# Tell Us What You Are Doing with Virtual Reality. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510 "2018-12-03T18:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/1 "2018-12-03T18:21:10Z")
A few years ago I was reading this is the next big thing. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/2 "2018-12-03T19:14:35Z")
I did a QA of a couple scenarios our 3D developer put together. We all wore goggles with Android phones locked into place, using an app. The scenario took place in a space ship, and each of us took a module down to the planet below and “crashed.” We each then looked around on the planet’s surface for items we’d need to repair our module, like a treasure hunt. We used a trigger to bring forth a laser beam to aim at control panels and select what we wanted. We reported any bandwidth problems, crashes, etc we experienced. At one time I actually physically got out of my seat and walked around. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/3 "2018-12-04T09:05:33Z")
I am doing literally nothing with it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/4 "2018-12-04T19:01:41Z")
Virtually nothing, for me. I have a pair of VR goggles I got “free” with my Galaxy phone. I played with them for a few days, found them mildly amusing and have not picked them up in about 6 months. I may be more interested when the experience is more toward augmented reality (hard to move around in the real world when wearing VR goggles) and/or when live sports begin to be broadcast in VR. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/5 "2018-12-04T19:16:09Z")
I have a hard enough time with Actual Reality. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/6 "2018-12-04T19:26:15Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > A few years ago I was reading this is the next big thing. A “few years ago”? I was working on this stuff during the mid to late 1990s, when the hardware was far less advanced. We had headsets that used miniature CRTs or LCD panels we cannibalized off portable TV sets for the display. We used PCs with video cards that occupied multiple full-length slots for the images. (Later I worked for a commercial company selling the technology to industry and there we used million-dollar SGI computers.) While the technology has advanced tremendously, there don’t really appear to be many real-world applications for it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/7 "2018-12-04T19:27:22Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I am doing literally nothing with it. I’m doing even less. I have yet to hear any cogent explanation of what I would _want_ to use it for. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/8 "2018-12-04T19:43:58Z")
I presume living in it. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/9 "2018-12-04T23:44:18Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > A few years ago I was reading this is the next big thing. I picked up a google dream or what ever its called and found I could not use it. My phone did not have enough oomf and only now that I picked up a sammy 8 that I can finally use it. Not seeing a big improvement or wow when watching porn. Too much of what I see in the play store either has a price or has in app purchasing. I am not seeing any reason to put more money into the VR side. I dont see why I am not seeing virtual tours of cities, museums and places of cultural interest. Something that would make me plunk down the benjamins and go see something in real life. Real Estate should be a major for VR, but I have only seen one outfit actually have an app for sales doing tours of very expensive homes. So in my view, people got sold on the potential profit on these things rather than advertising adjunct for sales. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/10 "2018-12-05T00:02:11Z")
Exercise. I love my [Virzoom](https://www.virzoom.com/) VR-connected exercise bike. I just sit on it and fly around on a helicopter gunship, and next thing I know, I’ve maintained 130 bpm heart rate for 40 minutes without even trying. Sadly they just discontinued the consumer version and will only be selling the expensive version for gyms. There are also VR games that give you a good workout that don’t require special software. Playing Cyber Pong or Holopoint (archery software) with wrist weights is also good exercise. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/11 "2018-12-05T00:03:50Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > I dont see why I am not seeing virtual tours of cities, museums and places of cultural interest. Something that would make me plunk down the benjamins and go see something in real life. There is a VR version of Google Earth, complete with Street View. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/12 "2018-12-05T00:52:17Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > I]I dont see why I am not seeing virtual tours of cities, museums and places of cultural interest. Something that would make me plunk down the benjamins and go see something in real life. > > Real Estate should be a major for VR, but I have only seen one outfit actually have an app for sales doing tours of very expensive homes. As for the tour thing, during the mid-90s round of interest in VR, ENEL, an Italian electric utility, had a _really_ elaborate VR walkthrough of the Vatican that they brought to all of the trade shows and conferences. It clearly cost millions. As for real estate, at the time, one of the real-life applications people talked about was when UNC-Chapel Hill (I think that was the university) built a VR model of the new computer science building. As I heard, they did things like have someone sit in a wheelchair, wearing a VR headset, and see, for example, if they could reach the light switches. And an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/business/augmented-virtual-reality-commercial-real-estate.html) in The New York Times today describes how virtual and augmented reality are used in real estate today. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/13 "2018-12-05T02:52:28Z")
