under that usage scenario, much of their resolution would be wasted. For a privacy-minded head-mounted display that isn't concerned with putting people in immersive 3D environments, a much narrower field of view with pixels more tightly packed together would probably be ideal.
And even if you're not sending different images to each eye, you'll still need a separate display for each eye (or half of a larger display dedicated to each eye) since optics aren't going to let you view the entirety of a screen right in front of your face with both eyes at once. And again, the design of these headsets that use a single smartphone screen divided in two are more suited to providing a wide field of view than they are a sharp central resolution. And of course, you probably won't want to be using a bulky solution with a screen much larger than you need for any considerable length of time.
For "business purposes" you would be better off with a headset that makes use of two much-smaller screens that could be optimally positioned in front of each eye. And if you plan to use the thing in a public place, you'll probably prefer an augmented reality solution to something designed for virtual reality. What good is the security gained from using the headset if you're getting pickpocketted in the process?
I agree that the tech is improving though, and within a few years or so, there may be AR headsets that are not much bulkier than a pair of glasses, that can provide dual-screen output suitable as a proper monitor replacement.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
