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How do I use it when sitting? (for disabled and late middle age)

Jamessc
Explorer
On Oculus' Main Page for the company there is one section of how it will help the disabled or late middle age get out of their home. I cannot stand due to a disability except for a couple minutes. I am in a recliner with furniture all around me. I can set the floor level by reaching down in a narrow space next to the chair. I cannot set the barrier (and do not need to) because the furniture blocks the view of the floor. Thus the floor level does not get set either. I cannot move my hands down because of the chair. I can only move them to the sides, in front, and above. This makes it impossible to play games like reaching down for the joystick on a plane or even picking things off the floor. I am reluctant to buy games as I do not know if I can use them or not.

Oculus should correct this or remove the disabled/elderly advertisement on their main page. They should state that it is not compatible for the disabled or elderly.
10 REPLIES 10

Luciferous
Consultant
I am not disabled but find playing many hours standing up uncomfortable. So I do play a lot of games in my computer chair. Now the problem is, it is down to the individual game to handle the mechanics IE Height or picking things up off the floor etc. They often default to Steam or Oculus to begin with but the game has ultimate control.

Fortunately developers are now giving more options for the seated experience. For example, Bone works has a great crouch system,  by using the right stick you can crouch at a number of levels to pick things off the floor. It also has options for seated or standing. It also allows you to adjust height in game. The lowest crouch level is really low so you could get to anything. There is a lot of climbing though and that may limit you in a big recliner (so crouch would be ineffective in these scenarios).

In my computer chair I can play it quite easily as I can lower my hands past the arms of the chair but with the crouch options you could just lower your height rather than lower your arms.

If I were you I would turn off the boundaries altogether after set up. I think you can do this in Steam and Oculus.

Third person perspective games would probably be your safest purchases like Moss, which is more traditionally controlled rather than relying on one to one controller to hand position in game. 

I have the CV1, so not sure HMD  you are using? You definitely want to check for seated experiences when purchasing but unfortunately due to the nature of VR and mimicking real life movements, you may have to do a little more research on each game before buying.

Is there anyway you could be raised higher in your chair for greater arm movement when playing? Otherwise you may want to consider purchasing a really comfortable computer padded chair.

Jamessc
Explorer
Thanks for your response! I have the Oculus Rift S. I have noticed problems. It is not just me as the 1* ratings are high. The 5* ratings are just over 50%. These are not good signs. I suspect most of the programming will be to integrate it with Facebook rather than fix problems. I have a month to return it and would love to keep it but I suspect it may not be ready until the next model. There is a popular social site called Rec Room. It does not work well there. Most of the people use their PS4. I am still evaluating. Thanks again!

MowTin
Expert Trustee
You would probably better off with a Rift S. No need to worry about furniture or your recliner blocking the camera. 

There's no single "disabled." There are various kinds of disabilities. On the extreme end, if you're blind, you're disabled but obviously Oculus is not for you. If you're in a wheel chair but have full use of your arms, most games will work just fine for you. 

Most games have a refund policy so you can quickly try them out and return them if you're not able to play them. I see most newer games support seated play and it's become very common for games not to require you to reach all the way down to pick stuff up. You mostly can summon items to your hands by pointing and pressing the grip button. It's become a convention. Even people who can stand hate bending down all the time. 

There are also a lot of sim games like flight sims. You would need some modifications for racing sims if you can't use the pedals but it's definitely doable. 

Just make sure you don't just use VR to retreat from the external world. There's still much you can do outside with the right equipment. Live life to the fullest. 
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

Jamessc
Explorer
Thank you for responding. Yes, there are many types of disabilities. Mine is neuromuscular disability involving pain. If I stand for more than a minute or two, the pain rapidly increases. Because of this, I only leave my home for doctor appointments. The VR would take me out of the house. So far, the only app that really works well is Mission: ISS. The feeling of being weightless actually transfers to my body. Because I am weightless, I can place myself in any orientation. There is another spacewalk app but I cannot use it because it involves reaching down.

There seems to be a group of PS4 users that Rec Room works well for. I cannot use it well because I am embedded in the floor. It is supposed to be a multi-platform app.

Once again, thank you for your response. As much as I hate to, I will probably return it for the next model (whenever that happens). I think VR is the technology of the future. It just needs a few years.

Luciferous
Consultant
Yes height is definitely a problem in a lot of apps but it is getting better with every software release. Seeing some really innovative control schemes now.

I was playing Westworld last night (which is a great game) and they have a crouch but also a really clever idea of using your hand to hold onto objects (desks,walls etc) and lower your self to any height by gripping and raising or lowering your hand. It is quite a natural way of doing it even while sitting. 

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Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X, i7 9770K, 16GB DDR4, EVGA RTX2070XC 8GB Ultra Gaming, AOC 32" monitor, 2 x Inatek PCI USB controllers, Oculus Rift CV1, Windows 10 64 Home

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Jamessc said:

 I am reluctant to buy games as I do not know if I can use them or not.


If you haven't already, I highly recommend you go to the Valve website and download Steam (free download). There you can buy many games, vr included, most importantly including that ability to refund if you have played for under 2 hours and owned it for less than 2 weeks.

You will find further games and experiences there (many that are not in Oculus store) that can take you out of the house and into a virtual world.

I have the CV1, but I believe the setup system is the same as the S, and it is possible to set it up from the seated position, and switch off the boundaries if you don't need them.

Good luck, I hope you get it working how you want.

Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X, i7 9770K, 16GB DDR4, EVGA RTX2070XC 8GB Ultra Gaming, AOC 32" monitor, 2 x Inatek PCI USB controllers, Oculus Rift CV1, Windows 10 64 Home

Virtual_Davey
Honored Guest
I ordered a Rift S from Bestbuy and it's ready for pickup, which I was going to do today, but this topic has me concerned. I almost always prefer sitting while playing and have had hardly any issues with my CV1 with this preference. I was staying away from the Quest due to reading topics that it is nearly impossible to play sitting games with the Quest (at least while mobile, unsure about link). If there are issues with the Rift S while sitting on a couch, I'd rather cancel my S order (even though I'd be getting it for $345 total brand new).

saami81
Rising Star


I ordered a Rift S from Bestbuy and it's ready for pickup, which I was going to do today, but this topic has me concerned. I almost always prefer sitting while playing and have had hardly any issues with my CV1 with this preference. I was staying away from the Quest due to reading topics that it is nearly impossible to play sitting games with the Quest (at least while mobile, unsure about link). If there are issues with the Rift S while sitting on a couch, I'd rather cancel my S order (even though I'd be getting it for $345 total brand new).


No worries. I have Rift-S and i have used it a lot sitting down. Driving simulators, Elite dangerous, Skyrim VR, No man sky etc... All of those games work great when sitting and i have put lot of hours on them.