The Oculus Go VR headset promises the full virtual reality experience and is quite affordable. So I – investigative as always for the Publishing Blog – took the plunge!
Getting started in the VR world is actually quite simple: you get yourself a Google Cardboard, put your smartphone in the cardboard holder and start, for example, with the Google Expeditions app. The whole thing is a bit shaky, but it’s enough for a first glimpse.
When you want more, things quickly get expensive. Until now, a good VR headset cost several hundred francs. Only the Oculus Go, backed by Facebook’s marketing budget, makes VR affordable. You can get started for around 250 francs. The headset is quickly ordered, promptly delivered 2 days later, and is enjoyable from the first moment. It’s well-made, relatively comfortable, and very easy to set up. 5 minutes later, you’re sitting on a virtual roller coaster for the first time.
Literally, by the way: The “Epic Roller Coaster” immediately promises the first adrenaline rush. And I recommend enjoying this while sitting down. If I had been standing during my first VR experience, it would have literally knocked me over. The experience is indeed impressive. Even when sitting in a comfortable chair, your brain simulates a ride where you instinctively lean into the curves and quickly feel a bit dizzy.
Fortunately, the apps in the Oculus Store can be sorted by comfort level. Of course, I, being a fool, start right away with the “challenging” level.
So I look for some more leisurely apps and dive into the world of 360° photos. With a click on the very intuitive controller in my hand, I can quickly travel to any place in the world and sit comfortably in a 3D sunset. The effect of 360° photos with the headset is fantastic. I look around and discover details in these worlds that build up all around me.
You could say: the first contact with the VR world through the Oculus Go is overwhelming. You get a bit addicted and want more. And “more” means: whip out the credit card. Because even in the VR world, nothing is free. I treat myself to one app or another that I find in the easily accessible Oculus Store (in 3D, of course).
The app selection is not really large yet. Besides roller coasters, underwater worlds, and some games, there are interestingly many horror apps. Zombies, ghosts, abandoned houses to explore. All of this doesn’t interest me and quickly becomes boring. About half of the apps are simply advertising. Cars that you can view from all sides. Movie trailers that you can watch in a 3D cinema. Virtual travel guides that leave me somewhat perplexed.
I quickly feel alone. The 3D world captures me, which is good for the experience. But the virtual world is artificial, empty, emotionless. I soon miss signs of life from others. (Maybe that’s exactly why the horror genre works so well in this virtual world) Although I could download the Netflix app and the corresponding subscription and then watch TV with my friends in a virtual living room, but honestly: that’s not why I bought the headset. I don’t want to sit in front of the tube with artificial avatars. I’d rather connect with my friends from the USA for a joint TV evening via Skype or FaceTime.
And then I fail at a very practical usability problem: I want to log in to my account in the YouTube app. But my password is well-chosen and accordingly so complex that I can’t remember it. So now I’m sitting in my virtual world and have to enter a password that I should somehow copy from the real world into the virtual one. Doesn’t work. There’s no clipboard, no copy-paste. As soon as I take off the headset to memorize the next 5 characters of the password on my phone, the virtual input field is lost. At the moment, I only see two options: My phone has to read the password to me, or I have to learn Braille.
After an hour, I’ve had enough for now. The sun is shining outside, and this all feels too lonely for me. I will come back and discover more virtual worlds. I now have them at hand anytime with the Oculus Go. But after a while, I will always be very happy to return to my reality.
All in all, the headset confirms my opinion: VR with headsets is a hype. The future must lie in augmented reality, where I can add a virtual layer to the real world with my phone. Google and Apple are currently showing their developers what’s possible here. And I’m sure there’s much more to come in the next few years.
P.S: The YouTube password issue finally worked out, and Jamie Oliver is now cooking with glasses on my screen 🙂
