Coming into this class, I’ve had some experience with 360 degree video in headsets (where you are static in a fixed area and can look around) but I’ve never experienced VR stories or games.  As a result, I first gravitated towards HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Immediately, the feeling of being completely immersed in this fictional and decidedly not real world is extremely jarring.  Being immersed in this uncanny world, yet looking down and not being able to see your legs is a weird feeling to say the least.  For me, the most challenging part of the afternoon was adjusting the blurriness, as I couldn’t fit my glasses into the headsets.  Often, adjusting the focus of the headset would take me out of the story the most, as it reminded me that I was merely a viewer, since it made me focus on the hardware rather than the content.  One feature that could be implemented in future VR content could be entering your glasses prescription and depending on the value entered, the headset can shift the focus accordingly.

However, I never became nauseous at any point, but a few of my friends did, and the common trigger seems to be loud sound, mixed with choppy head tracking and general screen “noise” (colorful objects, busy screens, etc.).  Many of my friends have also gotten nauseous doing much less (for example riding the new Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios), so it seems user nausea is a growing problem that is effecting VR if it hopes to become mainstream.  Overall, the experience really intrigued me in how to create an engaging story that takes advantage of the uncanny valley that VR provides while also providing a pleasant (non-nauseating) experience for as many as possible.