The potential of unencumbered communication between people, real people, was mind blowing. In those days we had “long distance calls” – you had to pay per minute to reach people outside of the arbitrarily placed boundaries (they were intentional, but created as a toll by telcos). This meant you really only called people that weren’t in your city when there was some sense of urgency, or you had business reasons.

Along comes the web, which gave those that cared to learn how, the ability to publish anything we wanted to – for anyone on earth to read. The history of the web is covered well elsewhere so I’ll spare you that rollercoaster. At the time, say 1995, big news media and publishers controlled the narrative, and people were simply one-way consumers – reading magazines, newspapers, and watching TV as the sole sources of information inputs. There were exceptions of course (the BBS, Usenet, FidoNet, Compuserve, AOL, etc.) but most people didn’t know about them.

The sense of wonder and possibility that accompanied this new Information Age has materialized in my world in the form of technology startups. I use the term startup, though it’s not really the best descriptor. It’s more like tests, or more commonly MVPs: I have an idea for a thing, dissect it, build it, then let a few people use it and see what happens. If there’s enough interest, I’ll add a revenue model and test/iterate.

By the way, this is a terrible approach for most founders and will result in a lot of lost sleep and relationships. If you’re looking for the quickest path to MVP, please pick up the Startup Owners Manual and read every page. I do not recommend the “build it and they will come” approach.

I digress. I’ve been reflecting on this ability to make things quickly quite a bit lately. It feels a little like a superpower. I can take something that exists as a simple idea to the computer screen in all of its glory. It may be ugly, but it will work. There’s a term in web development called “full stack” which means front end (browser/client side using HTML/CSS/Javascript etc.) and back end (server side databases/scripting languages, etc.). Today most people are trained (or choose) to specialize in one or the other. There are technical and non-technical founders, single founders in search of co-founders to fill some gap or even help formulate the idea itself.

I’ve been working on a few ideas and will present them here for your scrutiny and feedback. With the launch of Apple’s Vision Pro, one of these ideas has been occupying more time in my brain than it has in a while. It may be the first to materialize… it’s a new take on the web in 3D with no changes required to the web itself. It works with existing websites and infrastructure. More on that soon.

How about you? What’s your superpower?

If you’re an entrepreneur or a freelancer, working from home won’t be new. What’s changed is the perspective, the obligation. Before 2020, we were more able to move our workspace to a coffee shop or a local coworking space for a change of scenery, or to feel more connected to our community. Doing so today brings with it a whole host of new risks, but our desire to be connected and to have that change of scenery remains.

Working from home has its challenges and benefits, and tomes have been written on the subject. This post will address something that isn’t covered in the main stream news cycles, or by many people at all. Yet. This post is about moving what we think of as our work space into a virtual space. The term “virtual” as related to work has been used to describe a physical workspace that’s disconnected from the company’s owned or leased space. We’ll fix that today.

When you see images or video of “virtual reality,” it’s important to remember that what you’re seeing is a two dimensional view of a 3D space. When you’re in VR, what you see surrounds you, it engulfs you. You are moved from one physical location in to a space that feels real. This is simple to explain, but until you put on a headset, the words simply don’t do the description justice.

Working in VR.

The concept of the “virtual reality headset” has evolved quite a bit recently. It’s been liberated, really, and has reached a price point that consumers find pleasing ($299). It’s less than half of what millions pay for their phones, yet the headset provides so much more. It’s an opportunity to immerse yourself into another experience all together, no imagination required.

Virtual reality is no longer synonymous with games and gaming. Of course that all exists, but for myself and many others, it’s a secondary or even tertiary use case. I use my headset primarily for work, then entertainment (movies, YouTube, etc.). Gaming happens every now and then.

A PC (Mac, or PC) is no longer required to enjoy virtual reality. Today’s headsets have all of the processing power built directly in. They’re wireless, and apps install directly into the headset. For our post today though, you’ll want to have a computer available. Its screen is what will be visible inside of the VR headset.

Here are the basics required for working in VR

1. A Virtual Reality headset. I recommend the Oculus Quest 2 exclusively.
2. A PC (Mac, Windows, or Linux)
3. ImmersedVR – the software that connects them together.

ImmersedVR has two components. First is the app that gets installed on the headset. That app then connects to an agent that is installed on the computer. The result, like magic, is that your computer’s display appears as a window inside the VR headset. If you have two physical displays, then you’ll have two displays in VR. If you don’t, ImmersedVR gives you the ability to create up to 5 “virtual” displays.

Getting started is incredibly simple: buy the headset, then install ImmersedVR on the headset and on your computer. It’s really that simple.

Frequently asked questions.

Why do I recommend the Oculus Quest 2?

It’s small, it’s light, its high resolution screen is perfect for displaying computer screens in VR, the battery lasts for what I think is a perfect VR work session (2.5 hours), it’s wireless, and it’s inexpensive. For the first time the cost of the headset isn’t the road block, perception and experience are.

