The new year may be upon us, but many of you are probably still playing with your holiday gifts, one of the most popular of which appears to be VR headsets.
But if you take a look around social media, you'll notice a surprisingly common story popping up: People are getting so into virtual reality, they're destroying their real-world homes.
Whether it's playing shooter titles like Superhot or athletic titles like The Climb, stories of people smashing their hands into their expensive televisions or computer monitors are becoming the new normal.
But don't let these tales of woe put you off VR, there's a safe way to work out, climb, shoot and lose yourself without wrecking your home. Before you jack into VR, try the following tips ...
1. Know your limits
Both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift have virtual boundary systems that allow you to designate a safe space in your living room to help you avoid hurting yourself or your furniture. But one of the most common mistakes I've seen is that people set the boundaries too close to the very edge of the space they have available. That's a mistake.
Instead, when you're setting your virtual boundaries, try to give yourself at least an extra one to two feet beyond the margin, away from things you might smash. Using that method, even when you forget yourself and get a little too close to your virtual boundaries, you're still likely to avoid real damage.
2. Assault with a deadly VR
It might sound wild, but I've heard a fair number of stories in the last couple of weeks of family members accidentally smacking one another while in VR. Obviously, it can be even worse if you have a pet or toddler who can't understand that you're flying on eagle wings in virtual space and might suddenly swing your arms or feet out unexpectedly.
If you have roommates, pets or children, and you can't alert them that you're going into a VR experience, then try to close the space via a shut door or even a prominent note, "Be careful, I can't hear or see you while I'm in VR!"
3. Don't drunk VR
Don't drink and VR. Full stop. Period. Do not pass GO.
It might sound fun to drink alcohol with friends or alone and then dive into a trippy experience, but because VR requires balance and spatial awareness, jacking into virtual reality in an inebriated state is basically inviting a completely avoidable accident that could really hurt in the real world.
You've been warned.
4. Sitting is safety
Most of the accidents I've discovered happen when someone is standing while in VR. Getting people standing and active while interacting with a computer may have great long-term health impacts, but it could be dangerous if safety isn't prioritized.
So if the previous safety tips are things you think you can't stick to, sitting on either the floor (ideally) or in a chair can reduce your chances of losing your balance and falling into a bookshelf or smashing your hand into a nearby lamp. It's not a cure-all, but sitting takes a lot of the aforementioned risk off the virtual table.
5. Hold on tight
The controllers for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Touch feature wrist loops that can keep the controllers attached to your body in situations where you get a little too enthusiastic with that virtual sword, spear or rock that you're throwing in VR. Yes, people are sharing stories of accidentally nailing a loved one in the head with a loose controller.
It might sound like a small thing, but many of these VR worlds are so convincingly rendered that it's easy to forget the laws of physics governing your controllers in the real world. One way to put this issue out of mind and enjoy the immersion is to just take half a second to loop that tether around your wrist and then dive into VR.
There will probably be more, currently unforeseen safety issues with VR as we push it to its limits, but as we take our first tentative steps into these imaginary worlds, following these tips can save you money and, in some cases, a trip to the hospital.
Topics Oculus Virtual Reality
