Aug 30, 2022 VR Services – Fall 2022

By Tony Sams

Welcome back students, staff, and faculty! It has been amazing to see so many faces around campus once again. The pandemic may be slowly waning, but I’d like to think that we can celebrate gathering together to learn and talk story once again.

So, what’s new in VR Services? As always, we continue to track developments coming from the hardware and software realm. Meta is expected to announce their new AR/VR headset (project Cambria). Valve is rumored to be gearing up for the release of a headset that will directly compete with Meta’s upcoming headset. Several small startups like PICO have brought headsets to market that look to compete with Meta’s Quest 2, but time will tell if their tech can provide the same experience for their users.

In the VR Arena, we have 10 VR stations now. We have added two new interactive control surfaces, a VR treadmill KatWalk Mini S and an Icaros Health. Both pieces of hardware will allow the user to build uniques VR experiences using alternative control interfaces (getting started with the VR Treadmill). For more traditional control, we have added a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog flight controller. All of the VR stations are now numbered and reservable. Please see the Marriott Library’s website for scheduling information. All stations can be reserved in 3 hours blocks.

The VR Classroom in 1009 is available for one-off workshops and semester length courses. The classroom still features 8 VR stations with Valve Index systems. The curricular design of the classroom was originally conceived for teaching and learning. However, VR hangouts are perfectly acceptable. Please make sure you request the room before using so we understand how often the room is used!

For checkout, we have many Meta Quest and Meta Quest 2 headsets available through the Knowledge Commons. The mobile VR Classroom still features 40 VR-ready laptops and 40 Meta Quest 2 headsets along with Meta tethering cable. The Mobile Classroom is available for courses and workshops. Please contact me for further details.

Have a great semester!

For help with all things VR please see the VR Services Website or contact:

Tony Sams | New Media Projects Specialist
Creativity & Innovation Services
tony.sams@utah.edu