Virtual reality is a computer-generated, simulated 3D experience that can make you feel immersed in an environment. It’s been featured in many science fiction books, movies and TV shows, including Star Trek’s holodeck, Red Dwarf’s Better Than Life, and The Matrix. It’s also becoming increasingly popular for immersive experiences like watching movies, playing games and viewing 360° photos and videos.
Oculus VR headset is a piece of virtual reality hardware that sits on your head and displays a stereoscopic image to simulate a 3-D world. Originally a Kickstarter project, it was bought by Facebook in 2014 and is now one of the most popular headsets on the market. Oculus headsets are typically tethered to a PC, but there are now some standalone headsets that don’t require a separate computer to use.
The Oculus Go is a good example of this. It has a lightweight design and is easy to take out with you, so you can use it for VR gaming and video content at a friend’s house or even in your own living room. The headset is 13 x 12 x 9.5 cm and weighs just over 500 grams, so it’s easy to fold up and stow in a cupboard when not in use.
It’s also fully self-contained, meaning you don’t need to connect it to a computer to play the games that are available in the Oculus Store. It has a headphone jack that can be used with your own headphones, and it’s powered by two AA batteries for the Oculus controllers.
The controllers are a redesign of Oculus’s existing Oculus Touch controllers, with the addition of a tracking ring on top. These make it easier to hold them with your hands in the virtual space and improve hand-tracking. The controllers have thumbsticks, buttons on the top, a trigger button underneath and a grip button at the side. They’re comfortable to use and you can wear them with the wrist straps that come with the headset.
You can also use the headset with apps that let you navigate the UI by moving your hands or by using voice commands. This feature, which was added to the Quest in a post-launch update, is a big improvement over what was previously offered on the Go.
There are plenty of other fun and interesting things you can do with the Quest 2, such as joining a virtual room for social gatherings like watching sports or comedy, or hanging out with friends who also have the headset (provided they have the same app). You can stream music, movies, or TV to your VR headset through Venues, and there are even productivity apps that let you meet with coworkers in a virtual space for meetings or presentations.