LibGuides: Virtual Reality: VR Experiences

Accessing Virtual Reality Experiences for Specific Headset Platforms

Meta Quest logo This section focuses on the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest 2 VR headset since that is the device used in the CSUF Pollak Library Makerspace and the CSUF Digital History Lab. The Quest 2 headset includes hand tracking technology, for a more tactile interactive experience. It can be used in a standalone environment with just WiFi, or it can be tethered to a high end gaming PC.

Following are Meta Quest 2 VR experiences available for free that I have reviewed or used and recommend for disciplines or courses in which I have provided digital literacy instruction.

General Experiences

Meta Quest Store
A categorized and searchable library of both free and paid apps that can be downloaded and installed on a Quest 2 headset. These can all be used via Wifi.
The Steam Store
A categorized and searchable library of both free and paid apps that can be downloaded, installed, and used on a Quest 2 or HTC Vive headset, as well as other VR platform headsets . To use these on a Quest 2 headset, the headset needs to be tethered to a high end gaming PC, or have the Quest AirLink app installed to wirelessly use Steam apps.

Ethnic Studies Themed VR Experiences

(Meta Store) MLK: Now is the Time - FREE
"“MLK: Now is the Time” is an immersive journey that explores key themes of Dr. King's speech and highlights systemic inequities that persist in our society. Through first-person stories and interactions, “MLK: Now is the Time” drops you into a thoroughly modern interpretation of a contemporary March on Washington that will inform and inspire a new generation of activists." Published by TIME Immersive.

(Meta Store) Traveling While Black - FREE
"Traveling While Black is a cinematic VR experience that immerses the viewer in the long history of restriction of movement for black Americans and the creation of safe spaces in our communities." Published by Felix & Paul Studios.

History Themed VR Experiences

(Meta Store) MLK: Now is the Time - FREE
"“MLK: Now is the Time” is an immersive journey that explores key themes of Dr. King's speech and highlights systemic inequities that persist in our society. Through first-person stories and interactions, “MLK: Now is the Time” drops you into a thoroughly modern interpretation of a contemporary March on Washington that will inform and inspire a new generation of activists." Published by TIME Immersive.
(Meta Store) Anne Frank House VR - FREE
"Experience the world-famous Secret Annex in a never before seen way. Travel back to the years of the Second World War and wander through the rooms of the Annex that housed the group of 8 Jewish people as they hid from the Nazis. Immerse yourself in Anne’s thoughts as you traverse each faithfully recreated room, thanks to the power of VR, and find out what happened to the Annex’ brave inhabitants." Published by Oculus Studios.

Museum Studies Themed Experiences

(Meta Store) Anne Frank House VR - FREE
"Experience the world-famous Secret Annex in a never before seen way. Travel back to the years of the Second World War and wander through the rooms of the Annex that housed the group of 8 Jewish people as they hid from the Nazis. Immerse yourself in Anne’s thoughts as you traverse each faithfully recreated room, thanks to the power of VR, and find out what happened to the Annex’ brave inhabitants." Published by Oculus Studios.
Steam Store
A categorized and searchable library of both free and paid apps that can be downloaded, installed, and used on a Quest 2 or HTC Vive headset, as well as other VR platform headsets . To use these on a Quest 2 headset, the headset needs to be tethered to a high end gaming PC, or have the Quest AirLink app installed to wirelessly use Steam apps.

Following are VR experiences available for free that I have reviewed or used and recommend for disciplines or courses in which I have provided digital literacy instruction. These work on an HTC Vive headset.

Ethnic Studies Themed VR Experiences

(Steam Store) The Book of Distance - FREE
"In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later, his grandson, artist Randall Okita, leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost." Published by the National Film Board of Canada.

History Themed VR Experiences

(Steam Store) Remembering Pearl Harbor - FREE
"Told in three acts, the story is told through the point of view of Lt. James Downing, who at 103 is the second-oldest living American veteran to have witnessed that day. As postmaster of the USS West Virginia, Downing gave himself the task of writing letters to the families of men who died or were injured during the attack; those letters form an arc that the user follows through Downing’s experience of Dec. 7, 1941." Published by TIME and LIFE VR.
(Steam Store) Vintage VR - FREE
"In the 19th century, when people had no HTC Vives to play with, they resorted to using primitive stereoscopes to see stereoscopic images in 3D! This free VR experience allows you to view a collection of over 700 such images from that era and enjoy them as people saw them over a century ago." Published by the Museum Syndicate.
(Steam Store) The Book of Distance - FREE
"In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later, his grandson, artist Randall Okita, leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost." Published by the National Film Board of Canada.

Museum Studies Themed Experiences

(Steam Store) Vintage VR - FREE
"In the 19th century, when people had no HTC Vives to play with, they resorted to using primitive stereoscopes to see stereoscopic images in 3D! This free VR experience allows you to view a collection of over 700 such images from that era and enjoy them as people saw them over a century ago." Published by the Museum Syndicate.

A cardboard style VR headset. Following are smartphone VR experiences available for free that I have reviewed or used and recommend for disciplines or courses in which I have provided digital literacy instruction. These work on cardboard style and other smartphone VR headsets.

General Experiences

iOS Apps

Apple Store: Google Arts & Culture (FREE)
"Google Arts & Culture puts the treasures, stories and knowledge of over 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries at your fingertips."
App Store (iPhone): Within VR app
"Within immerses you inside of award-winning stories and documentaries that will transport you to places never before possible. The Within app supports all major headsets and smartphones, including Oculus (Rift, Quest, Go), HTC, Sony PlayStation® VR, iPhone, iPad and Android."
Google Cardboard (Apple Store)
"Cardboard puts virtual reality on your iPhone. The Google Cardboard app helps you set up a Cardboard viewer and includes a few experiences to get you started."

Android Apps

Google Play Store: Google Arts & Culture (FREE)
"Google Arts & Culture puts the treasures, stories and knowledge of over 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries at your fingertips."
Within VR (Google Play Store):
"The Within app is the premier destination for cinematic virtual reality. Within immerses you inside of award-winning stories and documentaries that will transport you to places never before possible. The Within app supports all major headsets and smartphones, including Oculus (Rift, Quest, Go), HTC, Sony PlayStation® VR, iPhone, iPad and Android." (source: Within)
Cardboard (Google Play Store)
"Cardboard puts virtual reality on your smartphone. The Cardboard app helps you launch your favorite VR experiences, discover new apps, and set up a viewer."
YouTube VR (Google Play Store)
"The YouTube VR app turns every video on the platform into your own virtual reality experience and reimagines YouTube as a 3D world you can explore from the inside." Available only for Android.

Virtual Reality: VR Experiences

Viewing and Using Virtual Reality Exeriences

Accessing Virtual Reality Experiences for Specific Headset Platforms

General Experiences

Ethnic Studies Themed VR Experiences

History Themed VR Experiences

Museum Studies Themed Experiences

Ethnic Studies Themed VR Experiences

History Themed VR Experiences

Museum Studies Themed Experiences

General Experiences

iOS Apps

Android Apps

Web Accessibility