Just last week, I had a great conversation with a Manhattan taxi driver named Sherpa, who, after I asked if his name was connected to Nepal, told me that he had indeed stopped working on Mount Everest to live in New York City. Smiling, he suggested I visit the famed (and quite dangerous) mountain one day, to which I replied, "I'm a fragile city guy, maybe one day I'll visit it in virtual reality."
Days after that conversation (yes, it really happened), it turns out that there is, in fact, an incredibly realistic Mount Everest VR experience that launched for the Oculus Rift.
Reykjavík, Iceland-based VR studio Sólfar and visual effects house RVX are behind Everest VR, an immersive experience that allows you to travel the face of Mount Everest, including the well known locations Base Camp, the Khumbu Icefall, Camp Four, Hillary Step, Lhotse Face and the Summit.
Unlike some other so-called VR experiences that simply give you 360-degree video and photo views of far off places, Everest VR actually gives you the power to climb Everest using the Oculus Touch controllers to wield harnesses, pulleys and an ice axe to pull you up the mountain's face.
However, it's not set up like a game. Instead, audio narration guides you throughout the mountain planes in between climbing missions (which are surprisingly realistic, falling ice danger included).
There's also a "God Mode" that does away with the climbing aspect and lets you tour Everest using teleportation. The best part of this feature is that it allows you to change the size of your virtual body, giving you varying views.
I've spent a good deal of time "traveling" to places in 360-degree immersive apps, but thanks to the interactivity, this is easily the best VR tour I've experienced since Google Earth VR.
Everest VR is available now for $14.99 on Oculus Home and on Steam for the HTC Vive.
Topics Oculus Virtual Reality
