Barry, what do you mean “before the VR drops?”
~ArthurG
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Before it’s no longer a VR and it’s the real thing. 
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Aha - I hear that the universe gives extra (time) credit for patience! And yes, this VR definitely looks promising… hopefully soon. I generally don’t play games but this just might force me to reconsider.
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Before it’s no longer a VR and it’s the real thing.
haha, OK that makes sense. I would be interested in checking out this VR treatment of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, but the video clips didn’t really speak to me. Of course, being inside a VR experience is MUCH different than a flatscreen video of it. However, I wonder if it would really speak to me on a “cultural trappings” level.
Assuming the after-death bardo is an actual phenomenon, I would expect it to show up very differently depending on one’s cultural frame of reference. I found the evocation of the bardo in the excellent novel Lincoln in the Bardo quite compelling, but I tend to find the deities and general framework of the Tibetan Bardo less relatable when it’s not refracted through a more familiar cultural lens.
~ArthurG
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Simulations are amongst the most powerful computer-based instruction (CBI) educational programs available and the prospect of marrying them with consumer VR technology is something I anticipate to be worthwhile examining. I am happy that Andrew Holececk is involved in the project and that it is a departure from the shoot-em-up style games that proliferate the market. Whether it is an educative experience or not is TBD but I’m willing to try it since I already have a Quest and want to experience more of this kind of content.
Correspondence from the project website,
Thanks for your interest in our AfterDeath program. We are in fact aiming for the Oculus Quest platform with our initial release, thought that remains a few months away. I’ll put you on our email notification list and you can keep track of our progress.
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Hi people,
I am very new to this website and the whole dream experience. I find really interesting this VR advices. Although post are old you provided very good hints.
I am planning to buy an Oculus Quest 2 - so I won’t need to buy an expensive computer.
Do you have any thoughts about that?
Thanks!
David
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Welcome to the Night Club. Good choice for a VR device. Lot of good programs and you don’t need to get the bigger storage option unless you plan on buying a lot of games. I have the original Oculus Quest with 64MB and it is more than sufficient for how I use it. I have used the Oculus 2 and it’s an excellent choice for stand alone virtual reality. Tripp is one good app as well as Richie’s Plank Experience, as well. Looking forward to hearing about how you are enjoying the experience(s).
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Hey Barry, have you heard anything more about this? It’s a year since you posted this comment saying a Quest version was “a few months away,” so I’m assuming the project has been delayed.
~ArthurG
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Yes, I followed up a few months ago and they’re still looking at funding, so, still waiting . . .
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I second what Barry said. It is an excellent choice for a VR headset. If at some point you have a VR-compatible computer, it can also been connected to a PC. Facebook is pushing development of the Quest really hard, so it keeps improving, and more software continues to become available.
Barry’s recommendations of Richie’s Plank Experience (a program used in a study of virtual lucidity Andrew Holecek participated in) and Tripp are good ones. I also enjoy the Tai Chi app (in “Flow” mode) as well as a number of VR rhythm games that are great for getting into a flow state and getting exercise: Synth Riders and Beat Saber.
~ArthurG
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Arg! Someone toss them some bucks, stat! I see on the AfterDeath website they are thinking of doing a Kickstarter. I would certainly do my part to promote that if they go that route…
~ArthurG
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Try as I might I could never get past square 1 in that app. I thought we’d be mirroring a figure, but I don’t find the guided movements “forgiving” so it get’s stuck at the very beginning of a form. How far have you gotten? Did you practice this type of Tai Chi before, so that it was a natural progression?
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FYI-The very first time I went to the site Andrew Holececk ws listed as a contributor but thereafter, he was removed.
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Hmm, I wonder if you were trying the “arcade” mode, which I don’t care for…I use the “flow” mode which has a ghostly figure in front of me, and one to either side, doing the movements.
I have done Tai chi classes in the past, so maybe that helps.
~ArthurG
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He mentioned being associated with them a long time ago but dropped out when it didn’t pan out quickly enough and became more of a game.
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Thank you so much for your feedback. Finally I bought the Occulus Quest 2, and I am absolutely impressed. Amazing clear images, thunder response to the movements of the head and hands… within one hour I was already in. I recommend it to anyone who starts from zero.
Having said that, I have had to slow down. I feel it is really powerful and fires up the activity of the part of the brain that processes images. I felt dizzy for a few hours, not knowing if the reality was real (I know, this is the point). Also, maybe physically my eyes are still adjusting. But definitely I need to set a regime on my sessions not to overdue.
So I haven’t had time to have a look yet to your recommendations - still stuck at the ISS, flowing in the space. I’ll report it here.
Thank you again for advices, much appreciated.
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This is a common experience when one first uses VR, especially if they use it a lot initially (which is also common, because it’s amazing). It tends to fade after a little while.
Something else to keep in mind is that the current level of technology leads to a vergenge-accommodation conflict – basically there are two mechanisms that normally work together to detect distance, and current VR tech produces one but not the other, an unnatural mismatch. The upshot is, you probably don’t want to use VR for more than a couple of hours a day, and there may be a slight adjustment period when you first go out of VR (even after you get used to VR), if you’ve been inside for a long period of time.
~ArthurG
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I took the plunge and bought the Quest 2. Wow! Wow! Wow!. The technology is for real. As I find games related to meditation I will share them here. I did the demo of Tripp and will be trying SoundSelf when I get my computer cable to hook the Quest 2 to my computer. Hope to try the beta for Microdose VR, maybe Healium, and Flowborne. It looks like Healium is the only one that has the ability to sync with an EEG headband. Richie’s plank experience is pretty incredible and I can’t wait to try it out with friends when they come over.
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