This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

FeatureVR

When the picture show studios and gaming industries began their brief flirtation with 3-D technology a few years back, there was a small (only occasionally raucus) fence over whether or non 3-D spectacles and technology were somehow bad for people. Now with VR technology rapidly maturing, nosotros're seeing similar warnings and discussions over safety. As with 3-D, some of this is common sense, and some of it's a chip goofy.

HTC's recommendations for using its Vive headset land are a chip on the silly side, as Ars Technica reports. The company actually recommends that you only employ its equipment when you have a partner nearby to spot you. Don't effort to run from encounters or contrivance enemy fire past actually throwing yourself across the living room, e'er employ the handheld controllers with their condom strap around your arm, lest you accidentally knock grandma's teeth out, and perhaps most notably:

This chair is not real. Please don't sit in it.

This chair is not existent. Please don't sit down in it.

"It is important to remember that simulated objects, such as furniture, that may be encountered while using the product practice not exist in the existent globe, and injuries may result when interacting with those simulated objects as if they were real, for example, by attempting to sit down down on a virtual chair."

There's a kernel of truth to all of this, of course. If you lot're wearing a face computer, it's probably best non to try juggling at the aforementioned time. Clearing your gaming area and making sure there aren't any objects on the flooring that could trip you up is a smart motion, and truthfully, there are sure aspects of VR design that aren't exactly intuitive. VR designers have been brash to non include certain types of environments, as they make people decumbent to vertigo or even falling over. While the chance of sitting down on virtual piece of furniture and accidentally smashing grandma seems small, certain environments that are common in beginning person shooters, like stairs, have been known to crusade vertigo. When y'all walk upwards or down stairs, your body instinctively positions itself to do and then — which means non actually encountering a stair tin can throw your balance off. If you've ever expected i more step down than yous actually had, you've felt this type of awareness.

HTC Vive PCMag

The HTC Vive.

If you're jumping on the VR train, do exercise common sense. HTC has created a "chaperone" system that lets yous map the boundary of a safe area, but it doesn't advise relying on it for protection. Care for information technology more than like a guideline, and you'll have a amend chance of not throwing a motion controller beyond the room or tripping and falling.

And don't sit on the furniture.