Previous to Quest 2, a VR setup would have a giant wire connecting the headset (with no brains of its own) to a massive gaming PC. That whole setup would cost thousands of dollars. The Quest 2 is $299, all in, and ImmersedVR is $0 (free).

Why do I recommend ImmersedVR over other screen solutions?

While there are other options for displaying your computer’s screen in a headset, ImmersedVR is the only one built from the ground up to work on all platforms, and to make the experience a social one. You can connect to public rooms and have the ambiance of a coffee shop, co working with perfect strangers. Don’t worry, they can’t see your screens. The experience is mind blowing. When someone speaks, you tend to look in their direction to their avatar.

ImmersedVR is also focused exclusively on working in VR, from individuals to enterprise. With a paid plan, you can create private rooms that can hold up to 8 people. This means a small remote team can get together, share screens, pair program, work on a presentation or whatever.

The other most common software does show your displays, but it’s primary use is to enable desktop quality gaming on the wireless headset.

How do you type in VR?

The first question most people have at this point is “How do you type in VR?” It’s a great question because the thought of using controllers to type long form prose or code on a virtual keyboard is the thing of nightmares. The answer is simple though. You use the exact same mouse and keyboard that you would normally. If you’re already a touch-typist, then this will seem natural. If not, well, there’s hope. There are dozens of touch typing tutorials available on the web – just use them while connected to your headset! The rest is cake.

Think of it this way… the headset simply takes the idea of a physical display and moves it into the headset. Everything else is exactly the same.

How much physical space is required?

The Oculus Quest 2 has a guardian concept to help keep you safe (thus the name). You can draw, using your controllers, a space as large as 25′ x 25′ if you have room for it. For computer/laptop work though, I use a setting called “stationary” where the headset draws a circle that’s about 2 meters in diameter. Working in VR takes no more space than sitting at your computer (or standing as I do). If you reach out and come close to your guardian, then the guardian becomes visible as a warning.

How do I drink my (coffee, tea, beer, etc.) with a headset on?

Straws. Straws save the day.

What if I need to see the world outside of my headset?

The Oculus Quest has a feature called “Pass through.” This feature allows the cameras on the front of the headset to pass reality in to the headset. You can access this feature with two gentle taps on the left or right side of the headset. You can then see everything (in black and white) on your desk or in the room. It’s a beautiful thing. When someone comes in, two taps and you’re having a conversation. Two more taps, and you’re back to “the office.”

How do I make or receive calls in VR?

If you’re on a Mac and use an iPhone, then make sure that they’re connected using Facetime Audio. When your iPhone rings, your Mac will alert you and use FaceTime audio to answer the call. I’m not sure how to connect an incoming call to your mobile device to Windows. For outgoing calls however, you can use Google Voice and set the caller ID to your mobile phone’s number.

In summary.

There are three required components to working in virtual reality: a headset, a computer whose display will be used, and ImmersedVR. The benefits that working in vr brings (focus, social interaction, and team work) are well worth the price of admission. Feel free to share this post with your team, and I’ll be happy to field any questions.

The time has come. I’ll see you in VR!

How many of you remember what the gaming ecosystem looked like in 2007? There were consoles, PC gaming, Macs were practically a no-show except for “light” games, and mobile gaming was ports of 8 bit gaming engines and evolved versions of snake.

No one cared about playing games on the phone, that’s not what they were for, they were for email (Windows CE, Blackberry), messaging, and phone calls. Nokia’s N-Gage platform notwithstanding

Fast forward to today, iOS and Android (phones) own the market that was created when the iPhone was released… that market is called “Casual Games.” There’s been no shortage of debate about how powerful the phones are, and how well they can play games, but without a doubt, nearly everyone plays games on their phones.

These games aren’t typically using the latest whiz-bang graphics, or VR, or or even team play. They’re nothing like what a “gamer” would play. They’re far to uninteresting. The gamer wants wicked refresh rates, absurd FPS, and the latest and greatest GPUs and CPUs with as much memory as possible. Add a VR headset and the requirements increase further.

The casual gamer wants to be able to enjoy themselves, play puzzle games, grow farms, checkers, peer to peer backgammon, and so on. Things that run perfectly on their mobile devices.

What’s happening today is a very similar revolution. Oculus released the Oculus go, powered by what amounts to a mobile phone’s core. They’ve stripped the non-essential software and hardware and put it in the market.

What’s different this time? The Oculus Go leverages a well tuned app store ecosystem, developed with their partners at Samsung while building Gear VR. Why does the app store matter? Says Greg Joswiak, Apple vice president of iOS, iPad and iPhone marketing, in a Rolling Stone story called “Apple: How iPhone Gaming Revolutionized Video Games”

“We thought maybe we’d get 50 apps to start, but on the first day we had 500, and we thought that was an omen. But I’d be lying if I said we thought it would be as revolutionary as it would become. It’s changed the world. It’s changed the way software is written and distributed. It’s changed the gaming industry.”

