Oculus VR: Bring the Outdoors Indoors

If there is anything the last two years have taught us it is that there may come a time where we need to get creative with how to entertain ourselves. With Oculus VR you can experience a wide range of places and activities from the comfort of your living room. We’ve been trying out Oculus Quest 2 and while we’ve only barely scratched the surface of what is possible, we’ve been impressed with the features and think it can be a great supplement to an active lifestyle. 

Oculus Quest 2

If you have never experienced VR before you definitely need to give it a whirl. The system is incredibly reactive and surprisingly realistic. From playing some of the paid games to watching VR YouTube content there is something that everyone can enjoy in this new virtual world Oculus creates.

Carve Snowboarding

Whether it is the middle of the summer or you’ve suffered a mid-season injury, or there is some other reason keeping you off the slopes IRL. You can always get your snowboarding fix in with Carve Snowboarding on Oculus. Although you use your hands to control your snowboard in Carve the immersive experience with the VR headset really feels like you are on the slopes making your way down the mountain choosing your own path. Undoubtedly we are better riders in VR than IRL, but we don’t mind a little boost in confidence and the ability to try new tricks that we wouldn’t fathom otherwise. If you are prone to motion sickness make sure to try out some other games first to get used to the VR experience as this game can create some queasiness if you are new to VR. With endless customization options and different levels to choose from you can stay busy all summer while waiting for the snow to fall.

Top Golf

As I write this a few inches of snow have fallen outside and the nearest Top Golf is hours away. Not the most ideal golfing conditions. Luckily the with Top Golf on Oculus to keep working on our swings. The experience seems relatively realistic meaning you have to concentrate on keeping everything aligned to hit the ball straight and you can also work on your fade and draw techniques so when you take your game back to the real course or Top Golf you can have some more mechanics down. This game is a great option if you suffer at all from motion sickness as you are relatively stationary and it doesn't create any strange effects. 

Real VR Fishing

Here in Northwestern Colorado, the Yampa River has been closed to fishing all Summer long, so we’ve been relying on this game to get our fishing fix in. Although it is clearly not the same as being out on the river, Real VR Fishing can definitely give you that same endorphin boost when you feel that controller vibrating. The gameplay keeps things interesting with new species of fish and new locations. Overall a super fun introduction to VR for the fishermen.

YouTube and Other Apps

Like we said early we have barely touched the surface of what is possible on this platform, but one of our favorite aspects was viewing some of the 360º content on YouTube. We especially enjoyed the Free Solo feature by National Geographic, the perspective you get while watching Alex Honnold free solo El Capitan was pretty shocking and gives you a better understanding of the scale of the iconic monolith. We also took a lovely helicopter tour around the Matterhorn which was an enjoyable experience. With the wide world of YouTube and all the other Apps, Oculus offers there are countless options to spend your time virtually outside, even if you are stuck inside for some reason.