With hype for VR reaching new heights‚ it seemed a perfect choice for our hedgehog lab fortnightly social – it’s basically essential research. Although several of our team had already dabbled in VR gaming‚ many of us were completely new to the technology and eager for a chance to play.
One afternoon after work we set about decking the office out with HTC Vives‚ Playstation VR sets and a variety of games including Arizona Sunshine‚ a zombie survival first-person shooter game‚ and Beat Saber‚ a “disco jedi” game popular among our VR gamers.
The VR Social in action
Virtual Reality technology has entered an exciting phase. Competitive pricing of headsets has made it more accessible than ever‚ leading to a growth in the number of gamers. As the hardware continues to develop we are noticing an increasing number of opportunities to bring this technology to our own projects: it honestly is research.
The immersive nature of VR is now being offered up as a way in which the technology can be used in mental health services‚ education‚ real estate and a whole suite of other sectors. VR has exciting potential and interest from non-gaming industries has been rapidly growing in the past year.
We’ve even had some of our clients approach us‚ curious about the possible adoption of Virtual and Augmented Reality in their projects. Our first VR project‚ Redbrick Lets (due to launch later this year) allows students to tour their new accommodation and set leases without ever stepping inside the property!
With exciting times ahead for VR‚ the success of our social suggests that using VR as an innovative and fun gaming technology shouldn’t be forgotten as it becomes more central to our everyday lives. Our event was a massive hit in the office and a follow-up social is definitely on the horizon. Some of us were even persuaded to buy VR headsets of our own – that tells you all you need to know!
