We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IT HAS TAKEN a while but the first generation of virtual reality (VR) headsets are here.
Regardless of your budget, you have a few options. You could go for the budget-conscious Google Cardboard, the middle-ground that is Gear VR or blow your money on the high end Oculus Rift or HTC Vive
We’ve tried them all out and while the experiences they offer differ in many ways, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind.
Setting up can be really easy, or long depending on what you have
Depending on the type of headset you have, the setup process will either be really easy or long. For HTC Vive, you have to set up sensors in your room so it can track you and Oculus Rift goes through a similar process although not as rigorous.
For mobile ones like Gear VR or Google Cardboard, you just slot your phone into the headset. You have to do this with Gear VR first as that prompts it to download the Oculus store app, where you’ll get your experiences from.
Position it (and yourself) correctly
When putting on the headset, it’s recommended you don’t pull it down as far as you can. If you do that, the face cushion will partially block your nose breaths, causing hot air to go up and fog up your lenses, making it harder to see what’s in front of you. Give your nose a bit of room and you won’t have this problem
It’s also worth taking some time to familiarise yourself with the controls too. Depending on what you have, you will have a standard controller, motion controllers, or just the headset itself. Motion controllers are more intuitive, but they have a number of buttons that you should get a feel for first.
If you just have a headset like Gear VR, then you’ll just have to use the touchpad and back button at the right hand side. This may take a bit of getting used to, especially if you’re playing quick react games like Temple Run VR.
Unless you have HTC Vive, which has some games that let you physically walk around spaces, you don’t need too much space to play games. The minimum amount of space would allow you to turn around fully without you hitting or bumping into anything.
This is first generation so adjust your expectations
Even with the high end headsets, you should remember that you’re not going to get the same picture quality as you would a TV. You’re looking at a blown up version of a small screen so it’s unrealistic to expect HD-quality images.
Even with the more accessible ones like Gear VR, the outskirts of your sight might be a little blurry.
None of this affects the immersiveness of it (unless you really allow it to) as you’ll be focused on what’s happening in front of you, but you’ll likely drive yourself crazy if you try to constantly change the focus to fix this.
The same thing with games and experiences. We’re still in the beginning stages of VR so most of the experiences will reflect that. There are some very entertaining games and experiences out there but the experiences are more like the original Game Boy than current Xbox One and PS4 games.
Ease yourself into it at first
One thing that isn’t usually mentioned when you try out VR is how it could affect you physically. Nausea is a real possibility and and if you’re feeling a little off while wearing it, take a break from it. It may be virtual but since your eyes don’t know that, you should ease yourself in.
The other impact is through prolonged use. Since you’re wearing a tight headset on you, using it for longer periods will leave some red marks on your face, mainly your nose, forehead and sometimes the top of your cheeks. There isn’t really a solution for this but it’s not sore and the marks will disappear rather quickly.
And try to remember that the furniture and items you see aren’t real. It does sound silly, but when you accidentally walk into a table or object in-game, you will brace yourself for impact instinctively. So long as you don’t try to lean on objects in-game, you’ll be fine.
Throw yourself into the interactive experiences
For now, the range of experiences on offer is a bit limited but that’s to be expected since it’s a very new medium (in consumer terms). And those experiences range from fantastic to meh.
There are a number of short films, both preloaded and streamed, and games that place you in the action, but the best ones are passive experiences like Land’s End or The Night Café, ones that are more about exploration and taking in your surroundings.
Some games require you to own a controller so your choice will be more limited, but when you have demos of you being underwater with sharks and dolphins, smashing glass or flying through the Avengers tower, it’s hard not to be impressed.
Also, all of this is designed to be played at home or at least in a room where you a decent amount of space. All the spinning around won’t make much sense to those watching you playing a game or viewing a movie (although it can be funny sometimes).
Should I get one now or wait?
For now, it’s not an essential purchase. Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are really designed for gamers with high end PCs so unless you have money to burn, you should wait until the cost and hardware requirements become more accessible.
In the case of Gear VR, it’s probably the best middle ground people have for accessing VR now. If you’ve already paid for a compatible Samsung phone, then the extra €99 isn’t going to cripple you.
Since it’s mobile, the resolution isn’t as high but it gets the main things right and that’s what matters. Google Cardboard is the most accessible version by far since it only costs €25 for a headset, but the low resolution and limited input means it’s better for passive experiences.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I am just back from Helsinki and funny how they can manage to have trams run 24/7.
@Sean: berlin too
the mind boggles
@Sean: They have more trams maybe?
@Sean: that’s a lie. They run just after midnight leaving time for essential maintence. Why would you like that?
@Sean: You’re wrong you know.
In Helsinki they operate between 05:30 to 23:30 on weekdays and 07:00 to 23:30 at weekends so actually less hours than Luas.
@Brianto: And not just recently. They have operated 24 / 7 since ever.
I can only dream then of taking my life in my hands by getting a red line Luas at 3am. It’s hairy enough already at 3pm in the day with its current lack of adequate policing.
@Longlin: on the Green line we don’t have that issue, so i suggest 24/7 on Green Line only.
Strange how other cities manage to operate a 24 service, p New York, Chicago, Copenhagen, Melbourne and Tokyo all provide 24 hour transport services to a much wider metropolitan area then Dublin. We really can’t do anything right here. At the very least a late night if not 24 hour service with additional frequency and extended weekend hours should be available on all forms of transport. How on earth is maintenance required every night?
@Heather Knowles: I assume it’s because those cities have more alternative lines during maintenance
@Heather Knowles: because those countries don’t find a problem for every solution, here unfortunately some people have a problem for every solution
@Thomas O’ Donnell: Normally a bus service will replace the tram/train service whilst maintenance is been carried out here in Melbourne
More trains then
Is maintenance carried out every single night? The nights they have to do maintenance they can have a bus service follow the route like the trains do when they’re getting repaired ?
@Ryan O’Rourke: If only they had implemented a priority bus corridor instead. Then we wouldn’t have these issues and multiple bus routes could be implemented using it
I wanna cry. The hopeless of our country. A real no can do attitude.
We get presented with problems – never solutions.
Been all over Europe. Out public transport is the shame of Europe.
I beg the politicians and the unions, that for once, please just once actually deliver us, the people, a public transport that we can be proud of.
You make us ashamed to he Irish.
@Chris Curran: “We get presented with problems, never solutions”. Just like The Journal comments section then.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Don’t agree.
Our politicians are truly hopeless. No innovation. No leadership. No vision for what the country could be. It’s all about keeping their seats and towing the party party line.
Our planners are conservative, with many passed their sell by dates. In Dublin, four local authorities agree and implement four different county development plans led by planners.
I’m not just describing the problem, I’ve been there, done that and walked away because of party handcuffs.
Dublin needs an exectutive mayor free of party handcuffs to enable a vision to come forward.
Is there only 1 tram? Surely some sort of maintenance rota could be devised combined with somewhat reduced services during the overnight hours.
Is there anything we can do in this country?? How do other countries manage? It’s just a disgrace our lack of decent public transport
With the amount of Taxes that we are paying, it should be a right to get better transport for all Citizens.
Could they please put the Luas underground? Reclaim the streets!
@François Pignon: “Síos” maybe?!
In fairness could you imagine the madness of the Red Line at 2AM in the morning?
Past 1am?? Was trying to get out of town on a Saturday night few wks ago last tram through town passed at 11.15pm??
Surely there be less trams on through the night less than half I imagine so can rotate them easily each night Surely they don’t need maintenance after each day if they do something is wrong
have your say