Seated VR. A new concept to a lot of people, which throws up a lot of questions, as with anything new, however the concept of seated VR has been mentioned before.
Oculus’ Vice President of Content, Jason Rubin, claims that a “significant percentage” of Oculus Rift headset owners would rather sit down to enjoy virtual reality rather than take advantage of room-scale motion detection.
John Carmack, Oculus CTO, explains why physically turning in the real world is so important in Virtual Reality, check out the video.
It’s Safe
The safety of the user is paramount when in any gaming environment, be it VR or otherwise. You’ve seen it all before; the notifications on the screen that let you know that if you’re not feeling well to stop playing immediately, to make sure you take breaks from gaming.
With standing VR, there is always the worry that you may trip over cables, or they become tangled and can end up in disaster, either for the user or for the headset.
By using the Roto, the cables run down the back of the chair, and the cable magazine rotates with the chair, ensuring that you do not get caught up in the cables from the headset. Any cables that need to be connected to the PC run along the floor, so are not a hazard for any one else that may be in the room.
It’s Natural
Sitting down is natural, isn’t it? We do it in our everyday life. We sit when eating at a dinner table, when we’re watching TV, and when we’re at work. We even sit down when playing regular videogames. Why would VR be any different?
For those, like myself, with underlying health issues, standing for long periods of time puts a strain on my back and hips. With the Roto, I have been able to play VR games for much longer than I have been able to previously (and I feel like it’s much more fun. Spinning round in Skyrim VR to take down a wolf that’s been following me has never felt so good!)
There could be a great use with the Roto in bringing VR to those that may not usually be able to play VR games, and provide a greater level of immersion and interaction than a regular gaming chair could bring.
It’s Technical and Intuitive
Finally, we want to highlight some of the features of the Roto VR chair specifically, and how it can assist with seated VR.
The headtracker. A lovely little bluetooth device that sits on the headset. This pairs with the chair and allows the chair to rotate in the direction that the user moves their head.
Rumble. This provides haptic vibrations through the chair. The best example I can provide was in a Jurassic World Cinematic when Blue the velociraptor roars and the volcano erupts, and you feel the vibrations through your body, as if you were right there in the environment with them.
The foot pedals. At the moment, they provide a comfortable place to put your feet while the Roto is in motion. In my opinion, it adds to the immersion, as you really do feel like you’re in a car/plane, or just generally wandering around like in Skyrim VR. With further development they can be used to mimic walking or running. Imagine the tension in a horror VR game where you need to creep around to not get spotted! We can only dream at the moment.
VR is quickly becoming part of the near future, as HTC have recently adopted the idea of VR meetings and conferences amid Coronavirus fears, surely an interactive, immersive chair he VR environment , to elevate the enjoyment of VR in both work and general life.
Maybe Roto could be the start of us living our lives like those in Ready Player One? Studying, working and socialising in the realms of virtual reality?
We hope that this post today addresses some of the questions that you may have around seated VR, and please do reach out to us if you need more information!
Rebekah Ward