Across the world, many people are falling in love with Oculus Quest, the stand-alone virtual reality (VR) headset from Facebook. It’s easy to see why—since its release last May, it has set the standard for accessible, good quality VR.
The device—which runs without a PC or mobile phone—presents the first all-in-one VR gaming headset solution and enables users to access other worlds any time, anywhere.
If you are lucky enough to have the device, it offers plenty of amusement for couples staying in this Valentine’s Day. It’s also a great way, for those spending February 14th alone, to connect with others.
Socialize In VR
From the printing press to online dating sites, technology has continuously involved how we find partners. Now, VR offers a compelling way to interact with new, likeminded people.
The most popular ways to connect with others in the virtual space are VRChat, Rec Room, Altspace and Bigscreen. The former apps allow users to create avatars and relax, chat and even play games with people all over the world. While Bigscreen enables users to host virtual movie nights, LAN parties, play PC games and much more.
You can read more here about how people socialize in the virtual space, but what about meeting your future partner in VR?
A date in virtual reality should be a more intense and personal experience than online dating. Moving from screen to VR invokes “presence”—the feeling of actually being in the virtual space itself. Experiences shared in virtual reality can be just as powerful as those in real life—which opens up the door for romance to blossom between VR users, if that’s what they are both looking for.
Compelling Content
Thanks to the Oculus Quest, high quality, affordable experiences are now far more accessible to the everyday enthusiast and VR newbies alike. The popularity of the headset, twinned with its technological capabilities, has inspired experience creators to fill the Oculus store with a wealth of content.
Now, with the introduction of hand tracking on Quest—letting you interact in VR without controllers, using your real hands—you can engage with VR in a more natural way, enhancing your experience and sense of immersion.
The below experiences are great fun for a date night!
Beat Saber is one of the most intuitive VR games out there. Armed with sabers, you slice through fast-moving colored blocks to seriously intense music, scoring points as you go. A sense of rhythm and stamina are needed! You can take it in turns with your partner to play, or even just watching is an experience in itself (check out the below video to see what I mean!).
Half + Half is a multiplayer game that will put a smile on your face. The five different spaces in the experience have been designed to be fun, but also to make you look a bit silly in real life (so your partner will be smiling too). There are lots of mini-games to choose from such as Hide & Seek and human Tetris or you can swim in the ocean or glide through clouds.
The ultimate game for shared entertainment is Richie’s Plank Experience. In this experience, you battle against your own body’s response to heights as you make your way along a plank 80 stories in the air—it is truly amazing how it makes your stomach flip! Whether you’re the one in the headset or just watching your partner face their fears, this is a universally entertaining game and showcases the powerful emotional and physical response that VR creates.
