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Office tasks

Anonymous
Not applicable

my just trying to find a good quality wearable display for reading text books, word processing and general web browsing.   


Can an oculus be used for these tasks or does it only operate in some fancy vr mode for games?

 

im tired of trying to get comfortable at a desk and monitor to do my work. .  Thought a wearable display would help. 

3 REPLIES 3

Pixie40
Expert Trustee

It depends. In PCVR mode using Oculus Link you can access your computer's desktop and use your computer as a computer... just in VR. To then do word processing you would need either a wireless keyboard or to be sitting at your real desk to use the wired keyboard. Reading PDFs is again very possible in this way.

 

If not using Oculus Link, there are still options. Various things like Big Screen and Virtual Desktop will allow you to stream your PC's desktop to the Quest, thus again letting you use your PC while in VR for anything you'd normally do on the computer. Once again, you might need a bluetooth keyboard and mouse for some tasks.  While you can do everything using the touch controllers and the pop up keyboard UI, typing in that way is a bit of a pain. It'd be awesome if hand tracking could be used to type on a virtual keyboard. But I don't think we're quite there yet.

 

Personally, for browsing the web in VR I like using the Mozella Firefox vr app. That way I can browse the net while sitting in exotic locations like atlantis or a pixie village. I also like using Virtual Desktop to stream my pancake games (and sometimes general PC use). One amusing thing I do is play games like D&D Online: Stormreach in a massive movie theater.

Lo, a quest! I seek the threads of my future in the seeds of the past.

As Pixie says it's possible to carry out office type tasks using a VR headset but to be honest, the gains you make in having a confortable screen that you can change the size and position of... you probably lose in not having a physical keyboard that you can see.

 

If you're able to touch-type, that would be good but otherwise you're going to be using the virtual keyboard that show up in the headset which I'd equate to single finger typing. That's fine for typing in web searches or short replies to emails but if typing is going to be more intensive than that, I'd stick with monitor and keyboard.

 

Oculus are working on something they call Infinite Office. It will allow you to have virtual screens placed wherever you want them within a representation of your physical environment, using the pass-through cameras, and partnering with Logitech to have a physical keyboard that shows up in the headset. But we've heard very little about that since it was announced last year.

 

It may be something they want to have ready for their next headset but if I were you, I'd either wait and see or get a Quest with the advisory you can explore the various VR games and experiences and do limited office work but full on word-processing is cumbersome unless you can touch-type.

 

One day I'd like to use my CAD and design software in the headset but that also needs a very high level of detail which we don't quite have compared to monitors. You also need a physical keyboard for all the various shortcuts. The possibility to have multiple monitors in VR though at various sizes would be a massive improvement.

Pixie40
Expert Trustee

Yeah, I have this dream of being able to use Unity to create a VR app... while in VR. Would be amazing, but right now it doesn't seem workable even if it is technically possible.

Lo, a quest! I seek the threads of my future in the seeds of the past.