A scene from the upcoming film ‘Ghost in the Shell.’
Currently, most of the virtual reality developer brainpower is being directed toward creating amazingly immersive games (and to a lesser extent, film and non-gaming interactive experiences). But when you just want to kick back and find your chill, the options in VR are surprisingly limited.
That said, I think I’ve found the best of the bunch.
My parameters were simple. I wanted something you could use on a high-end VR headset (not mobile), the logic being that when I meditate I want to be in a safe space, where I don’t have to think about pedestrians, airplanes or any other interruptions while trying to relax.
I also avoided apps that were gamified, requiring you to solve puzzles in order to get the full experience. Meditation is about stillness, and so the goal was to find apps that contributed to stillness while still delivering a potent VR experience. Sounds simple, but based on the limited number of quality experiences out there, it seems somewhat difficult to deliver.
Nature Treks VR
[Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, $9.99]
If you’ve seen Doctor Strange, you’ll remember that scene in the Greenwich Village mansion when Stephen is presented with three escape windows leading to different parts of the Earth. Nature Treks VR does the same thing, except in this case you get six windows into different environments. When you enter one of those environments, you’re immediately plunged into a fully realized nature setting, accented by ambient music and incredibly realistic, yet subtle wildlife and weather sound effects.
,
,
IMAGE: NATURE TREKS VR
Although you can sit still in the middle of a forest, or on a sandy beach dune, or on a snowy vista, you also have the option to teleport to different parts of the environment. All you do is direct your gaze at a cross-legged humanoid figure and that’s where you’re transported.
From the lighting effects, to the random dust particles, and even an occasional creature scurrying in your path (yes, there are rabbits furtively hopping in the brush and deers quietly grazing in the background), the effects are designed to truly transport you to realistic nature retreats. But despite all the attention to detail, the environments end up creating the perfect setting for a meditation session free of distractions.
,
,
IMAGE: NATURE TREKS VR
The only thing stopping this from being my favorite VR meditation app is the lack of Oculus Touch support. When using it on the Rift, you have to use the Xbox controller. At this point in the development of the Rift, VR developers would do well to assume that most dedicated VR users have the Touch as their primary input device. But if you have an Xbox controller, this is easily one of the best meditation apps you can dive into.
The Impossible Travel Agency
[Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, $4.99]
The easiest way to explain the Impossible Travel Agency is to imagine yourself on the top of one of those floating rocks in Avatar, surrounded by bioluminescent plant life and neon-colored rocks, as well as the occasional flying alien beast.
Yes, it sounds psychedelic, but it’s oddly calming, especially if science fiction is what takes you to your happy place.
,
Source: Mashable