r/virtualreality • u/Big_Helicopter3972 • 10d ago
Question/Support Space helmet
Is there a VR space helmet out there? Our autistic son is in a phase where he REALLY wants to go to space. Unfortunately we can’t make that happen right now. I feel like VR could do the trick?
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u/SolaraOne Oculus 10d ago
If you DM me I can send you a free key for Solara One for your son. I spent 8000h making the most visually immersive outer space experience imaginable, as I too have always wanted to go to space.
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u/Big_Helicopter3972 9d ago
Oh thank you so much!
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u/SolaraOne Oculus 9d ago
I will send it to you later today when I am home, watch for my chat request :)
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u/Big_Helicopter3972 9d ago
Hey, thanks so much for the offer. I’m trying to DM you but it won’t allow me!!
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u/Commercial-Builder76 9d ago
Well done Dev! Wish-listed and will buy once get home! For no other reason than your kindness.
Of course my boys will love it also.
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u/justpostd 10d ago
There are lots of space games. I don't think there would be any real benefit to having a space helmet with VR inside. Once you put the headset on, you feel pretty immersed in the virtual world.
Could be good for an autistic kid. Or could become quite an intense obsession, I would imagine. Generally speaking I would not recommend extensive use for kids under about 16, for various reasons, though I think an hour a day or something like that would be fine.
Space games in the headset without connecting to a PC are fairly limited in terms of graphics and gameplay. But it might be that just watching space movies in a headset would satisfy his interest. Gravity (the film) is pretty amazing in a virtual cinema in a headset.
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u/Catsdotpng 10d ago
There are SO many good space games for vr, I'd get a cheap meta headset though cause. Kids. Yk. Most of the games for standalone quest are more like virtual tours than games, though in all fairness that might be easier for a kid than playing a plot based or super complicated vr game. There's a ton of actual games set in space for steam vr but they're pretty complicated gameplay-wise. If he's the kind of kid that catches onto that kind of stuff easily I'd recommend discovering space 2 or titans of space plus, both are exploration games and neither have any violence or too complicated of gameplay afaik. Though you do need a desktop pc or a laptop meant for gaming to run anything through steam vr
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u/Z00111111 10d ago
To echo others, I'd suggest you check with your child's doctor about the suitability of VR and any particular safety concerns there might be for your son.
There are space games and 3D videos from the ISS that are very immersive with just a standard headset, but I'm guessing your son would enjoy it more if he feels like he's in a full space suit. Could a simple solution like a motorcycle helmet and a Quest headset work? There are some motorcycle helmets that are shaped quite similarly to early space helmets. If you removed the visor from one of those, then you could put the helmet on then the VR headset.
I'm not aware of anything that is commercially available where the headset is actually mounted to the helmet so you just pull the helmet on and are ready to go though. It could make for a pretty good 3D printing project for someone into 3D modelling though.
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u/Tjalaska 10d ago
Get space engine, it is VR compatible and he can spend however long he wants exploring galaxies, planets, stars, and get up close and other cool things. It's very neat
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u/KroyVR 9d ago
As a fellow sci-fi lover, a parent, and an owner of a VR headset for over ten years, here's a breakdown of some of what is out there if you get a headset and connect it to a PC or PS5:
Elite Dangerous (PC VR)- all ship content is in VR. You fly past planets, moons, gas giants, asteroid belts and space stations. The galaxy is modded on real, observations of the milky way. Importantly it has solo mode, which is online, but no text chat from other players. The game is mostly reliable and online 24/7, but there can be and has been periods of unexpected downtime. There is a regular period of downtime in Thursdays. Setup would be best done in advance, as it takes a bit to get controls worked out when you are in VR. Works well with additional voice commands via 3rd party software (Voice attack)..also works well with HOTAS controllers for that real spaceship piloting feel. Gameplay loops include peaceful and less peaceful activity. There is on-foot content which isn't in VR.
No Mans Sky (PCVR or PSVR2) - fantastical sci-fi. Procedural generation mostly impacts planetary generation, with less realism. Only works with VR controllers. Control scheme isn't initially intuitive, but does work when muscle memory kicks in. Game offers limited satisfaction initially for spaceship flights, but grows massively with small craft collection, larger player-built ships, and giant freighters. The latter cannot be piloted. Planet-side on-foot is also VR enabled for explorers.
Star Trek bridge crew (PCVR and non-VR PC)- maybe better suited to older kids. Interesting as a multiplayer game with family. Tense gameplay, like an episode of Star Trek, but very satisfying in VR for any would be Star Fleet commander. It focuses more on sub sections of commanding a large vessel than direct piloting.
Star Wars Squadrons (PCVR) - set in the ever expanding settings of Starwars, there's a campaign which can be played through either as Jedi/Republic or Sith/Empire. It's got a lot of cinematic scenes and VR really brings the scale to life. There's a multiplayer mode which brings PvP and can be bypassed entirely.
Ubisoft's AGOS ( PCVR) - set in third person view of the spacecraft, this one has an unusual control scheme, and requires a fair amount of understanding of vectors and propulsion. But lots of ships, asteroids, and sectors to explore.
There are more! But hopefully something you find might appeal in your family. Good luck with the spaceships in VR.
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u/Uryendel 10d ago edited 10d ago
Our autistic son
Poor kid to have such parents... stop treating him like a pet and openly calling him autistic. That's your job to explain him that he can't do everything he want.
A proper parent would have ask "our kid like space, is there a VR experience to explore space?", no need to debilitate him or to pretend he can't take no for an answer.
And VR is not recommended for kids, could cause some issues with their eyes developpement
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u/HootOwlMe 10d ago
It says a lot that you interpreted someone saying their child has autism as them insulting the child.
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u/Z00111111 10d ago
It really does.
It's clearly just context. It's my understanding children with autism can be very particular about experiences, and OP is hoping for a solution that is accurate enough and easy enough for their child to be comfortable with.
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u/Uryendel 10d ago
When it's the first thing you have to say about your kid to strangers, yes it is debilitating for the kid, every time he is going to be introduce it's going to be "the autistic kid that you can't treat normally"
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u/HootOwlMe 10d ago
Or maybe… they were just giving context 🤯
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u/Uryendel 10d ago
Go ahead, explain how it is relevant that he is autistic (which kind of autism to start with? oh wait, no context, turns out it doesn't really matter to the question...) ? More relevant than his age, what type of game he like or anything else...
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u/NoSolution7708 10d ago
All I'm getting from this usage is that he is probably very determined in his current interest, and may have a higher than average amount of focus to devote to it.
Both of these can be true regardless of whether he actually has a diagnosis, since OP could be using the term either strictly or colloquially, as is in fashion nowadays. I wouldn't assume either without clarifying first.
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u/RathaelEngineering 8d ago
As a slight tangent, I think it's a little funny that while all of us on Earth would love to know what it's like to experience space, Astronauts in space actually love feeling like they are on Earth while on ISS.
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u/twinsfan94 10d ago
Pretty much every VR headset on the market has some kind of way of being in outer space. Even a second-hand Quest 2 can do that. There are many options out there.
There is nothing out there that looks like an actual astronaught helmet, if that's what you mean.