Review of a Vr Game Experience: Oculus First Contact

During a virtual reality workshop, we were told to setup the virtual reality glasses provided by The University of Portsmouth and play the game called “Oculus First Contact”, which is a game that introduces you into virtual reality. It was my first time using Virtual Reality glasses so the tutorial was all i needed.

“Oculus First Contact” teaches you the basic such as how to use the controller and interact with elements inside the game, like picking up objects, shooting guns and mainly inserting cassettes in a machine for a “surprise” result. On the one hand, i was thrilled, the first minutes of wearing the glasses were extraordinary, and the whole experience was amazing. It was totally not what i expected. I had a nostalgic feeling, it reminded me of my childhood years when i would buy a new game and could not wait to play it. The funny part was when i was trying to interact with my colleagues while playing the game. Listening to sounds from the real world while nobody was in my field of view was totally scary. The instructions were clear, and the game was easy to play. My favorite part, as a shooting-games lover, was when a cassette provided you a gun. My andrenaline reached the top and felt like a maniac trying to shoot some targets.

Furthermore, Oculus offers good finger tracking and you feel comfortable holding and touching the controller. It is also said that the motion controller is one of the best ones on the market. Also the video quality was amazing, almost like a real-life resolution. Nothing was pixelrated or laggy and the effects were also high quality. On the other hand, the disadvantages from my point of view are fewer than the advantages, but they are quite important. First of all, after twenty minutes of playing, my eyes and my brain hurt as a result of having a headache at the end of the day. Moreover, the space you have to move around is quite limited and forced me to crash onto people and objects in the class in order to reach some materials in the game. In addition, i struggled fixing the glasse’s lenses to fit properly and focus, and the headset feels cheap and does not fit your ear. In my oppinion, the headset should be an over-ear headset for a better experience. However, the equipment feels heavy and big on your head which is also a reason why it caused me a headache.

Overall, I would buy a virtual reality system only if i had spare money and time as, in my oppinion, is not something mandatory. Pc and console gaming is enough to pleasure your gaming needs, while virtual reality is just a good experience but can not be done long-term. Finally, i would suggest you trying it for at least once in your life, either you like it or not, it is totally worth it.