Your Future Road Trips Could Be in the Metaverse Thanks to VR

 

• The company, holoride, is launching a VR experience you can use while riding in a car.
• Passengers could use VR to play games or eventually get work done. 
• Experts say that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to drive a car using VR anytime soon.

Virtual reality (VR) may be heading to a car near, and it could be a step toward a future where automobiles become part of the metaverse. 

The company, holoride, has launched its VR gaming and entertainment platform in Germany, with an in-vehicle immersive experience for some Audi vehicles. Passengers can use games and apps that synchronize with live ride information. And VR in your car could be a productivity boost, some experts say. 

"Riding in a car seems like a great place to get things done, but it's full of distractions and constraints," Danny Parks, the vice president of technology for Trigger XR, a company that creates VR and augmented reality experiences, told Lifewire in an email interview. "VR in cars has the potential to transform that experience by replacing the car interior with a fully immersive experience. There's a really great fit between the average commute and the average duration of a VR session."

VR in a Car

Holoride dubs its car VR experience the 'Motorverse,' which it defines as a place where riders can use interactive and passive content that reacts to both them and the car's motion. Enthusiasts often describe the metaverse as a version of the Internet which is an immersive virtual world. 

"Despite amazing advances in automotive technology over the last few decades, passenger experience and in-car entertainment has remained largely the same," Nils Wollny, the CEO of holoride, said in the news release. "With the introduction of holoride, we are not only elevating that stale experience; we are redefining how you spend your time on the go. I couldn't be more excited for riders to finally enjoy the thrills of the Motorverse for themselves."

We may see a theater-like experience where the windows and windshield dim and an immersive, 2-hour movie gets shown to the passengers.

At launch, holoride users can play Cloudbreakers: Leaving Haven. In the game, players guide Dev, his scavenger robot Skyjack, and I.O.N.E. through the hostile skies of Stratus, gathering scrap and blasting AI sentries as they simultaneously travel to their real-world destination.

The company claims that in addition to games, holoride can also create a more comfortable user experience. Instances of motion sickness are "substantially reduced thanks to the technology's use of steering, braking, and acceleration data to match what riders see in the headset with what they feel outside the Motorverse, and with almost no latency."

Real Motion, Virtual Reality

Gaming isn't the only VR option for the car industry. Automaker Nissan is reportedly giving buyers of their Ariya model free VR headsets to see their upcoming vehicle.

There have been delivery delays for the Ariya, so Nissan has said it will send those who reserved the car a free Meta Quest 2 VR headset. The Quest has a virtual vehicle rendering, so customers can see and interact with it. 

Auto industry consultant Iliya Rybchin told Lifewire via email that while holoride requires passengers to put on VR headsets, "it's a baby step to a much more immersive VR experience." He suggested that, eventually, car windows might be used as VR displays. 

"When consumers and government regulators become comfortable with fully autonomous cars—we may see a theater-like experience where the windows and windshield dim and an immersive, 2-hour movie gets shown to the passengers," he added.

There may also be contextual infotainment in our future for drivers, Rybchin said, since cars (and the 5G phones in our pockets) will know a lot about our driving patterns and intent.

"Rather than selecting content from the vehicle's display, your vehicle will become much better at recommending content based on your destination or goals in the same way Netflix or YouTube recommend content based on your preferences," he added. 

However much VR tech evolves, Parks predicted that using goggles to steer your vehicle is unlikely to become a reality anytime soon. 

"While one might imagine a world where a VR driving experience helps highlight potential dangers or hazards, the use case for entertainment (i.e., distraction) is too tempting to ignore," he added. "Driving a car while wearing a VR headset is unlikely to move through the necessary regulatory hurdles even if it did sound like a good idea."

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How Real-Life Sensations in Virtual Reality Could Deepen the Experience

 

• Virtual reality is getting more immersive thanks to new technologies that provide a sense of touch and smell. 
• A new VFR headset will supposedly blow up if you lose a game. 
• Researchers recently published a paper describing how smell could be used for virtual wine tastings.

Getty Images

Your experiences in virtual reality could soon get much more lifelike. 

Palmer Luckey, sometimes credited with creating modern virtual reality, claims to have built a VR headset that will kill the user if they die in the game they're playing. It's part of a growing number of gadgets intended to extend the VR experience into the physical realm. 

