*Disclaimer: This is an MRTV community article. The opinions, representations and statements made within the article are those of the author and not necessarily those of MRTV.*
Putting on a VR headset can feel like going on a camping trip in the mountains. Some people want that. Some people leave their cellphone behind for the weekend. But for anyone really into VR, it is no weekend hobby.
So there you are – stuck on a mountain, no contact to the outside world and you cannot even rely on the virtual sky to roughly tell you the time of day.
This afternoon, I put on my headset to check out YouTube VR – for a few minutes. Almost an hour later I managed to pry the device off my head – my work schedule now a mess. We all know YouTube.com can be a time-sink, but YouTube VR in 360 degrees is a nightmarish and almost inescapable rabbit-hole of pure joy. The clarity and resolution may not always be as good as I would want, but it’s often good-enough to make me feel present in that place with those people. And the quality is only going to improve – this month VR Video experts HumanEyes release their $439 Vuze XR dual 180 / 360 degrees 5.7K live-streaming VR camera.
VR can still be immersive and fun, while at the same time offering an optional tether to reality. So where is my VR Smartwatch?
Base reality, at the twist of a virtual arm
With a VR Smartwatch, at any moment while in VR, I can know the time of day, how much battery life is left in my connected phone, who is calling me, or who just sent me a message – or any one of a million other potential notifications I chose to allow in.
A VR Smartwatch does not have to be immersion breaking; it’s an option for those that want some tether to reality and a way to make VR more acceptable as part of a daily routine, and ultimately less socially isolating.
Fishy
I agree. We need a way to access our phones from within VR, and a “Smartwatch” of sorts is a great way to do it. Rec Room uses a watch feature to access the menus and it works well.