Oculus founder's modified Meta Quest Pro takes immersive VR too far

Date:
Tue, 08 Nov 2022 15:25:42 +0000

Description:
Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, has created a modified Meta Quest Pro that explodes if you fail in a video game.

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If you thought Mark Zuckerbergs metaverse plans werent scary enough, the founder of Oculus, Palmer Luckey, has designed a VR headset that explodes if the user fails in a video game.

The Oculus Rift designer may no longer be a part of the company he founded (which is now part of Meta), but his interest in VR doesnt appear to have waned. Luckey is still creating VR inventions however his latest prototype what appears to be a Meta Quest Pro with explosives attached is not one that wed recommend anyone go near.

Thats because the device (thats inspired by the NerveGear from Sword Art Online) is rigged to explode when the wearer is eliminated in a VR game. Luckey revealed the invention on his blog to commemorate Sword Art Online day (November 6, 2022), the day in the manga and anime when 10,000 players are trapped inside the Sword Art Online VR MMORPG.

In the post, Luckey reveals that SAO and Oculus shared a symbiotic relationship the Kickstarter for the Oculus Rift DK1 launched around the
same time as the animes fourth episode aired in Japan. The show reignited the publics interest in VR despite the horrific consequences the realistic simulations offered by the NerveGear made the technology look magical while the existence of the Rift made SAOs events seem plausible. According to
Luckey Japan became Oculus' second largest market, and the team would be bombarded with questions about SAO and when it would be possible to play the game on their Oculus.

Luckey clearly loves SAO based on the anecdotes his piece is littered with, however, his fandom may have gone a little too far with the device thats halfway to making a true NerveGear.

As he goes on to explain, unfortunately, Luckey hasnt worked out the more impressive half of SAOs headset, the perfect-VR aspect. NerveGear users arent restricted by the physical space they have at home nor their own natural abilities like they are with todays best VR headsets . Instead, the NerveGear directly communicates with a users brain rather than moving real muscles their brain controls virtual ones, and the system is able to relay
information back that stimulates all of the users senses.

That being said, Luckey also admits he hasnt got the headsets explosive mechanism perfect either. At the moment the charges are rigged to detonate when the screen flashes red in a specific pattern however theres a huge variety of failures that could occur, ending the users life accidentally thats why Luckey hasnt yet tried using it himself.

Thankfully, the terrifying-sounding device is nothing more than office art, and we hope it stays that way. Yes, SAO presents a dream come true in terms
of life-like VR Id love it if my Oculus Quest 2 could be half as immersive
as the NerveGear but the story also presents a nightmare that some people
too easily gloss over. No game, no matter how great it is, is worth giving your life up over.

If Luckey continues his endeavors we hope he spends all his time
investigating the perfect-VR side of the NerveGear, and leaves the horrible SAW-trap element alone after he removes it. Playing one of the best VR games is meant to be fun, not a fight for your life, and if you need something more just wear a haptic suit like this writer did it offers more than enough of a punishment if you fail in VR.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/oculus-founders-modified-meta-quest-pro-takes-i mmersive-vr-too-far/


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