"VR systems are already full of feedback, but they're largely limited to audio and visual channels," Danny Parks, the vice president of technology of the VR firm Trigger XR, told Lifewire in an email interview. "You can move your head and see your perspective change or press a button and hear a new sound."

Too Real? 

VR gear manufacturers constantly strive to make the virtual experience more realistic, but some might say that Luckey is taking things too far with his latest project. Luckey gained fame for selling VR headset manufacturer Oculus, a company he sold to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion.

It will probably be some time before we see something that fundamentally changes the way we feel things in virtual environments.

Luckey shows off a VR headset containing three explosives on his blog. He wrote in a post that the headset explodes if you lose the VR game you are playing. 

"The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me—you instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it," Luckey wrote. "Pumped-up graphics might make a game look more real, but only the threat of serious consequences can make a game feel real to you and every other person in the game."

Feeling VR

Luckey said he has no plans to make a commercial version of the deadly VR headset, but many other products could soon be available to make VR experiences more realistic. One hot area is called 'haptic feedback,' in which the sense of touch is used to make VR more realistic. 

"There are several systems that generate ultrasonic fields to simulate touch, and others that use gloves or vibration vests to provide mechanical feedback," Parks said. "It will probably be some time before we see something that fundamentally changes the way we feel things in virtual environments."

You can buy haptic feedback gloves now, but they are bulky and expensive. For example, HaptX makes haptic gloves that cost $4,500. 

To make things even more realistic in VR, there's even a full-body suit available, called Teslasuit, that simulates forces on your body. So, for example, if you've been shot in a VR game, the suit will register the hit and translate it into pressure on your body.

Lucas Rodriguez San Pedro, the chief technical officer of enterprise VR platform provider Immerse, said in an email interview with Lifewire that haptic gadgets can be useful training. He said the real-life feedback, such as that provided by haptic gloves, or even full-body haptic suits, can help properly simulate real-life conditions when operating machinery. 

"Traditional visual-only VR interactions can provide a high level of fidelity in simulating the experience," he added. "But without the physical feedback, it can lead to unrealistic interactions."

Your nose might also get its own VR sensors to let you smell your way through the metaverse. There are VR headset attachments under development that can emit scent, water, and heat, Mike Buob, the vice president of experience and innovation at technology firm Sogeti, said via email. 

"For example, a VR headset used to train insurance adjusters to assess property damage can simulate the smell of a fire-damaged home, allowing for more immersive—and useful—training sessions to prepare the adjuster for real-life scenarios," he added. 

Virtual smells could be fun as well. Swedish researchers recently published a paper describing how smells could add realism to a wine-tasting game. In the game, the participant moves in a virtual wine cellar, picking up virtual wine glasses containing different types of wine and guessing the aromas. The small scent machine is attached to the VR system's controller, and when the player lifts the glass, it releases a scent.

"In the same way that a normal computer game becomes more difficult the better the player becomes; the scent game can also challenge players who already have a sensitive nose," Jonas Olofsson, one of the paper's author's said in a news release. "This means that the scent machine can even be used to train wine tasters or perfumers."

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The 9 Best VR Games of 2022

 The best virtual reality (VR) games can help you escape to another world, learn something new, or just allow you to blast away bad guys with a machine gun. When VR was first developed, one of the first-use cases that really caught on was gaming. Since then, games in VR have become more sophisticated and popular. With a VR headset that costs less than a game system, you can transport yourself fully into a brand new space, fly airplanes, see impossible sights, and fulfill your wishes from the safety of your living room.

VR gaming is key to the industry right now, and the industry has responded with some amazing titles. They're journeys to places you've only imagined. They get you off your feet and moving to the music. All this can be yours at an affordable price and a little extra room in front of the sofa. The right game is out there for you. Here are some of our favorites.

The Rundown

Best Overall:

 Half-Life Alyx VR at Steampowered.com

Best Music:

 Beat Games Beat Saber at Oculus

Best Sports:

 Crytek The Climb 2 at Oculus

Best Narrative:

 ILMxLAB Vader Immortal at Oculus

Best Multiplayer:

 Ubisoft Star Trek Bridge Crew at Oculus

Best Drawing:

 Nathan Rowe SculptrVR at Oculus

Best Social:

 Rec Room Inc. Rec Room at Oculus

Best Horror:

 Steel Wool Games, Inc. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted at Oculus

Best First-Person Shooter:

 Cloudhead Games Pistol Whip at Oculus

View On Steampowered.com

Half-Life: Alyx is one of the best VR games you can buy today, hands down. The sheer realism and immersive world that Valve software brings to the table is universally lauded for its detail and design. Valve rebuilt the Half-Life world from the ground up specifically for VR. In this new environment, users have a set of tools ideal for moving about in a world where you can pick up, throw, and generally manipulate everything.