Simply? Consumers want an easy button. The Oculus Go is incredibly simple, and easy. The Oculus Go is not for the “gamers” among us. It’s a very simple and elegant entry into the consumer VR space. It provides exactly the same experience that the current casual games do on iOS and Android, but in VR. You can play with friends, watch movies and TV, and of course you can do most of it in real time with friends.

Here’s a quote from a friend of mine, and new Go convert/evangelist Elie Finegold: “Got another one today for my wife so we can hang together while I’m traveling.” This comes from our first experience in Oculus Rooms. He and I spent the better part of an hour just chatting and catching up. He was so taken by it, well, you see what happened.

We’re on the edge of something great here. I hope you’ll follow along for more as it unfolds.

Previous Go stories:
New to the Oculus Go? Here are 10 apps to get you started.
Wireless consumer VR: slip it on and Go. Anywhere.

I live in 350 sq ft. with my wife, daughter, and two dogs. It’s nice to be able to zone out and be in my own space without having to be tethered to the PC and the Samsung HMD Odyssey. I’ve even used it outside in a camping chair.

My current usage patterns suggest that it’s a replacement for using Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Flipboard, and so on on my iPhone X. I set up a couple of web based Google Mail accounts too. It’s remarkably usable for these things. I have bookmarks set for all of them, so they’re just a click away.

As far as VR experiences, there are several things I keep going back to. Wonder Glade has several mini games. For some reason, I really enjoy the basketball and mini-golf.

Proton Pulse is a great breakout/bricks type game apparently made for Gear VR as it uses head motions, not the controller. I expect that’ll be updated, but it’s well worth the $2.99.

A couple of other interesting things: Mondly (interactive language practice) and MelodyVR (360° live concerts with multiple camera positions).

I also love that Altspace is here. That brings the promise of social VR to an untethered, inexpensive headset. I haven’t tested all of the games, but being able to play with others, cross platform, is intriguing.

I haven’t test the party feature yet. I have a few friends with Go, but if you’re ever online at the same time I am, I’d be happy to give it a shot.

Of course the consumption experiences are great too. Hulu, Netflix, Amaze, Gala… they all do exactly what you expect.

There are some things that would make the experience better, but they’re certainly not show stoppers. Copy and pasting text, a “right click” somehow in the browser, pairing of other Bluetooth devices (keyboard, mouse, headphones), and a way to view a computer’s screen interactively. Think Bigscreen, but two way.

Imagine setting up a virtual server at Digital Ocean with Ubuntu, and being able to control that machine from your Go, anywhere with WIFI. I’d love to use this for work, but like with VR in general, this is still a wide open area for devs to tackle.

More soon.

You can pick one up at Best Buy, or follow this link to Amazon. It is an affiliate link, so if you make a purchase there, Heather and I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

The early days of VR were research (funded by the military), big business, health, and science. The latest generation is about intense immersive gaming – sweat, fatigue, adrenaline, and anxiety all present. The experiences are as genuine to your brain as they need to be.

As we move toward the future of VR, it’s important that we recognize its strengths and weaknesses. The immersion is real, the interaction is real, and the relationships are real, too. Affordability is no longer the barrier, with incredibly immersive HMD (Head Mounted Display) experiences starting at $276 and VR ready PCs at around $719 (less if you build your own). If you’re on a budget, Google’s Daydream platform is a good starting point, as is Samsung’s Gear VR platform– each under $100.

So what’s the opportunity? Here’s a fact: I haven’t seen a VR native spreadsheet, presentation software, or a word processor. No calendaring, time tracking, coding environments, email, you get the idea. In fact, I’ve seen very little in the productivity space that isn’t a simple github proof of concept done over a weekend to prove it can be done.

This isn’t to belittle the efforts of pioneers, to the contrary. It’s to point out that many of these were built before Sony sold 2 million PSVR systems, and Microsoft threw their hat into the VR ring with Windows Mixed Reality.

The opportunity is now.

Opportunity 1) games don’t require much in the way of input. In fact, many of today’s use cases don’t require a keyboard at all, and this is a good thing. Getting text into VR is a slow process: a) you learn to touch type, b) use a virtual keyboard with the same level of patience (and time) it took to learn the physical one (sometimes decades), or c) wait until dictation isn’t awkward in a shared physical space.

Opportunity 2) In the same way that the web changed what it meant to compute (“The network is the computer.” John Gage, Sun Microsystems, 1984), the web can change what it means to experience work. All of the major technology companies have web based versions of the basic productivity suites, and they’re all solid implementations. What does it look like to combine these with WebVR, an open, web based graphics library for virtual and augmented reality?

What’s stopping you from building TextEdit or Notepad for VR, using the WebVR A-Frame as the framework? Companies building VR tools for work today are going to be the Apple, Microsoft, and Google of the future. It’s an open, green pasture, and no one is on the field.

What do you think? Are we ready to start thinking about what it means to work in VR? Are you ready for meetings in a virtual shared space? Does VR allow home office workers to feel like a part of the team?