Actually this is not my “first” VR experience. Thanks to Prof. Pacheco, I have access to the innovation lab last semester and this is truly the best place to hang out with latest technologies.

In this class, I have tried Google earth on Oculus rift and experiencing Van Gogh’s paintings using Samsung Gear VR.

I would prefer a fully immersive VR experience to a 360 video because what VR really offers is an experience to actually be there than here. With a way to move in that virtual environment is quite necessary. Google Earth has done a great job in moving you around Earth using Oculus rift. What you can do is to use your hand to control the moving forward and backward in that environment without causing much blur and nausea. The speed choice for Google Earth is quite well so that it is not going to cause any discomfort. Overall experience is great, what I think may be a regret is that the accuracy of the map is not that great. I know it is a process going on and this app is currently using maps generated by the satellite. With the construction going on, it is going to be great.

Speaking of Gear VR experience, I would give some downside feedbacks. The overall idea is great. 3D modeling and music choice is fantastic. But the overall experience is causing me nausea. The problem I think may be 1: The moving speed is a little bit too fast for an experience like this. Moving too fast in an immersive experience like this without actually moving in the real world is not a good idea. 2: The problem I see this is that since Van Gogh’s paintings use oil color and this may not fit to be shown in a virtual reality situation. I think oil color is too bright for a situation like this. 3: The boundary of that room is a blur. If you can’t tell where you are in that environment, your body will have a physical reaction to that.

Another thing I want to talk about is the resolution. Overall every device does not fit what it really needs to be in a virtual reality situation. You can see clear pixels in each device. Seeing those pixels can hugely damage your experience of you being elsewhere. What you want to create using current technology may require a sense of you not actually being there but somehow can control it. Constructing a fully loaded and immersive experience is not possible at this point.

Overall, this is a great technology. VR is the future and I know that.