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The Journey Into All Things VR For Newcomers And Experienced Divers
WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY DIA BIGGS
An escape from the reality around you can be just a headset away; by simply putting on a headset you can be anywhere, at any period in time, with anyone, doing anything. It also allows you to do so with a medium that has endless possibilities.
From the first headsets dating back to 1968 with “The Sword of Damocles” to what we are seeing today with full headsets like the Meta Quest 2, virtual reality, or VR, is a growing medium gaining a lot of new technology and advancements.
Personally, I have been invested in the VR scene for a long time with the thoughts of being able to leave this reality and just disappear into a new world. I bought my first headset four years ago, at the time called the Oculus Rift S. From that point on, I have been researching and finding out everything that I can about the VR scene and wished to share the information I’ve found with all of you.
What is VR?
For those that don’t know what virtual reality is, it is exactly what its name suggests: it’s a reality that lives entirely within the digital space that can be accessed by headsets. When you put on a headset you are brought to a home screen where your controllers are your hands, and your headset becomes your head. By turning your head in the real world you can reveal the world around you, surrounded by a digital space based on what you selected. This can be anything from a house to a Japanese shrine, or even the lost city of Atlantis.
The possibilities are endless. What you do in VR is entirely dependent on what application you use. Be it playing games, using meditation apps, or social spaces, you can create the VR for you.
Uses of the Technology
Modern uses of VR consist of gaming by being a character in a story with an objective to complete, and is made as a way to entertain a player. There are multiple VR games, with some of the more well-known games being Beat Saber, Pavlov, Bonelab, and Half-Life Alex. You also see it being used as a social hub for people to meet up and interact with others from all different parts of the world, or to do activities you can’t experience in our normal reality.
The main social app for all things in VR is called VRchat, but others, such as Rec Room, also exist. There are also some lesser-known applications, such as therapy, being used in VR. Exposure therapy is used in apps like Overcome or by using custom-programmed and built experiences. These applications have been used to help veterans with things like PTSD. Businesses also have begun using VR for training jobs with things like aviation, medical surgery, and automotive engineering.
Technology
Within modern VR usage there is a large quantity of headsets and additions to VR that make the experience more immersive. These products are what many people are using nowadays, as well as some more advanced technology for those big enthusiasts. Headsets are the first requirement for anyone going into the VR space. The most sold headset is the Quest 2. This is a stand-alone headset, so you do not need a separate computer or technology to make it work. This product is the best for people who are first going into VR because of its user-friendly interface, as well as it being stand-alone. The headset started at an affordable price of $199, however, due to the upgrades the headset has received and supply prices going up, the price has increased to $400.
The next headset is for those PlayStation users. The PlayStation VR, or PSVR, is a headset that is wired to the PlayStation to immerse you into the VR world. It runs off the PlayStation and costs $299.
The last headset is for those that are really big into VR. The HTC Vive is a headset that is made by Valve and is a PC VR headset. This headset does require you to attach it to your computer, but this allows you to do a lot more using additional technology to enhance your experience. The HTC Vive costs $599, but it has the best visual quality, field of view, and processing power out of all the other headsets that are released for consumers.
The next bit of technology, in addition to headsets, that some people invest in is full-body tracking, or FBT. When in VR, the only thing that is tracking your movements is your head and controllers, but using FBT adds extra controllers that are attached to your body via straps. This helps with tracking areas like your legs and waist while using VR. There are two main trackers, the Vive 3.0 and the Tundra Trackers. Their costs vary based on the kits you use because the more trackers there are, the higher the cost. However, having more trackers also ensures more accurate tracking.
The main difference between the two trackers is that the Tundra is lighter and smaller but has less battery than that of the Vive. There are also more experimental tracks with the modders within the VR community that have made it so you can use an XBox 360 Kinect as a full-body tracking device. It is not as accurate, but it works as a cheaper option for those that just want to have a fun experience for a cheap price.
There are even more experimental ones that are mainly meant for businesses. These include the Haptic suits, the Olfactometer, and the Omni directional pad. The Haptic suits are shirts or vests that you wear that respond to what happens in VR. If your avatar is touched, the Haptic suit, depending on the model, will give you a vibration or a light shock to give you the sensation of touch. If you are playing with a VR shooter and get shot, your entire body will vibrate or be shocked.
The Olfactometer is a device that puts smells out for the environments you are in. In a shooting game you could have the smell of gunpowder arise after shooting a weapon. The Omni directional pad is a treadmill-like platform you can run on that allows you to run in VR games in the same direction you’re going in real life.
Top 5 Applications According To Steam Data
The fifth most common application within Steam, a gaming web application for all computer things, not counting overlay applications, is Gorilla Tag. This is a game where you are a Gorilla with no legs and are required, but you have to move by moving your arms around and pushing off of other objects. The game is $20 on Steam and the point of the game is to play a game with a more unique form of movement.
The fourth most frequent application is Half-Life Alex. It is the newest game in the Half-Life series and has you move through a story-rich world as the protagonist, Alex, fights against the forces of the combine. This game is a story, adventure, and shooting game. It is $60 on steam.
The third application is Blade and Sorcery. This game takes place in medieval times and allows you to fight endless hordes of foes with medieval blades, bows, and magic. The game uses somewhat-realistic physics and a wide choice of weaponry, making it the most popular arena-type VR game. Blade and Sorcery is $20 on Steam.
The second application is Beat Saber. It is a rhythm VR game that is one of the best choices for a first-time VR user with the only movement being in your arms and ducking under moving walls. This game allows you to slash cubes to the tune of music. Beat Saber is a great choice for people new to VR. This is due to the minimal head movement which allows people to have a lesser chance of experiencing motion sickness. Motion sickness is a major problem for some people during their first experience with VR. This game nearly eliminates that possibility at a low cost of $30.
Lastly, the most popular game within the VR applications is VRChat. This is an application that allows you to go around in user-created avatars to user-created worlds in order to interact with other people from many different parts of the world. You can participate in both games within VRChat and just go to calm hang-out places. Examples include pubs, space worlds, and traditional Japanese shrines.
One of the best things about VRChat is that you can create any world or avatar you want and it works with full body, Haptic Suits, Omni directional pads, and even the Olfactometer. On top of all this, the application is free for everyone.
