Getting Lost in VR - with Glasses On!

As I sit here thinking about what to write about for today’s posting, I am watching the news and seeing the truly terrible numbers coming out of the state of Oregon (and many other places) with regard to COVID-19. I mean we really need a break! I do believe that is coming, but it can’t happen fast enough, especially for those most vulnerable. So as we necessarily close in even tighter, avoid more contact and become even more isolated, we truly need ways of finding an escape. Well, depending on your level of geekdom, and mine can be particularly high at times, you might try the solution I am enjoying immensely in my living room. As the title notes, it’s virtual reality (VR). But with glasses on? Yes! The VR setup referenced below has plenty of room for your spectacles inside…no issue.

Now I’m not some hard-core gamer; I don’t have a $3000 PC tower running the latest graphics card etc. Rather, I recently purchased a SONY PlayStation 4, along with its accompanying PSVR (PSVR stands for PlayStation Virtual Reality) headset with the purpose of finding immersive experiences like solving a mystery in old London, exploring Mars or watching and listening to an amazing concert in the first row, etc. And trust me when I tell you this is not just something for kids. In fact, the VR experiences are so real, so immersive that most of the VR games have strict labels on them noting they are not to be used by children under the age of 12. Quite a departure from more typical “video games.”

No stranger to computer games, I was actually a writer in the industry for a good while. But that said, at least up to this point, games (for me) have been always missing something when it comes to being immersed. Of course, one does not have to feel “immersed” to enjoy a game. Not at all. However, for what I’ve always been seeking, which is to experience other environments in a way that (as much as possible) resembles the Holodeck on Star Trek, well…let’s just say that’s pretty hard on a flat screen.

And truly there are some incredible open worlds, like one might see in the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, or even the bench mark standard, GTA 5. But now that I have been donning the PSVR headset, let’s just say I am transformed! What VR experience did this specifically? Please allow me to explain.

I bought the PSVR headset and game system around Christmas time. Keep in mind I am 51 years old. I did not order a bunch of crazy shooting games, but rather experiences. Specifically, a title called “Worlds” is responsible for my current enthusiasm. You see, Worlds simply creates a series of scenarios that the developers reportedly felt would simply be interesting to view in a virtual reality setting. The first one I tried was a descent to the ocean floor in about 2000 feet of water, inside of a shark cage. Having been a SCUBA diver for years, this was quite appealing! Once I got started I marveled continuously at the 360° up down everywhere immersion as I began going down into the ocean inside this cage. Fish swimming all around me, colorful reef, jellyfish lighting up dark areas, really really beautiful! And I could walk around inside the cage, within a 10 x 10 area in my living room. So many senses were telling me I was actually there.

As I descended down deeper into the ocean and was able to view a shipwreck, out of the gloom a 20+ foot great white shark swam by. Now, like most people, I am deathly afraid of sharks and for good reason. You will see and hear biologist talking about how harmless sharks are, and this is true in most cases, but I believe you don’t want to be the exception :-). Having seen one in the wild, while wearing a wetsuit, running into a great white is just not my thing. So when this shark began to appear out of the gloom and circle the cage, I began to feel legitimate trepidation.

As the shark swam closer, it began bumping and then biting the cage. I was honestly getting scared, no question about it. It’s worth noting that I have never, ever been actually “scared” in a game before. But this was very different. Now, slowly, as the shark cage began to get raised via its attached winch, the shark continued its pursuit by bumping the bars of the cage. This bumping set off vibrations in the controller I was holding, creating different sounds and noises, different camera angles, etc. Everything was telling me that this was really happening, even though I knew it wasn’t. Skipping forward, the shark began to attack the cage and was actually starting to pry bars off of one of the walls. When the shark tore the entire wall off in front of me and left me fully exposed, I literally tore the headset off my head as I could not deal with it. It was truly terrifying.

Yeah I realize that this is probably not selling the PSVR to most people. Who the heck wants to have a near heart attack in their living room?!?! For thrill seekers, this is a must…but there are myriad experiences to be had on the PSVR including exploring Paris, Rome, etc., watching Paul McCartney from the first row and being able to look around in all directions, walking along a tropical pathway while listening to a mystery, it’s really the Holodeck from Star Trek, or as close as you can get for under $1K. ;).

For me? I am now challenging my friends that come over to keep the headset on for the shark experience in its entirety. I guess that’s asking a lot because I can’t do it myself :-). So if you are looking for a bit of an escape from the gloom and confinement we find ourselves in, consider virtual reality, and specifically the lower cost and very-easy-to-use PSVR. Pick the flavor of experience that matches you and enjoy. I am definitely drinking the Kool-Aid now.

Oh, my next PSVR adventure is going to be this title: Robinson: The Journey. This looks to be an alien planet adventure/survival game that features dinosaurs. O.K. There comes the geek element again. But the best thing? My glasses (need them for reading and seeing solid details like inside the PSVR) fit perfectly inside! Enjoy!