Jacob Boring – Staff Writer

jnb129@psu.edu

With the advent of VR becoming such a massive market, what is the best headset to buy?

Firstly, I want to let students know that they are free to go use the VR lab at Penn State Behrend in Fasenmyer 200 of the Science Complex on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This lab is free to the Penn State community and has a wide variety of VR games and experiences you can choose from. If you have never tried VR, this is worthwhile to experience. 

Let us begin with a brief history of VR. The very origin of this concept goes to the invention of the Stereoscope in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone. In 1965 cinematographer Morton Heiling created a VR booth that could fit up to 4 people. In 1968 Harvard professor Ivan Sutherland and student Bob Sproul created the first virtual reality experience in the form of a headset referred to as “Sword of Damocles” which was bulky and uncomfortable. It was suspended from the ceiling and hooked directly to a computer, as opposed to a camera. The term “Virtual Reality” was coined in 1989 by Jaron Lanier. If you don’t know who that is, look him up. I believe everyone recognizes him. In 1993 Sega created a prototype VR unit called Sega VR, which would never make it to production. There are VR videos about this venture. In 1995 Nintendo released a failed unit called the Virtual Boy. This thing was garbage and people did not enjoy it. It was more of a 3D gaming experience than anything similar to actual VR as it is known today. People found it uncomfortable, disorienting, and it caused headaches.

Now let us get to modern VR. What is it? It is an immersive experience in a 3D environment within a virtual world. This experience allows you full 3D exploration and interaction, but all within the realm of actually remaining in a limited space area while wearing a headset. 

For modern VR, Oculus released the Rift in 2012 as a Kickstarter and sold the first batch produced within 14 minutes. 

It would not be until October 2016 that Sony would release the PlayStation VR. As would be expected, the technology is currently improving. YouTube search VR advancements if you are interested in what is currently in development. Most of the work is being done in Japan. In September 2020 Oculus released the Quest 2. In February 2023, Sony released the PSVR 2 for the PS5.

I own a PSVR for my PS4. I found it quite entertaining. It was a very unique experience exploring the world of “Skyrim” in VR. “Resident Evil 7” in VR is nearly terrifying. There are a wide variety of games that range from aesthetically pleasing and relaxing to outright terrifying experiences that are best for people only with good heart health. 

So about the PSVR, it was awesome, until I tried the Oculus Quest at Penn State’s VR lab. The PSVR does not give you any view of the “real” world around you. The Oculus system does, due to cameras built into the headset itself. The Oculus Quest places you within a set parameter of space, which keeps you within the VR experience, but as soon as you step beyond that area, the cameras on the headset show you the actual world around you through the headset. I was able to pull my phone out and read my screen without removing my headset. PSVR does not allow that. This innovation by Oculus has made the whole VR experience much safer. You have an outlined area preset without any obstacles located within the grid. If you venture near the border of that grid, the image within the headset will light up a visual representation of the preset area which was predetermined as obstacle free. Many VR injuries and damage to possessions have occurred from VR experiences that did not include this advancement in VR technology. Now Sony would also improve their VR as well with the release of the PSVR 2. The PSVR 2 does need a PS5 but does not require a camera connected to the PS5. 

The Oculus Quest, unlike the Rift, which needed a computer, is stand-alone. The Quest plays directly with no external wires and without a computer. The biggest difference between PSVR 2 and the Quest 2 is that the PSVR 2 does need a PS5 and the Quest 2 is indeed a stand-alone system, though the Quest 2 will need a wifi connection to access the App/Game store. 

My main reason for writing this article is to inform students that you do indeed have free access to the Behrend VR lab at set times if you ever want to try VR.