Beyond Tokyo

Departments: History, International Studies, Japanese Languages and Cultures, Sociology

Tags: adventure, art, asia, culture, educational, entertainment, exploration, japan, no height requirement, no leg mobility requirement, offline, open world, people, realistic, relaxing, requires arm mobility, requires controllers, requires head mobility, requires sound, requires vision, simulation, social, travel

Beyond Tokyo is an interactive VR experience that has both classical and modern history of Japan. See what life looks like for a person living in Tokyo in first person, crossing the busiest street in the world, and become immersed in the amazing country that is Japan. There are amazing visuals that create a connection to the experiences that a textbook or normal photos simply cannot replicate.

Link to Steam

Review

Excavator Harbor Job

Departments: Geology and Environmental Earth Science

Tags: 2 stars, geology, linear, long experience, no height requirement, no leg mobility requirement, no sound requirement, offline, realistic, requires arm mobility, requires controllers, requires head mobility, requires vision, simulation

Excavator Harbor Job is a VR application that attempts to place the user in control of an excavation machine in various scenarios, mostly centered around an area near a harbor, as the name implies. The user uses their controllers to grab various menu options, which control different aspects of the excavator such as moving the machine forward and backward, and controlling the direction of the arm of the excavator. There appear to be various “jobs” that the user can embark on, each in different areas and with different goals.

Link to Viveport

Review

Google Earth VR

Departments: Architecture + Interior Design, Geography, Geology and Environmental Earth Science

Tags: 5 stars, earth, exploration, geography, long experience, no height requirement, no leg mobility requirement, no sound requirement, offline, open world, realistic, requires arm mobility, requires controllers, requires head mobility, requires vision, simulation, travel, world

Google Earth VR is an application that allows you to virtually transport yourself to various locations in the world by using, as the name implies, Google Earth. Users are placed in a first person POV at whichever location they select, and can move around by aiming at spots on the ground with their controller and clicking. There is a full 360 degree view, as well as other features such as changing the time of day by aiming at the sky and dragging it with the controller. The application also has a menu containing many curated scenic locations, as well as the ability to save the user’s current location in order to revisit it later.

Link to Steam

Review

Recommendations

Mind VR Exploration
Undersea Park
The VR Museum of Fine Arts