Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
The Roto VR Explorer is undoubtedly one of the most unique pieces of tech I’ve gotten my hands on. This chair syncs with a head tracker to rotate a full 360 degrees in tandem with your head movements, creating a new level of VR immersion. It’s got a couple of asterisks, but the Roto VR Explorer is overall a solid accessory for the biggest VR enthusiasts.
Setting up the Roto VR Explorer was fairly simple. There aren’t too many parts, and the screws are neatly categorized and labeled by letter. The full instructions are less than ten steps. Once assembled, the chair sits at just shy of three feet tall. It takes up a good chunk of space, so ensure you have a nice open area to place it. The legs have wheels, so you can easily move it across a hard floor if you need to relocate it.
The VR Explorer has a small wireless clip-on head tracker with a color scheme similar to a Pokeball. This device can be attached to the top strap of your VR headset and then paired to the chair. Once paired, the chair will rotate to match your head movements, allowing for 360 degrees of motion without having to physically turn yourself. The instruction booklet clearly illustrates how to use and charge the head tracker, with a list of what each light on the device means.
I was initially concerned that there would be latency between my head turns and the corresponding chair movements. I’m glad to report that the VR Explorer is quite snappy, moving nearly as soon as I start turning my head.
There’s also a rumble pack that’s located at the base of the seat that can sync with your game's audio to give you vibration feedback when gaming. It’s not mandatory but can be used to dial up the intensity, especially when playing something scary.
The Roto VR Explorer is promoted as being designed for the Meta Quest devices, and I used mine with my Meta Quest 3. You could certainly use it with other headsets, but being fully untethered is key to utilizing the full 360-degree range of motion.
After getting over the initial shock that my chair was automatically twisting and turning, I found that the Roto VR Explorer made most of my gaming experiences more immersive. The head tracker is quite sensitive, and even the slightest of head tilts will cause the chair to start rotating, even if at a snail’s pace. In action-heavy games, the chair quickly swiveled around as I whipped my head to look at enemies. It can turn pretty quickly, but not so much that I felt like I was going to be thrown from my seat.
My favorite game to play in the Roto VR Explorer was I Expect You To Die. The spy-based puzzle game is designed to be played while seated, and its escape room-like design meant that I was constantly surveying my surroundings, using the VR Explorer to turn, and turn, and turn again until I found what I was looking for.
Since it is a chair, the Roto VR Explorer is essentially limited to games that can be played while seated. This is a bit of a given, but it’s worth considering taking a look through your library of games and figuring out which ones can be fully enjoyed while sitting. Superhot is one of my favorite VR games ever, but playing it while seated means I’m about half the height of the enemies.
When the Roto VR Explorer turns, it makes a mechanical whirring sound. It gets louder the faster you move, and is impossible to ignore while gaming. It was admittedly immersion-breaking for me at times, as my serene river fishing in South Korea was constantly disrupted by the sound of my mechanical chair moving beneath me. You could probably buy some noise-canceling headphones or earbuds to mitigate this if it becomes a nuisance.
The Roto VR Explorer is a neat albeit niche piece of technology. Its contributions to VR immersion are undeniable, even if there are a couple of caveats when it comes to games that require standing or the fairly loud motor that powers the device. I’d recommend it to those deeply passionate about virtual reality, but it’s not a must-have accessory.
This review is based on a physical product provided by Roto. The Roto VR Explorer is available now for $799 USD.