If you’re just entering the VR space you’ll quickly realize that you’re going to want accessories to improve and compliment the experience for your learners. Are these necessary? No. Can they be game-changers? For many, yes. I’ve created a list of accessories that will help with the overall experience when it comes to using VR. The first accessories I usually suggest acquiring involve VR space, cable management, and storage.
VR Space
Regardless if you use a tethered or wireless headset, having a defined VR space is essential to having a good experience and providing a comfortable experience. Every headset allows for defining your VR area via setting up the room boundary within the headset, but this is a new and foreign concept to almost everyone. Placing confidence in a digital perimeter requires trust and getting used to it, but there are other ways to help alleviate concerns about drifting out of the defined boundaries. Using a tactile approach for your feet provides an extra level of safety and keeps you far enough from your guardian system warnings allowing you to focus on your experience and not the flashing boundary. By defining your VR area and keeping you within a safer zone away from objects or walls. Companies such as ProxiMat create VR-specific mats just for this purpose, and you can even customize your mats with logos. If you’re more of a DIY type, you can use items like yoga mats or even sports turf.
Cable Management
For those who are using tethered headsets, we can’t talk about improving your VR space without discussing cable management. The last thing you want is your users worrying about tripping over cables or potentially damaging the connections to the headset due to poor cable management while in VR. The Kiwi Design VR Cable Management Pulley System is a system that uses pulleys that can be attached to a ceiling using adhesive hooks for temporary setups or screw hooks for a more permanent set-up. Another option is height-adjustable VR booms,
which are similar to C-Stands but have retractable cable mechanisms and even hooks to hang the VR headsets on after use. The Virtuix VR Boom is a popular option, but as with anything a simple search for VR cable management systems or VR booms will yield many results.
Storage
The last item that should be talked about is storage. Depending on the type of headset you use this will differ, but proper storage will lead to being more organized with less chance of losing items and equipment damage. For storing tethered headsets, a cable management system like the Puck Cable Management System (this is what I use personally) allows you to keep the VR headset with your PC with the cables coiled and cleanly organized. For all-in-one headsets (wireless headsets), the Kiwi Design VR Stand is a good option for storing your VR headset and touch controllers. The stand has a very clean, aesthetic look with a non-slip design and textured base. For a dual-purpose storage solution, the Cleanbox CX1 allows for storage under lock and key and is also one of the best-in-market cleaning solutions for your VR headsets.
As with most products, the market is wide and the choices are vast. This is only a fraction of the accessories you can get for your VR stations, but we feel these are some of the most important and offer the most value in relation to the investment you’re making. If you have questions about accessories or need more guidance, we’re here to help.