I’m riding in my Cadillac on Ocean Dr. in South Beach Miami. I check in the Clevelander Hotel oceanfront suite. I have supermodels on my arm and get VIP treatment in a 5 star exclusive nightclub. Someone taps me on the shoulder and says, “Your time is up.” Then reality sets in and I take off my Oculus and hand it over to the next guy.
This isn’t a far fetched incident. At some Marriott hotels, they’re setting up Teleporter stations. It’s part of their “Travel Brilliancy” campaign, and they’re hoping to start a travel revolution. The brains behind these Teleporter stations say 4D puts you in the movie, and you can smell the salty air and feel the ground shake. Think about how accessible and portable virtual reality is today. For around $200, you can get Gear VR Headsets. You can get Oculus technology on Samsung ?Galaxy 6 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphones. And you don’t have to check into a Marriott to have this experience. There is a travel company called Thomas Cook. They offer this experience in 10 stores throughout Europe. You can experience the Manhattan skyline or pyramids in Egypt. But wait: there’s more. Thomas Cook is mailing 5,000 cardboard VR headsets for as little as $24! Over a million of these cardboard virtual devices are being manufactured.
This is a great way to get virtual reality in the hands of the every day individual who doesn’t have a lot of money. Plus, it’s a great way to get away from the often predictable and unflattering real world. And with the low prices, anybody who hates their life can get their hands on one. But that could be a problem. Virtual reality can become addictive, and thus, abused. Our personal reality can become so dull and mundane that we run to our VR machine and soak in fantasy. What if we don’t want to come out of that fantasy? What if I never want to leave my South Beach hotel, my Cadillac or supermodel girlfriends? ?Should these machines come with a warning/cautious label?
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