The gameplay is intuitive, yet challenging. There's a mix of puzzle-solving and combat which keeps even the average player interested from start to finish. The game stays true to the Half-Life lore as well, fleshing out the story of its protagonist to an immensely fulfilling climax. Of course, playing in a world like this requires a lot of power, so a portable headset like the Oculus Quest won't do the trick unless you've tethered it to a powerful PC.

Overall, as long as you have the equipment you need, this is an amazing adventure that will keep you thrilled through multiple difficulty levels. If you are a fan of Half-Life, this is a must-play. Even if you're not a fan, there's enough background here to allow you to follow the story, without regretting a single step along the way.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Windows Mixed Reality | Install Size: 67GB}

The 10 Best Virtual Reality Games For Kids

Best Music: Beat Games Beat Saber

Courtesy of Road to VR

View On OculusView On Steampowered.com

What We Like

• Multiple levels of gameplay

• Very re-playable

• Active development of new modes and songs

What We Don't Like

• New song packs sometimes cost extra

• Limited selection of songs, unless you sideload

If you've ever been remotely curious about VR at any point in the last three years, you have heard of Beat Saber. This game allows you to play out your Jedi-meets-Guitar Hero fantasies. Gameplay is simple. You stand in one spot with two lightsabers in your hands and boxes coming toward you. As they reach you, slash them out of the way. Move to the music and you'll also get a great workout in. You can replay levels to get better, or move up to the next level.

This is one of the staples in VR gaming because of its simplicity and its addictive nature. All genres of music are available, from Hip Hop to Rock, and the game includes popular artists such as BTS, Imagine Dragons, and Green Day. Most popular music packs cost extra, so this game can quickly get expensive. Plus, while you can sideload alternative music packs, doing so halts game updates, making things like multiplayer mode incompatible until you sideload again. If you don't sideload, you're limited to the 100 or so songs that you can buy. 

Beat Saber is the quintessential VR game that needs to be on every VR headset. It's not the coolest experience, but it's one of the easiest and most fun that anyone can learn. Bring an Oculus Quest to a party, fire up Beat Saber, and you'll have hours of entertainment.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Approximately 2GB}

The 8 Best VR Headsets of 2022

Best Sports: Crytek The Climb 2

Courtesy of CNET

View On OculusView On Theclimbgame.com

What We Like

• Amazing views and vistas

• Easy to learn gameplay

• Challenges and gamification

What We Don't Like

• Limited levels

• Dizzying graphics

If you've ever wanted to scale a mountain or do some rock climbing, The Climb 2 may be right for you.  This game is a sequel to the original game, The Climb, which puts you on a cliff face with nothing but chalk, handholds, and an arrow pointing the way. As you make your way along cliffs, across loose rocks, and over ladders and pulleys, you are treated to some amazing views of the scenery.

The game lets you choose from one of five environments including the desert, a tropical cliffside, or even the city. There are only 15 levels in The Climb 2, but there is some re-playability, and challenges gamify repeat plays.

The levels are challenging and exhilarating. The environments are rich in scenery and even some culture. You can climb and jump from handhold to handhold. There are some unexpected surprises, such as poisonous plants and precipitous drops standing in your way of attaining the top of your climb, at which point you are treated to some extra fun, intense, and sometimes dizzying views of everything around you.

_{Platforms: Oculus, Oculus Quest | Install Size: Approximately 4.5GB}

Best Narrative: ILMxLAB Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series

Courtesy of VRFocus

View On Oculus

What We Like

• Continues the Star Wars story

• You stand face-to-face with Darth Vader

• Fun story

• Considered part of Star Wars canon

What We Don't Like

• Limited re-playability

• Sold in three volumes

• Limited to Oculus only

Star Wars fans, unite! Oculus and LucasFilms worked together to create this neat story that takes place in the Star Wars canon between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: a Star Wars Story. 

