
Can virtual reality help get you through lockdown? - JesseJon
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/may/20/can-virtual-reality-help-get-you-through-lockdown
======
127
Given how well the finger and hand tracking for Oculus Quest is progressing,
Facebook's investment in virtual reality may have been in hindsight a very
smart investment.

The way I see the future of VR is not so much games, but virtual meetings and
virtual sports. Still waiting for that headset that's comfortable to use while
sweating. Beat Saber and its like are really a great way to exercise.

Oculus Quest 2 might very well be the breakthrough product people who are
rooting for VR have been waiting for.

~~~
Artlav
A side question - does Oculus Quest need accounts and internet to use?

I still can't get over Oculus Rift needing an account and an internet
connection just to install _drivers_.

~~~
Robotbeat
It uses an App Store, so you need to make an App Store, but you don’t always
need an internet connection (multiplayer games need an Internet connection).
They strongly push you to link your Facebook account, but it is optional.

------
jansan
My family has officially been put under quarantine since April 30th, which
means we were not permitted to leave the house since then. A friend, who owns
an Oculus Quest was so nice to bring it to our house so we have something to
do. We tried it and while it was an amazing experience (Superhot is totally
cool), the novelty wore off pretty quickly. After three days my kids were back
at playing Minecraft and I am back to programming and playing Sudoku (thanks
Simon!).

So from my experience, the answer is "maybe a little bit, but probably not for
long".

------
ithanium
Google Street View application on iOS used to have support for cardboard-like
VR goggles, where one would make use of their mobile phone as a low cost
glimpse into the VR world. What a better way to experience VR than by
exploring some streets across the world.

Unfortunately, the iOS application has a bug for the past year where this
functionality is not working any more, and there are no signs that updates
will bring it back.

[0] [https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-
view/id904418768](https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-
view/id904418768)

------
slfnflctd
I've been waiting for something like the Quest for a long time, and I think
it's great.

Heads up for those who are considering hooking it up to SteamVR, though--
while I did get it working over my WiFi six months or so ago, it was a lot of
hassle to even load up the environment so I stopped messing with it in hopes
the experience would improve.

After reading lots of good things about such alleged improvements, last night
I tried again. The whole convoluted process had changed enough that even after
a couple hours of tinkering I couldn't get it to work. I also somehow
temporarily hosed the HDMI audio out on my gaming PC, which was very stressful
as this is how my S.O. and I watch all our shows together on a daily basis.

So if you don't have a lot of patience for possibly hours of
fruitless/destructive screwing around (which probably won't work the same way
in a few months), maybe try to wait until you can find an Oculus Link cable or
3rd party substitute. My two cents to save you what I went through.

~~~
wlesieutre
What are you using for SteamVR over wifi? I've had pretty good luck with
Virtual Desktop, but you have to buy the store version for a license and then
sideload the alternate builds with Steam support since Facebook are being
dicks about it.

The official story was "not up to their quality standards" but it works just
as well as Link for me.

I did read recently that Link has gotten less picky about USB cables, it'll
even run without being able to confirm USB3 speeds. Quality is probably
impacted.

~~~
glenneroo
According to these tests[0] the new update allows to even run Link over the
included USB 2.0 cable without any quality degradation (even Half Life Alyx
was fine).

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI)

~~~
wlesieutre
Neat! Unfortunately my included charger and cable were eaten by the charger
gremlins. I have a shorter USB-A to USB-C cable (from CHOETECH) that works for
seated experiences. If I want something farther, Virtual Desktop.

Haven't been doing much PCVR with it either way though, compared to how much
time I've spent in Quest native games.

------
techer
I dusted off my GearVR and only used it for a few hours on and off but it was
extremely effective. The Quest was sold out so I’ll wait. Definitely for some
people it will be extremely helpful.

------
zarkov99
What is so hard about staying home with your family, working, reading, playing
games and watching Netflix? Jeez, people in living memory have endured so much
more, so much more gracefully.

~~~
cameronbrown
A lot of young people (including me) live alone, making the isolation much
more serious. People also aren't built for extended isolation from other
humans, it's some kind of base instinct to be social. I got lucky because I
escaped back to my family home before the lockdowns, but not everyone could've
done that.

~~~
zarkov99
Sure, I agree that for a few the lock down is genuinely tough. Surely for a
few others its an improvement over their previous circumstances. For the
majority however, specially those that can actually afford VR, its nothing but
an inconvenience, maybe a slight bump in anxiety brought about by a glimpse of
chaos. Its that lack of perspective I have a problem with. There are people
that actually are in danger, that have to go to work, because they are
"essential", though apparently not essential enough to get paid, and the least
the rest of us can do is stop bitching about being locked in a safe,
comfortable place.

~~~
cameronbrown
"A few"?

As a society, we're living in a crisis of loneliness.[0] Lack of social
contact is mentally and physically devastating for the human psyche, and this
is evident in the current suicide rate[1][2]. One could argue that this trade-
off is worth it[3], because more people will die from the virus than suicide,
but this is predicated on our Coronavirus modelling being accurate. This is
still in dispute[4][5], and arguable either way.

For many, being locked in is not "safe & comfortable"[6][7][8][9]. The so
called people who are "bitching" are at great risk of suicide. From a certain
PoV, essential workers are just in a different form of danger. At the end of
the day, we're making a conscious trade-off of some lives for other lives here
- everybody has the right to be upset.

So no, I think you should "stop bitching" about the plight of others (there
are complainers on both sides). Just because you have it good, the majority of
people _do not_. Have a little empathy.

[0][https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/07/loneli...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/07/loneliness-
social-connect-local-communities) (this applies more broadly than the UK)

[1][https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1286065/lockdown-end-
co...](https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1286065/lockdown-end-coronavirus-
california-donald-trump-gavin-newsom-suicide-death-toll)

[2][https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7177120/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7177120/)

[3][https://theconversation.com/the-calculus-of-death-shows-
the-...](https://theconversation.com/the-calculus-of-death-shows-the-covid-
lock-down-is-clearly-worth-the-cost-137716)

[4][https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/05/16/neil-
fergu...](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/05/16/neil-fergusons-
imperial-model-could-devastating-software-mistake/)

[5][https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/05/08/so-the-
rea...](https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/05/08/so-the-real-scandal-
is-why-did-anyone-ever-listen-to-this-guy/)

[6][https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52433520](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52433520)

[7][https://www.ft.com/content/e5061be6-2978-4c0b-aa68-f372a2526...](https://www.ft.com/content/e5061be6-2978-4c0b-aa68-f372a2526826)

[8][https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/26/britains-
loc...](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/26/britains-lockdown-
diaries-expose-gulf-in-wellbeing-between-rich-and-poor)

[9][https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/covid-19-death...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/covid-19-deaths-
twice-as-high-in-poorest-areas-in-england-and-wales)

