vr

VR Sickness

Posted on by Josef Havelka

For the first time in a few months, I was playing around on my wife’s Oculus headset. I really enjoy the immersive experience that comes with it. Specifically seeing the scientific and space exploration. Those sorts of things aren’t readily available to most of us. Participating as an onlooker from the comfort of your home is the next best thing.

Having cleared a space for me to enjoy our VR, I ended up going barefoot on our super soft rug. This was an unusual sensation, especially when I was floating around the International Space Station at one point.

After about an hour or so of toying around the virtual world, I began to feel queasy. It was probably the Star Wars roller coaster simulation that did it to me. Then I moved on to trying a game, but nausea was too strong. I had to log out.

This was the first time I ever felt that way from VR. It reminded me of when I worked at IMAX some twenty plus years ago. My boss explained that the rollercoaster film that was made required a focal point for people to stare at in order to alleviate motion sickness. I think that was where I went wrong on the roller coaster. I was too busy looking around the virtual environment that my brain sensed movement elsewhere even though I was sitting on the couch.

No more games for a bit, as I have had to take a chewable Pepto Bismal and lay down. I’m not even going to turn on the tv. In fact, after writing this quick blog, my phone is also going away as I recover.

Freaking Virtual Reality Sickness.

Peaceful Friday Evenings

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Over the past few weeks I have enjoyed my Friday evenings alone. My wife takes the two youngest to speed skating and I get a few hours to myself. A couple of weeks ago I had a bath, read a book and drank some wine.

This week I sat in our bedroom and watched the sun set. Once it was out of view and the night sky was upon us, I turned to the Oculus headset and began a new game- Moss. This was the first vr game my wife ever tried on the Oculus when we were at a friend’s place in Calgary back in 2019. Read about that day here: Unassuming Friday.

The game itself is really cute and easy to play. I was enjoying myself for well over an hour. But had to call it quits because my eyes were getting fatigued. I also had to prepare a late dinner for the family once they arrived home. But it’s going to be some quick and easy. I forgot to get anything ready ahead of time.

I do enjoy the time I have to myself. I’m not ever trying to fill my Friday nights, but I do appreciate the opportunity to lounge for a few hours. Taking some “me time” is beneficial in many ways.

Is This The Real Life…

Posted on by Josef Havelka

What if this life we are living isn’t real?

If you found out it wasn’t real, would that make it any less worth living? Or maybe you’re like me and want to walk that fine line of questioning reality and adhering to the rules.

Normally these thoughts enter my mind every September. Don’t ask me why. I think that’s just when the server gets rebooted. Or that reality gets shifted two inches to the right.

In all seriousness, I love the idea of VR. In fact, we have had the Oculus Quest 2 in our home for two years now. With The Metaverse starting to take shape, I think it’s an exciting time to be alive. Over the past couple of years we have all been more exposed to Zoom meetings and video conferences. Strapping on a headset is the next step. The current visuals alone are compelling and immersive. Soon there is going to be Haptic Gloves coming out. That will really change the usage of the Virtual and Augmented reality.

In the not too distant future, we may become fully immersed in a haptic body suit or some sort of chamber. We will begin to occupy a new level of interaction with one another. I do wonder if one day we will be so interconnected that we lose sight of reality.

Perhaps we already have. Maybe we are reliving aspects of humanity we once romanticized- the dawning age of computers. Or maybe we are an alien race playing a life simulator. Could it also be we are just a computer program that became sentient?

I have no idea about any of this. But it sure is fun to imagine that it could be the reality. And if the life we are currently experiencing isn’t real- at least it’s been a crazy adventure.

VR Sharing

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Sunday Morning, our son decided that he was going to enjoy some VR gaming. For whatever reason, he also decided that he needed to cast it to our television.

It was odd that he did this, since no one else was around at the time. I walked downstairs and he was just talking away to thin air. When I asked who he was talking to, he said “the people in the game.” It turns out that when casting, he decided to turn the volume off because there was a bit of a lag/ delay and it was throwing him off.

I also asked why he was casting, and he said “So that we could watch him play.” I don’t think he realizes that we don’t all enjoy watching him play video games. especially on a Sunday morning when most of us wish to sleep in or have a quiet start to the day. At least he kept the sound muted, so I was entertained by his wild movements as he played a game called Gorilla Tag.

If we were taking turns playing a game, cool let’s cast. But he had already taken over the living room space, I guess he hoped we would enjoy watching his game that makes no sense? Wanna play tag? Go outside with friends and play tag. Why are you doing it in VR???

12

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Twelve. One dozen.

