COVID HIATUS

After the COVID-19 Outbreak in the spring semester of the 2019/2020 School year, the Tenzer Center was forced to shut down the ongoing virtual reality spaces for the students of DePauw University in order to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines and minimize the transmission of the disease.

The Tenzer Center, however, utilized this time to perform research and understand various virtual reality systems in order to make sure it is equipping students with the best and latest technologies for their use. With COVID-19 restrictions alleviating, the Tenzer Center is proud to re-launch its virtual reality spaces starting from Fall 2021, and is inviting students to Julian Room 300 to utilize these technologies!

Project by: Emmanuel Alonge '24, Mohamed Berbich '22, and Samuel Johnson '22.

THE PROCESS

Re-installation & Testing:

The first objective was to assess the condition of the previous virtual reality systems, namely the HTC Vive and the Oculus Quest. We re-installed and setup two Vives and a Quest for our testing. For both headsets, we used various applications to test the capabilities of the headset and its limitations (via Steam for the Vive, and the Oculus store for the Quest). Some of these applications include Google Earth VR, Tilt Brush, SculptrVR, and Beat Saber.

The Verdict:

After careful testing and consideration, the Tenzer Center decided that its virtual reality technologies were outdated and could not keep up with the growth of the virtual reality ecosystem. The Tenzer Center wants to equip the students of DePauw University with the latest, high-performance technologies of the virtual reality industry for their academic and liesurely needs.

THE REIMAGINATION OF VIRTUAL REALITY AT DEPAUW UNIVERSITY

Starting from Fall 2021, the Tenzer Center is replacing its current virtual reality systems with the most-recently launched Oculus headset: The Oculus Quest 2!!! The Tenzer Center believes that this headset is perfect for the re-launching of the virtual reality spaces at DePauw. Please take a look at the specifications below.

Specifications:

The Oculus Quest 2 consists of :

• Single Fast-Switch LCD, 1832 X 1920 pixels per eye.

• A default supported refresh rate of 72 Hertz.

• Default SDK Color Space: Rec.2020 gamut, 2.2 gamma, D65 white point.

• Inside-out tracking (no wires!), with 6 degree Field-Of-View.

• Integrated audio, In-strap.

• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform

• Adjustable lens with 3 preset IPD adjustments.

• 6 giga-byte Random Access Memory (RAM).

• Highly improved and regarded Oculus Controllers.

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES

The Tenzer Center is inviting you to come and try out the new Quest 2 as soon as possible! Its new applications coupled with high-performance technology allows DePauw students to discover and explore a variety of fields using virtual reality.

The applications that will be offered on the Quest 2 can be grouped into three:

• Games: These are applications that ultimately serve leisurely purposes.

• Educational Experiences: These are applications that provide learning opportunities. Such applications are wide-ranging i.e. from Astrology and Space Exploration to History and Art.

• Physical Experiences: These are applications that require physical effort and will be sure to get your blood pumping.

We hope to see you soon trying out the new virtual reality technologies and would encourage you to spread the word to your friends.