Oculus Go? I Oculus Went!
And you should too.
I admit, I have a geeky side. I loved the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as a kid (still do); saw Star Wars 12 times in the theatre when it came out; and watched Star Trek every day after school (if we weren’t playing Dungeons and Dragons.) I love the idea of other worlds and times.
So virtual reality (VR) is right up my alley! I remember that cool room they had on the USS Enterprise where you could go and snow ski or visit other planets without even beaming down! I wanted to go in there then, and I want to go in there now!
So yes, I had Google Cardboard. But the more I heard about VR, the more I wanted the high-speed set-up which seemed to require an insanely expensive computer. So my boyfriend and I decided in lieu of birthday gifts, we’d invest in VR. I was just starting my research, when he showed up with an Oculus Go. I was immediately skeptical.
An Oculus Go is basically a headset – that’s it. No expensive computer, no phone insert, no attachments. It costs around $200. How could it do anything?
Was I wrong! It is cool! It is true VR – you look up, you see the sky. You look down, you see the ground. You look behind you – you see what’s back there. It’s like going into the room in the Enterprise! What are you waiting for?
You can visit places you’ve always wanted to go. I checked out the amazing ice sculpture competition held in China. I walked into the Parthenon and saw it as it was in ancient times. I swam with sharks. I walked into Van Gogh’s starry night. Yes – stood on the hillside and looked up at those swirling stars. There are hundreds of apps you can download – more things than you can imagine! I flew vehicles through space, walked with dinosaurs, rode roller coasters. Sometimes the effects were so realistic, I had to take the headset off! There’s an app called Face Your Fears – well, it’s pretty damn scary.
Are all the apps perfect? Nope. Some are lame, some have poor rendering. But some will take your breath away.
You can even meet with people virtually if they also have the Oculus Go. You both have avatars (the other person doesn’t see you, they see a representation of you that you create). You hear each other’s voice through the headset. Last night we played checkers with my boyfriend’s daughter who lives two hours away.
You may not have an inner geek and you may not want to try this (although I really think you should). But you need to be aware of it. VR will change everything. I’m sure you will one day have an avatar with your exact dimensions who can try on clothing, jewelry, makeup, etc. virtually. You will wander through homes you are thinking of buying from the comfort of your sofa. You will watch my avatar give a speech in a virtual auditorium.
I’m not sure where we’re going, but let’s enjoy the ride! (Contact me if you’d like a list of my favorite apps.)