The amount of days remaining until we move. So I decided that for the final countdown (BA DA BOO-BOO…BA DA BOO-BOO-BOO) I would share something about each number for the days remaining that makes me happy.

With twelve being such a great number- My daughter suggested talking about the movie “12 Monkeys” since I enjoyed it so much. And it’s eerily poignant with today’s world. But I thought why not talk about how Sesame Street made me love pinball? That’s a bit more fun.

It’s all because of “One two three four five… six seven eight nine ten… eleven twel-el-el-el-el-elve.“ Such a ridiculous cartoon teaching kids to count. But it worked. And the song is forever ingrained inside the brains of any child of the 80’s.

I have a love of pinball because of this. It is my go-to gaming in arcades. I have always wanted a pinball machine. Perhaps one day I will get one. I have also bought pinball video games because I enjoy those as well.

Alien Crush was on the Turbografx16 and I won a contest playing it. Kirby’s Pinball Land on Gameboy filled hours of boredom (my daughter has since destroyed my high scores on that one). As well, I would spend hours upon hours of playing 3D Pinball Space Cadet on Windows (pre-Internet days). But my wife treated me to something truly amazing.

Star Wars VR Pinball on the Oculus. Not only do you play pinball, but you also get to set up a really cool Star Wars Den. The pinball game has a variety of views making it truly immersive. I’ve only played a couple of times, but I am looking forward to playing some more in the near future.

My love of pinball coincides with the number twelve. And with 12 days to go, I look forward to relaxing with some vr pinball in our new place.

The Future is Now

Posted on by Josef Havelka

2020 may be a lot of things to a lot of people. It has certainly been a unique journey. For my family and I- it has meant skyrocketing into the future.

My wife was already working for Shopify for a while before Covid restrictions came into play. She was working remotely and had a good handle on things like Zoom meetings and Google Docs. She was able to help out teenagers get used to the “new normal.”

This summer I got my first 3D printer. I have enjoyed printing a bunch of plastic stuff. All it takes is a file and a spool of filament to create something from almost nothing. It’s not just doing the printing, I’ve also enjoyed painting the items and adding mechanisms to create movement. Robotics and electronics have been brought back into my world after a near three decade hiatus.

This past weekend we entered a new level of futuristic lifestyles. For my wife’s birthday, I picked up an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset for her. Immersing oneself into the virtual worlds is mind boggling to say the least. From active games like Beat Saber to simply painting in a 3D world- this is possibly one of the greatest escapisms I have ever seen.

As the winter arrives and 2020 draws nearer to the end, I for one have enjoyed more of this year in captivity than I expected. We even adopted another dog- Maki who entered our lives right when we needed her to.

How do you feel about technology these days? Are we moving too fast, or too slow? Let me know in the comments.

Giving The Gifts of Memories

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Yesterday was filled with laughter, tears, and everything in between. My wife celebrated her 50th Birthday at home with her family. And it was the only way she knew she wanted to spend it.

Leading up to her milestone birthday wasn’t easy. Hitting fifty is a tough one. In fact, almost every decade milestone birthday is tough after age twenty. You get moments of regrets- like you haven’t accomplished everything you had hoped. But you also get moments of appreciation for what you have achieved in your life. The most uplifting is when you get moments of clarity when you realize this is exactly where you need and want to be.

My wife’s birthday started with breakfast in bed. The kids greeted her warmly and were excited for the next part.

Followed by a Fifty Clue scavenger hunt. This lead her all around the house. The last clue brought her to tears. It was hidden hidden behind a picture of her puppy- Chuppy. This was her best friend prior to me entering her life and creating a family.

Her final clue lead her to our theater room. Where we set up a pretend car- as a reminder to her fortieth birthday when we bought a Pathfinder. Hidden inside were “Brown Paper Packages tied up with string” as a clue to her forty fifth birthday when I made her a 45 record spacer from a “Sound of Music” LP (her favorite movie). Inside the unsuspecting boxes was an Oculus Quest 2 VR. This was my chance to bring the world to her since we are unable to travel and we really wanted to get away.

Finally we celebrated with a lunch that was filled with coffee and coffee cake (made by our oldest). For dinner we did go out for sushi at our favorite restaurant. That was short and sweet because we all wanted to watch one another play some VR.

All-in-all I’d say she had a birthday that was memorable.

Unassuming Funday

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My day yesterday was filled with meeting up with friends while in Calgary. It was fun and magical in many ways.

First was a lunch with a friend of ours we originally met at the Calgary Expo eight years ago. He and I shared stories of our kids, work and caught up on life. It was different this time around because we weren’t at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo having a weekend of laughs in between sales. It was a condensed, pleasurable, laugh riot meal.