This adventure sees a smuggler and his droid assistant get caught in a tractor beam and pulled down onto the planet Mustafar. From there, Darth Vader himself recruits you to assist him in retrieving an artifact. It turns out you are the descendant of an ancient Jedi who can control an artifact that Vader needs. 

The story's three volumes take you through the complete adventure. Along the way, you learn how to use the force, wield a lightsaber, and fire a blaster. You need to purchase all three volumes, which is a downer, but the volumes are inexpensive compared to the average game.

You'll also need to be using an Oculus-branded headset since this was built by the Oculus team. Re-playability is about on par with watching the same movie over and over, it depends on your taste. But, for the chance to stand toe to toe with Darth Vader, who is terrifying in person, it's worth it.

_{Platforms: Oculus, Oculus Quest, PSVR | Install Size: 2.7GB}

The 8 Best VR Headsets of 2022

Best Multiplayer: Ubisoft Star Trek Bridge Crew

Courtesy of Ubisoft

View On OculusView On Gamestop.comView On Ubisoft.com

What We Like

• Cross-play with non-VR

• You get to fly the Enterprise

• New DLC adds Romulans and Borg

• Cross-platform compatibility with non-VR

What We Don't Like

• Graphics are a bit cartoony

Climb aboard the USS Enterprise-D in Ubisoft's Star Trek Bridge Crew. The ship was made famous on Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), and now it's yours to command. You and up to three friends can man different stations aboard a federation starship to complete missions in different positions around the bridge. The latest downloadable content adds Next Generation content including the Romulans and the Borg, facing off in a final showdown with the Federation's greatest enemies.

The graphics are not the sharpest, though. They actually come off as a little cartoony, lacking realism. Then again, you're piloting a starship through the Alpha quadrant, so maybe realism isn't the right feel. All the same, don't expect it to look the same as an episode of TNG. But being able to pilot a starship and battle it out with foes while working together with your friends makes this game a must for fans of the show, while still being fun for everyone.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Approximately 1.5GB}

The 6 Best VR Accessories

Best Drawing: Nathan Rowe SculptrVR

Courtesy of Steam Powered

View On OculusView On Steampowered.com

For those of you seeking to let loose your creative side, SculptrVR is a great game allowing you to sculpt in VR. Some VR drawing games let you draw brightly colored ribbons in mid-air, but SculptrVR gives you more practical tools to work with. You can create shapes, colors, and patterns and cut them away to further refine your art. Rather than drawing lines in the air, SculptVR is more like placing clay in the air and shaping it from there. In many ways, it's more intuitive. 

But there is a fairly steep learning curve as you learn the tools and their functions, and what tools to use to create which shapes. It can be intimidating, but there's even a Discord community to help you out.

SculptrVR is also a better way to create solid structures and characters. It works the way our brains want it to work—more solid and almost tangible. So if you've been looking to unlock your creativity, this is a great game for you.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Less than 1GB}

The 9 Best Free VR Games of 2022

Best Social: Rec Room Inc. Rec Room

Courtesy of Steam Powered

View On OculusView On Recroom.comView On Steampowered.com

What We Like

• Social platform allows you to chat, play games, or just hang out

• Mini-games are fun

• Free

• Privacy tools

What We Don't Like

• Stranger danger

Rec Room is a fun online platform that isn't limited to just VR. You can join Rec Room on any number of platforms including your Xbox, smartphone, and PC. In Rec Room, people can hang out, build and play games, talk, and more. It's like a laboratory for creators and players. You can create your own avatar, make friends, create games, or play games that others have created. It's a really fun place to hang out.

Of course, like any free chat room open to the public, you can encounter some unfriendlies. It's not a dire situation at all, but it's important to know who you or your children are talking to when playing. There are also tools in the game to block people you don't know. Many find the ability to create their own games quite freeing, and to see others enjoying those games is an amazing amount of fun.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Approximately 1GB}

7 Great Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

Best Horror: Steel Wool Games, Inc. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

Courtesy of IMDb

View On OculusView On Steampowered.comView On Viveport.com

What We Like

• Good, scary fun

• A master class of scares

• No walking or movement required

What We Don't Like

• Can get repetitive

• No explorable areas

If you're the kind of person who loves a good scare, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted is absolutely perfect for you. The Five Nights at Freddy's franchise has long been established as a great scare game, but moving it into VR makes it more immersive and terrifying. Five Nights is based on the old pizza places with animatronic characters, but they've come to life and are dedicated to causing trouble and ultimately, you know, killing you.