I want the sony ps4 setup so I can see how even more nuts borderlands 2 with motion controls and true first person is ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/14 "2018-12-05T18:29:47Z")
I’ve had an Oculus Rift for about a year. Google Earth in VR is absolutely amazing. You can zoom out to see the whole earth hanging in front of you, then fly in to anywhere on earth, zoom through the streets, hover, and land. This is all based on satellite/airplane imaging with some (as far as I can tell) magical merging of street view data, to produce 3D models that are pretty good but kind of sketchy close up. But you can also switch into actual street view and while you can’t zoom around in that mode, you see a literally picture perfect view of the spot, like you’re actually standing there and looking around a street in Paris or New York or Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I’ve revisited every house I ever lived in. I’m not really into computer games, but there are a handful of VR games that I like. The newest one is Beat Saber. You are holding two light sabers and you have to slash at these cubes that fly at you. What elevates the game from interesting to awesome is there is music playing, and the cubes are timed so that the right moment to slash is on the beat of the music. You get into a rhythm that is like dancing and at the same time satisfyingly destroying those annoying cubes. It’s also great exercise. (For some time this was the highest rated game on Steam, I believe.) Here’s a video of the game being played: [If You Want to ESCAPE with Me...Beat Saber ft SwanVR - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV1sw4lfwFw) I also like Windlands a lot. You get to experience what it’s like to swing around on extensible grappling hooks like Spider-man. It’s a very compelling experience, and quite a rush. Not for the acrophobic. Superhot is quite interesting. You are making your way through various environments dealing with hostile attackers who shoot or punch you. This is a pretty visceral experience, BTW, to see an actual human-sized person right in front of you, throwing a punch at your face. The cool thing about this game is you can control the passage of time. Things only move when you move. If you freeze, everything else freezes, so you can size up the situation, see which attacker you should deal with first, see what objects are available to grab and throw, etc. I’ve finished all the levels on this game, but I sometimes go back and replay it because it’s pretty fun. The Climb is a rock climbing game that is pretty good. Again not for the acrophobic, but you see some pretty spectacular views while you’re climbing (actually using your arms to climb, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/15 "2018-12-05T18:42:57Z")
I’ve done a little telemedicine with patients far away when a local doc wasn’t available. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/16 "2018-12-05T18:51:44Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’ve had an Oculus Rift for about a year. Did you use your Facebook account to register and set up the Oculus Rift? Do you _have_ to use a Facebook account for this? Because I’m thinking of getting one but have stubbornly stayed off Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/17 "2018-12-05T20:35:17Z")
I don’t have a Facebook account either, but honestly I don’t remember exactly how I set up the Rift. I bought it from my son who had already set up an Oculus account, and I think he did something to transfer his account to me, so I’m not sure if I went through the normal set up process. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/18 "2018-12-05T20:47:33Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve done a little telemedicine with patients far away when a local doc wasn’t available. Can you give more details about this? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/19 "2018-12-05T20:49:52Z")
My son is doing vision therapy on an Oculus Go. Since there is a separate signal for your two eyes, there is software to control them separately to strengthen their ability to point in the correct directions relative to each other. He thinks he is just playing games, but the system is making his eyes move independently of one another to be able to see - it is pretty cool. (He is also doing more traditional therapy.) We were able to set up an account without Facebook. I assume the Rift would be the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-what-you-are-doing-with-virtual-reality/825510/20 "2018-12-05T20:52:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Can you give more details about this? Basically like Skype but also with virtual stethoscopes and otoscopes. It needs a trained RN on the other end with the patient to accomplish, but I can see skin rashes, hear heart and breath and bowel sounds, check out pharynxes and ear canals, etc. So far I’ve not done virtual anoscopy, nor do I plan to.