Before dinner, we went to the Skyline Luge again. This time we brought my wife and met up with some other Speed Skaters from Langley. It was a laugh riot, again! My wife really enjoyed it and in the end was upset that I had already done this earlier in the week without her.

Afterwards, we went to visit our other friends again (these were the ones we met up with earlier in the week at Gorilla Whale). This time we met up at the their home. We were introduced to a large stuffed shark that tried the devour two of my kids. Later we fooled around with the Occulus Quest. The first quality VR to not need a big computer or extra wiring. It has a life span of 2hrs, which we fully used up.

It was also great to see my wife immerse herself into the game system. My wife hadn’t tried any VR like the rest of us did three years ago when we went to Silcon Valley (read about it here: Button Mashing). Unfortunately, now she wants one. We’ll see what happens in the future- maybe the excitement will wear off.

Or maybe she’ll be escaping into a whole new environment.

The Void

Posted on by Josef Havelka

We always do something unique for every trip we take to Disneyland. This year we hit a place called “The Void” in Downtown Disney. We played though “The Secrets of the Empire” which was Star Wars based.

I wish I could’ve taken photos inside. The VR was more than just wearing goggles. You go in and harness up with a helmet and vest. It was pretty intense. Not only do you see a 360° view of everything, there is so much more. As you turn your head, the sound is full 360° as well. Your other senses also get assaulted. You feel the heat and cold as you actually move through the levels.

Yes- you walk around!

There are smells and scents as well depending on where you go. And you grab at stuff, interact with buttons, and shoot blasters! The storyline reacts to what you do.

My wife and I teamed up while our kids went off on their own. The interactivity in the VR world was incredible. It was a ton of fun. While we were doing it, we were fully immersed. By the end, it was all too real. Afterwards, my wife felt her fear of heights was almost real even though we were planted firmly on the ground. It was sensory overload, but worth every penny.

What we experienced was amazing. Worth the cost and such a wicked memory was created. If I could share what I saw- you’d be amazed. Even though it was about thirty minutes of play, it felt like a full movie. An interactive movie.

Absolutely crazy.

Check out The Void for other adventures.

I’m Batman

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today we enjoyed the last day of Vancouver Fan Expo.  My son and I took advantage of trying out the PlayStation VR.  We played a brief demo of Batman:Arham VR.


After my son finished playing, I took a go at it.  

The graphics were phenomenal.  I was surprised at the seamless way it played.  My movements were mimicked perfectly. At one point during the demo, I felt like I was in the Bat Cave.  The sights and sounds were 360° all around me.  With the Bat Suit on, a mirror showed up in front of my vision.  

I was Batman.


I am wowed beyond belief at the way technology has advanced.  Even in the short time from our first VR testing back in the spring- read about it here: Button Mashing (March 2016).  Especially with the constantly changing gaming industry, stepping out of bounds is a high risk for any of the companies.  Sony nailed it.

The experience was surreal.

I walked away after knowing that for about ten minutes, I was truly transported somewhere else and I was someone else.  I was the hero that Gotham deserved.

Now back to my life.  I’m just a regular Joe.

Bohemian Rhapsody 

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I’ve been a pretty big Queen fan for many years, since before “Wayne’s World” made Freddie Mercury popular again in 1992… (I watched that movie a dozen times in the theater- I could recite it almost verbatim back in the day).  It was back in 1984, at the end of “Revenge of the Nerds” when We are The Champions played.  The song and feel good moment struck a chord in me at the young age of 9.  I was never going to be a jock.  I was a nerd.  That song set my life on a path that made me proud to like what I like.  

Ah, cassettes. Good times… good times.


As an adult, I used to play Queen all the time in my home.  That is, until my first daughter was born.  Before even reaching age two, she cried whenever I put Queen on so I stopped listening for many years in my home.  Even on cd, there were complaints in my car.  This was probably more due to the volume and dad’s *amazing* singing voice than the Queen songs themselves. 

Bohemian Rhapsody is a song that I have heard many times throughout my life.  I’ve rewatched live performances of Queen and wished that Freddie was still alive.  But since that’s not the case, his music lives on in recorded sound and imagery.  The Muppets even made a music video a couple years back as a tribute.  Everyone I know can sing this song… And sing the opera part, and sing the guitar & drums… Lots of singing and head banging.  But Freddie did it best.  Some say he could sing in four different octaves and was able to manipulate his voice in order to create the sound.  Quick link here.

Google. It’s like you’re in my head!


