Go underwater, explore with new virtual reality games

Go underwater, explore with new virtual reality games

(Carrie Rogers-Whitehead)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine you are immersed in the deep sea.

You are walking on the rotting wood of a sunken ship. Above you is a patch of light seemingly hundreds of feet above you providing dim illumination to the underwater world. Schools of fish swim, then a giant blue whale suddenly appears — so close you can touch it.

Words can only provide a semblance of that deep sea experience. Virtual reality can fill in much of the rest.

This description of being underwater is from the virtual reality game "theBlu: Encounter" by Wevr, which is powered by the HTC Vive. When local Drew Taylor tested it out at the Microsoft store at City Creek, he said, “this is insane.”

The HTC Vive came out in April 2016 and the Microsoft store is one of few stores to have it. Justin Lee, community development specialist for Microsoft, said “it’s very common to have lines out the door” to try out the Vive.

There are currently over 100 titles available on the HTC Vive, created in partnership with HTC and Valve. It is run with Windows 10 and the games are available through Steam. Steam is like the iTunes of virtual reality; you can browse the collection based on hardware, genre of game and number of players, in addition to accessing free games and demos.

The Vive is not the only VR headset available. The Oculus Rift, owned by Facebook and initially funded through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, also provides a virtual reality experience. Unlike the Vive, the Rift does not provide the same opportunities for movement — there is less capability to stand up and walk around. The Vive also has motion controllers to allow a more immersive experience, although there will be controllers for the Rift later this year.

The author, Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, plays Space Pirate Trainer on the Vive. (Photo: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead)
The author, Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, plays Space Pirate Trainer on the Vive. (Photo: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead)

In addition to "theBlu," the Vive demo includes "Tilt brush," a 3-D art program made by Google where you can paint in a 360-degree environment of your choosing, then walk around your creation. "Space Pirate" trainer is another VR game, similar to the old-school "Space Invaders," where you shoot alien ships coming at you from multiple angles.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this month, other VR games were announced, including the hotly anticipated "Star Trek: Bridge Crew" by Ubisoft. Lee said, “software is what drives experiences … Software is what (is) going to make the hardware successful.”

The software for VR has improved much since that 2012 Rift Kickstarter.

Lee said virtual reality is an empathetic experience, with applications not only for gaming but education as well. In the future, VR may be able to provide more of those experiences that words alone cannot describe.


![Carrie Rogers-Whitehead](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2585/258536/25853698\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead -----------------------------------------

Carrie Rogers-Whitehead is a senior librarian at Salt Lake County Library. In addition, she is an instructor at Salt Lake Community College and CEO and co-founder of Digital Respons-Ability. Carrie can be reached at carrie@respons-ability.net.

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