i tried virtual reality

I'm not much of a gamer. These days, pretty much the only video game I play is Trivia Crack. Yeah,

years ago I liked arcade games -- Dig Dug, Tempest, Qix. But those games are a far cry from the amazingly intricate worlds in today's video games.

That being the case, I'm hardly the perfect test subject for a new virtual reality console. But Sony was demonstrating the Playstation VR (which is scheduled for October release) at a GameStop in Hazlet, NJ. So off I went with the kids...

I should note that this was also being promoted by the Northern New Jersey chapter of Stack-Up.org, a charity we're involved with that supports the military and veterans through love of video games.

So how was the PS VR? In some ways, it was amazing. With the visor on, it really looked and sounded like I was in the virtual world of the game. I was playing Battlezone, which is loosely based on the old Atari arcade game of the same title. Of course, the graphics were snazzier -- even putting aside the VR angle. But seriously. You could look up, down, behind you...wherever you looked the image seamlessly adjusted. I was totally blown away.

There is, however, the issue of nausea -- one of the reason I never got into the POV games. I remember trying Doom about twenty years ago, and it literally made me nauseous. I've read explanations. Apparently it has to do with the mixed signals the brain gets. Some signals say you're sitting still while others say you're moving. This somehow confuses the brain, so you have to yack. Sounds plausible. With this I didn't get sick while I was playing, but almost as soon as I got the mask off, I felt it. Let's just say that I won't be playing the PS VR again in this lifetime.

The kids loved it and were not bothered by nausea. Young constitutions, I guess. Of course, they also tried other games -- The Heist and Tetris. I am not looking forward to the fall when they start clamoring to get this.