This article was published on June 14, 2017

Man in VR headset falls off fake cliff and hits a very real floor


Man in VR headset falls off fake cliff and hits a very real floor

One day, we’ll have an entire Tumblr account for hilarious VR accidents, but until then, George Takei’s Facebook account will have to do. Takei, the Star Trek alum and current boss of sharing things on Facebook, recently shared a video of a man attempting to conquer a virtual cliff while inside an Oculus headset; it didn’t go well.

While climbing up a virtual mountain, the unnamed user had an unexpected fall — both in-game and in real life. The fall was a minor one, and it seems nothing is hurt but his pride.

The spill does outline a significant danger for virtual reality in that it might sometimes be too immersive. An immersive experience is what it’s all about, so it’s hard to suggest companies dial it back. Instead, maybe some genius out there can come up with a way to keep headset-wearers safe while they’re saving the world from pixelated zombies, or viewing some VR porn.

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Perhaps the funniest part of the video is what’s happening in the background. If you look closely to the rear-right of the screen, you’ll see two men in blue shirts (Microsoft employees) pop up to assess what just happened before disappearing behind the counter again.

via GeekWire

TNW originally published this piece in November of 2016. And we still find it hilarious.

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