Here’s What Has People Worried About Their VR Gear

Have you just bought a new Oculus Quest 2? Or an HTC Vive Pro? Maybe a refurbished Oculus Rift? Are you looking for a way to protect your investment?

A piece of ancient wisdom tells us there are things in our lives we can change and others we cannot – but it’s wisdom that shows us how to tell the two apart so we can live happily. That idea applies perfectly to some of the problems people report about their virtual reality (VR) gear.

First, the “promise” of VR hasn’t lived up to the marketing hype. Zuckerberg, when he paid $2 billion in 2014 to buy Oculus and make Oculus Rift a market leader, must be disappointed. His hopes to see a billion users wearing the Rift has fallen flat, largely due to a shortage of VR software games and adventures. In 2018, Facebook shipped just 354,000 units of its Rift headset, while Sony Playstation 4 sold 17 million in the same period. To make matters worse, many startup companies that intended to bring VR to the mainstream market have shuttered their doors. Additionally, venture capital investment in VR has plummeted from nearly $900 million to just $280 million by 2018.

But dwindling excitement for and disappointing adoption of VR is just one situation that consumers can’t change or influence. VR has also been plagued with faulty software drivers, tracking problems, blurry screens, headsets that don’t stay connected, audio issues, and more. But the most worrisome are the health and wellness problems users run into as they try to enjoy VR experiences.

Many VR novices find the motion involved in VR games and adventures causes eye strain, headaches, dizziness, and nausea – not the experience one wants to have. A case in point: One VR headset maker warns users that …

“TO REDUCE THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY, DISCOMFORT OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL USERS OF THE HEADSET READ THE WARNINGS BELOW CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE HEADSET. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMAIN SEATED USING THE HEADSET UNLESS YOUR CONTENT EXPERIENCE REQUIRES STANDING.”

The list goes on to warn against using the headset when you are tired, sleepy, under emotional stress or anxiety, or when suffering from cold, flu, headaches, migraines, or earaches, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms. Furthermore, prolonged use should be avoided, for it could affect hand-eye coordination, balance, and multi-tasking abilities.

Even more scary, some people succumb to epileptic seizures if the VR environment contains flashing lights, even though they have had no history of seizures.

Understandably, VR manufacturers want to inform customers of the potential dangers and to protect themselves against legal action from injured customers. But for many, the discomforts of VR outweigh the enjoyment VR hopes to deliver.

Even though consumers can’t change the risks to one’s health and wellness that VR brings, there’s still an area where you can take charge: affordably protecting your investment in your VR gear.

Like most tech manufacturers, VR companies provide manufacturer warranties on their products, but many don’t know that those warranties are so limited as to be nearly worthless. They give you some protection against defects in materials and workmanship, but they don’t cover accidental damage at all. Considering that many VR games put you in situations where you’ve got to zap monsters to fight for and save your virtual life, the likelihood of crashing into physical objects in your real-world environment is substantial. It only takes one hard bump to put your VR system out of commission.

Upsie solves that problem, and you can, too. In fact, for just a dollar or two per month, you can have comprehensive coverage for your VR system that protects you from damage due to drops, liquid damage, mechanical failure, speaker/sound failure, power failure, hard drive failure, and Wi-Fi failure. Upsie covers both new and used systems. Also their coverage is available up to 60 days after buying your VR gear.

So, take charge of protecting your investment with Upsie. Visit their gaming and VR page, then enter your email address to get a 10% discount. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to compare extended warranty plans from the big box retailers – Target, Amazon, Best Buy. You can save up to 50% or more with Upsie.