With the release of Sony’s new headset, everyday consumers can now experience virtual reality—and the surreal thrill of becoming the Dark Knight himself.
I’m Bruce Wayne, standing in front of a grand piano. I reach my hand out, press a few keys, and suddenly the floor starts to move. I descend onto a platform, look all around me and begin to feel claustrophobic before the space opens up into the Bat Cave, an enormous (and gorgeous) underground structure. And so I get set up: I put on the gloves and add tools to my utility belt. I put on the cowl by reaching out, grabbing it, and placing my hand up against my face. I look in the mirror. Batman looks back.
I’m a gangster, riding shotgun during a high-speed chase. In one hand I have an uzi and I point it out the side window, aiming in the general direction of a baddie on a motorcycle. With my other hand, I reach out to the dashboard—no longer in my field of view—and grab another ammo clip. When my current one runs out, it drops out the bottom of the gun, and I slam my hands together, reloading instantly and doing it over again.
I’m a Human, doing some odd task required of me by some unseen or inhuman supervisor. Maybe I’m heading explosive soccer balls into a stack of boxes branded by “Nuclear Power” energy drinks; maybe I’m putting cheese and blended apple onto a piece of bread in a horrorshow approximation of “pizza.” Read More…