If you’ve been wanting to try some of the hottest new VR equipment, the Libraries offers you that opportunity all summer long. The VR Studio in the West Wing of the D. H. Hill Jr. Library (room 2318) is open for drop-ins every weekday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. No reservations are necessary.
Combining the robust computing that VR requires with the space needed to properly engage the stand-up VR experience, the new VR Studio is a unique campus resource for students and faculty.
The VR Studio offers access to equipment like the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, as well as an array of games and tools plus access to Libraries staff for training and guidance. And it’s not just a virtual playground, either. Also intended as a development and research space, the studio has a variety of tools and programs that help users interact with data and computers in new ways.
New equipment, programs, and games will debut in the studio throughout the summer. One particularly attractive current feature is the ability to “Visualize Your Summer Trip,” an application of Google Earth VR. You can follow the path of a planned road trip, check out the town your summer internship is in, or just wander the streets of Rome from afar.
Thrill-seekers will want to try out “The Plank Experience.” You take an elevator to a skyscraper rooftop and walk out onto a plank sticking off the side of the building. Meanwhile, while you’re seeing that in your VR headset, you’re walking on an actual board on the VR studio floor. The experiences merge to become immersive. And, of course, you can jump off the plank too!