VR

VR

By 王渊源John

When my parents came to visit us last month in Beijing, I had them bring me an Oculus(ˈäkyələs) Quest(kwest). I really wanted to try out the latest consumer VR equipment, but I didn’t think I’d use it enough to be worth the purchase(ˈpərCHəs) price of $399. I noticed that they were selling for an even higher price in China, though, so I thought I could use it for a month and then sell it. Things didn’t work out exactly(igˈzak(t)lē) as planned.

The Quest, a standalone(ˈstand əˌlōn) rig(rig) with hand controls(kənˈtrōl), is currently the mid-range offering from Oculus. The Go is a standalone rig without hand controls, and the Rift(rift) connects to a gaming PC for more power.

My previous experiences with VR had been limited to attaching a headset to my phone, some in-store demos in malls, and a multi-player(ˈməltiˌplāər,ˈməltī-) tower defense(dəˈfens, ˈdēˌfens) game at a VR center in Los Angeles about a year and a half ago. The first two were intriguing(inˈtrēgiNG) but nothing special, and the last one got me really excited(ikˈsīdəd). I had to wait for a long time for my turn, and when I finally got to play my gun wasn’t working, so all I could do was watch. What amazed(əˈmāz) me was how exciting it was to just be in the VR world with my teammates, even thought I couldn’t really participate with a broken gun.

I’d heard great things about the Quest, so I was eager(ˈēgər) to try it out. Setup was super easy—you just draw a line on the ground around you to indicate where it is safe to go—and I quickly found myself immersed(iˈmərs) in the VR world. I started out with a few of the sample games and the First Steps intro(ˈintrō). First Steps is really great, because within a few seconds you figure out how the controller works, and then you start picking up blocks and throwing paper airplanes. It’s amazing how natural it feels. Within a few minutes you’re dancing with a robot and completely forget how silly(ˈsilē) you must look to someone not in the VR world with you.

While I’ve had fun playing by myself, the most enjoyable thing has been sharing the Quest with others and seeing how quickly they can pick it up. My father laughed out loud the first time he threw a paper airplane, and he loved dancing with the robot. Fascinatingly(ˈfasəˌnādiNGlē), he was also not the only person who dropped a controller on the ground when he was placing an object on the table in the VR world. After that happened a few times we started using the hand straps!

The usual progression(prəˈgreSHən) for testers was to begin with First Steps and then move on to the boxing demo. The boxing demo is pretty intense(inˈtens), and it was hilarious(həˈle(ə)rēəs) to watch people suddenly become fierce(fi(ə)rs) boxers(ˈbäksər) (we have some fun videos). My sister-in-law was actually so frightened(ˈfrītnd) by the boxing that she threw the Quest off of her head! It crashed to the ground and cracked open.

I can still turn it on and off with a toothpick(ˈto͞oTHˌpik), and it still works, so while my plan to sell the Quest may need to be rethought, I’m still excited to keep playing with it.

http://en.yjohny.com/2019/10/23/vr/