As technology continues to expand and integrate itself into everyday life, USAO grows alongside it. Virtual Reality (VR) headsets were introduced to students at the end of the spring 2024 semester. The dozen VR headsets are available to all students in the Makerspace in Nash Library.
VR is a technology that can be useful for exploration and experiences, as users can visit historic landmarks, ride rollercoasters, or play video games. The headsets being offered are the Meta Quest 2 model, which were released in late 2020.
To use these headsets, students must sign in with a Facebook account, one of the limitations of the headsets. To rent them, students must bring their student ID to Nash Library’s front desk and fill out a rental agreement. The agreement informs everyone about possible health risks and the replacement cost. The headsets can be kept for seven days before needing to be renewed.
“Libraries are all about providing access to information, in whatever form that takes. I’m excited to be able to offer emerging technology to our campus,” Daniel Pool, USAO’s librarian and emerging technology specialist, said.
Nash Library received the VR headsets after being used in multiple classrooms. They were first used for a few classes, including a physical education class, before being moved to the library. Pool said he believed they would be popular, and he stated that he has seen the headsets checked out frequently by students.
“This isn’t just a thing you can use for video games, it’s also a tool,” Martin Garcia, a junior art major, said. “I really like the aspects that it’s really useful for people who don’t have the money or budget to afford their personal headset, but also because it’s just an overall accessible thing to students with disabilities.”
However, there are some issues that Garcia wanted to highlight. He pointed out that it could be a bit daunting at first to people new to headsets, and that there were a few WiFi connection issues that were still being ironed out. Additionally, there’s a lack of games in his opinion, and most of the ones that are available are demos. Although, his favorite thing to do on the headsets was to play these free games and interact with online friends, so there is definitely a net benefit of the headsets. Overall, though, Garcia highly recommends them to others because of their variability and accessibility.
For more information on the headsets or the renting process, please contact Daniel Pool at dpool@usao.edu.
Bea Bourland is a third-year biology and environmental science major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
