This gaming chair for virtual reality aims to solve everyday problems of playing in VR and deepen the immersion.
What should I imagine the Roto VR Explorer to be? It is a compact gaming chair without armrests, which is mounted on a round platform. On this platform, the chair rotates in response to commands from a tracker that is attached to your head. The VR headset continues to serve as a visual display, while the chair simply enhances the experience.
Rotation follows virtual reality
What does the Roto VR Explorer aim to achieve? First and foremost, it aims to increase immersion, as apart from the independent rotation that reacts to the player’s movements in the respective game, the chair also features a rumble function. This shakes the seat to accompany various events in the game or to simulate surfaces. It receives commands wirelessly from the headset to which a dongle is attached.
Does this help with nausea? VR still causes dizziness and nausea in many people today, despite all improvements in technology. The reasons for this can be simplified to a confusion of our balance organ, as our body sees something different than it perceives through movement. The field of vision changes, but otherwise, nothing changes.
Here, this gaming chair could help, as it at least simulates movement in the horizontal direction, which theoretically should help the brain feel more comfortable.
Does the Roto VR Explorer work only with Meta Quest? No, according to the developers, it also supports Vive XR Elite, Pico Neo 3, and soon Apple Vision Pro. However, support is primarily geared towards the Meta Quest product line.
Not supported are: PSVR 1&2, Varjo, Pimax (PC version), Oculus-S, and Reverb G2.
Which games are supported? In general, the Roto VR Explorer should work with all VR titles from yesterday, today, and tomorrow that are not explicitly designed for use while standing. The developers highlight some titles as their favorites at launch:
- Asgard’s Wrath 2
- Assassin’s Creed
- Population One
- Iron Man
- Rec Room
- Luckey’s Tale 2
- Epic Roller Coasters
- Job Simulator
- The Climb
- Among Us
- Dig VR
Can I already buy the VR chair? The Roto VR Explorer has not been released yet, but it can be pre-ordered on the official site. It is supposed to be delivered in October. However, you will have to dig quite deep into your pockets. It will cost around £799, which, including shipping, is sure to be more than €850. You can find all the information on the official homepage.
A central element of many VR environments today is upscaling via neural networks, such as through Nvidia’s DLSS. Anyone interested in the background and developments of this technology can find information and further links in this article: Intel, AMD, and Google have no chance against Nvidia – This is why you should be interested in the arms race in AI as a gamer.
