A lot of people received virtual reality (VR) headsets as gifts this holiday season. Sales of the Oculus Quest 2, in particular, skyrocketed. It seems that perhaps we’ve hit the first massive tipping point of VR adoption in the past few months.
Having spent several hours a day using the Quest 2 over the past month, I wanted to share a few recommendations.
1. Play Around With the Quest 2 Settings
Like with any device, after you open your Oculus Quest 2, it’s easy to jump right into an app and start shooting, climbing, painting or whatever feels most appealing at the moment. Go ahead, play a game or two, then I highly recommend investigating all of the device setting to find out what is possible.
You can access “Settings” by clicking the Oculus button on your right controller then finding the gear button on the panel.
For example, you can:
Change Home Environments
Allow a Passthrough Environment Shortcut
2. Try Different Games and Apps
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find one or two games you love and spend all of your time in them. Of course you want to find the games and apps that most appeal to your interests, but I’d encourage you not to put blinders on in your first week or month. Each game and app shows what is and will be possible in VR from a slightly different angle.
“Thrill of the Fight,” a boxing game, was the first thing I bought on my Quest 2. A fun game and tremendous workout, it felt a bit like boxing on a Nintendo Wii, where you can see your hands floating in front of your face. Impressive but not mind-blowing.
Next, I came across “POPULATION: ONE,” a battle royale, Fortnite-style immersive world, where you can climb any building and fly off of any structure as you hunt down and run from other teams. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. More so than any other game to date, “POPULATION: ONE” opened my eyes up to what will eventually be possible to do in virtual worlds, far beyond gaming.
3. Think About Where VR is Going and How it Will Affect You
VR is not going anywhere. Our shared futures will be full of virtual experiences. Even though we’re starting to see the first wave of mass adoption, as I mentioned above, we’re still in the early days. If you’re already using VR, you’ll have a head start.
Give some thought as to where VR is going. How will it change our work lives? Social lives? Education? Healthcare? Design?
It’s worth answering these questions as best you can, then asking where you fit in, how you may be affected, whether there are ways to get a jump on everyone else.