Earlier this month Google released a VR version titled The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience.  So, I downloaded the app.  I have watched and rewatched it numerous times already.  It is visually appealing and is so well done, that I wouldn’t be surprised if living artists try it as well.  Viewing it was reminiscent of watching a Pink Floyd Laser Show at the planetarium… Oooo flashbacks…

What’s in the box?


I’m a big proponent of VR and have experienced many forms firsthand.  Now I am tempted to purchase a VR headset for my iPhone in order to truly immerse myself into that world.  Besides a $15 cardboard box from Google, real VR is actually kind of pricey.  VR still remains in its infancy as it jumps from being science fiction to reality.  Seriously though, try out the VR App of Bohemian Rhapsody, you’ll thank me.

Just try not to head bang too wildly, the VR headset may come flying off and you would come back to reality too quick.

TV Watching

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Like most people my age, TV has been a regular part of life since being born.  However, how we watch TV has evolved and is still evolving.

 

Program your own TV.

Picking up the remote and flipping channels has become a thing of the past.  Everything is “On Demand”.  Netflix paved the way for people to marathon through TV shows.  Watching 4-5 episodes (or more) of a show in one sitting is becoming the norm.

Back when I could barely afford cable TV, I enjoyed downloading TV shows on my computer.  YouTube had just started, so I found myself spending hours on my computer watching two minute clips at a time, wasting away the wee hours of the night. I discovered many channels that created a “one hit wonder” (can we say Numa Numa– holy crap that’s ten years ago!)  Now, you get only a few seconds to become an Internet Celebrity. (Damn Daniel).

I still stay up way past my bedtime, watching a screen or two until 3am.  I am often watching some sort of streaming video service.  I enjoy being able to watch TV shows on my time, not the time slot that we used to have to wait for.  I’ve also started to cut out shows that don’t grab my interest.  I don’t see the point of watching a series just because everyone else is.  Or, if a series has suddenly “Jumped The Shark”, I quit watching.

About a month ago, I had an opportunity to try out different Virtual Reality devices.  On one of the devices I watched a short film that was created by some former Pixar animators.  Wearing the goggles, the viewer is immersed in a new environment.  There was full 360° viewing capability.  When you focused on the main character, the story moved forward.  If you looked around to check out the environment you were in, the story would suspend and wait until your focus returned.  If you followed the main sequence of events, the movie went fairly quickly.  I love technological advances and this blew me away.  Something unique has been created and could be the future of video watching.

Stay tuned…

Button Mashing

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I will be the first to admit- I suck at most videogames.  I love playing them.  I rarely win.  Put me in a First Person Shooter, and after a few moments, I’m usually the bait.  Probably because I run full force into the middle of the game, guns blazing and not aiming at anything but the ground.  Playing a racing game, and my thumb is on the gas the entire time.  I often can’t judge the upcoming turns and end up off the track.  Add weapons into the game?  Chances are I’ll blow myself up.  Fighting game?  Hahahaha.  I button mash with the best of them.  When my daughter was aged four, she could beat me at my Mortal Kombat 4 upright arcade game.

 

Check out those graphics!

 
I generally succeed at puzzle games.  Tetris, or gem matching style, even Pacman and side scrolling Mario Bros is more my forté. Maybe it’s the 8Bit simplicity.  Maybe I just never matured in my gaming.  Maybe I can focus on the repetition easier than figuring out the next move.  Maybe it’s the pretty colors.

I began playing videogames in 1981.  I was five and played my first arcade game.  I was visiting my mother’s friend for a weekend and we went to get a pizza.  As we picked up the pizza, there was a lone arcade game near the front door.  I was awestruck by the colors, lights and sounds being emitted.  She saw my interest and gave me a quarter to play my very first Pacman.  Later that year, my family received our first home gaming system- The Intellivision.  Since then, I’ve kept up with the newest systems, and the latest tech.  My family has far surpassed my skills at gaming.  But that’s ok, I enjoy watching them and hearing about the adventures they have.  My son loves talking videogames almost as much as playing them.

 

Tall guy in a virtual world.

 
This weekend, my kids and I have had a chance to experience VR.  The artificial worlds are fully immersive and bordering between cartoon and realism.  As I played around in this world, part of my mind knew there were strangers watching me wander around waving my arms and moving my head.  Gaming controls are no longer buttons, but your movements. Your goggles and headset block out sense of the real world.  I could easily spend hours immersed away from reality.  But as these VR games get more intricate, my button mashing skills won’t help me.

 

Next Gen Gamer.

 
I am at the point in my life that I may have to admit that it’s time to pass on the torch. The next generation gamer is my son. May he mash the buttons of VR and succeed.

Back to reality.