Entering the Rift: A Web Series

Entering the Rift: A Web Series

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My First Experience with Virtual Reality

                   

Opening VR scene from My First Oculus experience (Courtesy Oculus)
Opening VR scene from My First Oculus experience (Courtesy Oculus)      

                         

Oculus Rift S Headset and Hand Controllers(Courtesy: Oculus)

After an intense week of configuring and testing my VR Workstation, I downloaded and installed the Oculus application software that would provide my first access to Facebook's Virtual World community.  

Unboxing my new Oculus Rift S headset, I plugged the two cables from the headset into the back of my workstation.

After performing updates to both the headset and the two hand controllers, the Oculus application prompted me to put the headset onto my head for my first VR journey.

Down the VR Rabbit Hole I went.

                   

Photo courtesy: Samueles (pixabay.com)
Photo courtesy: Samueles (pixabay.com)

For over a year I had read that VR is incredibly immersive; engaging our senses and emotions in a most remarkable way. Prepared as I thought I was, my first opening VR engagement experience was so breathtakingly beautiful that it brought a tear to my eye.

In a word, my first experience was Awesome. And to think that I'm only scratching the surface of what I now know presently exists in the world of VR experiences and applications.

The feeling of engaging VR for the first time was like engaging a new Disney on-location entertainment attraction. Do you remember the feeling the first time when you experienced a brand new high-tech attraction at Disney World Orlando or DisneyLand in California? Do you recall the sense of excitement you experienced when your young son or daughter were about to share their first Disney experience with you? The feeling was one of excitement and expectation, and the experience itself was indeed Magical.

At six-years of age, my first experience with a Walt Disney designed attraction was the It's a Small World ride which had its debut at the 1964 World’s Fair. It was a magical experience; one that I can vividly recall today, nearly a half-century after the event occurred.

What’s incredible about experiencing Virtual Reality is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home or workspace.  You can experience VR solo or in the company of others, where you can engage in everything from game-playing to collaborative working sessions.

Demo Experience: VR Maker Workshop with Droid Helper. (Photo Courtesy: Oculus and Refuse2Lose33)

         

My first VR experience lasted well over two hours, with several 10-15 minute break periods. The eight months I invested in researching VR, the equipment I would need to ensure a positive VR experience, along with the choosing the right custom computer shop to build my VR workstation, all paid off, leading to my first positive outcome with VR.

                   

Introductory VR Experience: Getting Started with Oculus Rift S Tutorial (Courtesy Oculus and UploadVR)

         

I'll be continuing my VR journey and chronicling my work as I go. If you would like to follow along and learn what VR can do for you, send me a request and I'll add you to my Entering the Rift mailing list.

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Entering the Rift Web (ETR Web) is the first of a series of creative expressions created by Jim Intriglia, a  storytelling and journalism enthusiast. ETR  Web strives to apply the best of present day Web-based creative storytelling by fusing best practices that engage video, 360 photography, audio, graphic arts, journalism and narrative storytelling (autobiographies) in a multimedia experience that provides an interactive and immersive experience for the participant.

Managed, developed and produced using the best of Agile practices and methodologies, ETR Web experience is an iterative work that brings fresh creative content to participants each month. Over time, each story in the series will evolve and grow in context, agency and engaging experiences.

If you found this article informative and beneficial, please consider supporting my work through Patreon.  Your support helps to ensure that my educational and creative business and professional endeavors can continue to be of benefit to you and others that I serve.

Posted 
6.16.2019
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Virtual Reality & Tech
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