One cool thing that has happened with the blooming virtual reality industry is the amount of participation and cooperation among companies. Everyone wants a part of it. So much so, companies like Oculus, Valve, and even Samsung collaborating and sharing research and technology. This is important. We wouldn't want a company like Facebook, I shutter to think, have complete control over the Oculus Rift now would be? Now, world renowned leader in high-performance gaming software, Razer, has developed OSVR, a plan to completely open-source the hardware and software used in VR head mounted displays.

Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR) literally goes beyond any SDK or Hacker Dev Kit found in current VR devices. Razer is providing detailed instructions on how to build your very own VR headset. Yes, this means, dimensions, materials, even 3D printing codes. All the schematics are free to download, and software can be shared. Don't want to build your own? You can simply purchase the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit and go from there.

The kits include a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 Full HD display (similar to the Oculus's Dev Kit2), an integrated sensor hub with an accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass, modular circuit boards, and open-source hardware (Pop Sci). Sure you should be a bit technically savvy to mess with the Dev Kit, but it's only $200 bux.

Even cooler is what Razer is doing for the education sector. On the OSVR website, the company is currently accepting applications for a brand new OSVR Academia Program, where headsets will be given to 10 eligible universities that are pledging for VR departments and labs.

Since it's award-winning announcement during CES in January, Razer's initiative has already produced a slew of software and hardware connections. Partners include Jaunt, 3DRudder, Tactical Haptics, Sonic VR, and 9 more. Despite the uniqueness of the kit, this isn't Razer going up against competitors. Actually, this is a completely different approach to providing VR to consumers. In fact, according to PC World, apps and games for the OSVR will work on the Oculus Rift. That's democracy.