Oculus Quest’s inside-out tracking allows you to go beyond the limits of room-scale VR. The only problem is, most of us don’t have actual rooms that go beyond those limits too. But what if you could play in a larger area? What if you had, say, an entire field at your disposal? Well then you’re in for some real magic.
This great video from ETR shows you what’s possible. It sees a Quest user explore the hub world of Oculus Studios’ Journey of the Gods across a wide area. The user is able to actually run across the field, with his movements replicated in-game. The result is a much more convincing and immersive experience. We did something similar with Google and Lenovo’s Mirage Solo standalone headset when it launched last year.
As he says, you need relatively low-light conditions to do this; Quest’s tracking doesn’t work well in focused sunlight. But, in the right conditions, you’re pretty much free to run around as you please. For a game like Journey of the Gods, that means combat can be much more physical. But imagine breaking Superhot VR and running to the other side of the room, or making your way through a level of Apex Construct without ever touching the analog stick.
It’s just a shame we can’t all play this way. Even if we do have open spaces near us, the thought of pulling a Quest over your eyes and running around in the dark isn’t exactly appealing.
Oculus Quest is out on May 21 for $399. You can check out our full review of the headset here.
