The new year may be upon us, but many of you are probably still playing with your holiday gifts, one of the most popular of which appears to be VR headsets.
But if you take a look around social media, you’ll notice a surprisingly common story popping up: People are getting so into virtual reality, they’re destroying their real-world homes.
Whether it’s playing shooter titles like Superhot or athletic titles like The Climb, stories of people smashing their hands into their expensive televisions or computer monitors are becoming the new normal.
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But don’t let these tales of woe put you off VR, there’s a safe way to work out, climb, shoot and lose yourself without wrecking your home. Before you jack into VR, try the following tips …
1. Know your limits
Both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift have virtual boundary systems that allow you to designate a safe space in your living room to help you avoid hurting yourself or your furniture. But one of the most common mistakes I’ve seen is that people set the boundaries too close to the very edge of the space they have available. That’s a mistake.
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Instead, when you’re setting your virtual boundaries, try to give yourself at least an extra one to two feet beyond the margin, away from things you might smash. Using that method, even when you forget yourself and get a little too close to your virtual boundaries, you’re still likely to avoid real damage.
2. Assault with a deadly VR
It might sound wild, but I’ve heard a fair number of stories in the last couple of weeks of family members accidentally smacking one another while in VR. Obviously, it can be even worse if you have a pet or toddler who can’t understand that you’re flying on eagle wings in virtual space and might suddenly swing your arms or feet out unexpectedly.
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If you have roommates, pets or children, and you can’t alert them that you’re going into a VR experience, then try to close the space via a shut door or even a prominent note, “Be careful, I can’t hear or see you while I’m in VR!”
3. Don’t drunk VR
Don’t drink and VR. Full stop. Period. Do not pass GO.
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Source: Mashable