Jump scares reign in this game. You can play it sitting on your couch if you like, but that does lead to one problem—none of the areas in the game are explorable. There's no way to move around and see what's behind corners. That's a little limiting for a VR game, but it works. Also, the tasks you need to perform can get repetitive at times. But if you're the kind of person who loves to get your blood pounding, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted will definitely do that for you.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Approximately 2GB}

The 10 Best Scary Virtual Reality Games

Best First-Person Shooter: Cloudhead Games Pistol Whip

Courtesy of Steam

View On OculusView On Steampowered.com

First-person shooters are one of the best game implementations in the VR space. Using handles and triggers to hold and shoot guns is perfectly natural. Pistol Whip is one of the best since it's not only a first-person shooter, but it's also a rhythm game, much like Beat Saber. It's also an action game, reminiscent of John Wick because you're shooting at enemies and whipping them with your pistol. It's a great action game that will keep you moving and a little out of breath.

Updates and new songs are generally free, including the most recent 2089 update which transports you into a future where robots have taken over the world and only you can stop them. This was a free add-on to an already great game. Pistol Whip sees active development, and it's fun for all skill levels.

The one thing we would caution you against is, if you are prone to motion sickness, this game might get to you. The game will have you constantly moving forward as if you're on a conveyor belt, and it can be disorienting. You will also be ducking and stepping side to side, and it can get to you, so be warned.

_{Platforms: HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, PSVR | Install Size: Approximately 2GB}

5 Open Source First-Person Shooter Video Games

Final Verdict

If you have a computer that can run it, Half-Life: Alyx (view at Steam) is an amazingly immersive game in a world that was custom-built from the ground up for VR. It tells a compelling story with rich characters and intuitive gameplay that can keep you entertained for hours. All VR games should aspire to be what Half-Life: Alyx delivers.

If you don't have a powerful headset or computer, it's hard to go wrong with Beat Saber (view at Oculus). It's an addictive game that is easy to learn, but exceptionally hard to master. There are multiple ways to play including multiplayer, solo quest, and 360 mode which send blocks flying in from all directions. Re-playability is quite high as each time you play you get a little bit better. It's simply a must-have for any VR aficionado.

About Our Trusted Experts:

Adam Doud has been writing in the technology space for almost a decade. When he's not hosting the Benefit of the Doud podcast, he's playing with the latest phones, tablets, and laptops. When not working, he's a cyclist, geocacher, and spends as much time outside as he can.

What to Look For in a VR Game

Compatibility - If you already own a headset, it's easy to tell if a game is compatible by checking the store. If you're still shopping for a VR headset and you want to know whether a game will work on it, most VR game stores have a website you can check as well.

Re-playability - Some games can be played and played again. Others have a more narrative quality that can really be enjoyed only so much before they start to get stale. It's a good idea to read reviews of a game to make sure you'll enjoy it for a long time before putting down your hard-earned money. If you get only one play-through, you'll want to make the most of the experience.

Locomotion - VR headsets have several different methods of moving around to take into account. There's sitting, swinging your arms, room scale, and more. How you play a game will generally determine how much space you need. Therefore, the space you have available will dictate the types of games you'll be able to play. For example, The Climb 2 would be difficult to play in a confined space.

FAQ

• How do I download games to my headset?

  VR headsets have a store or marketplace where you can purchase and download games. Often there's an accompanying app on your smartphone that you can use to purchase games and have them sent to your headset automatically. In rare cases, there are games that you can load onto your headset directly from your computer.

• Can I play VR games on any headset?

  Not necessarily. While many VR games can be played on any headset, some are developed for a specific platform. Similar to console games, some games don't make it to all VR headsets, so it's important to make sure that a game is compatible with yours. The safest bet for knowing if a game is compatible or not is by looking for the game in your headset's app store.

• How many games can my headset hold?

  This depends on your headset's storage capacity. Most VR headsets start with a base storage of 64GB. While most game sizes fall within the 2GB range, extra downloaded content, such as extra songs for Beat Saber, takes up more data. With a base storage model, you can expect to have around 20 to 30 apps installed comfortably, but that will also depend on what apps you're installing.

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