[polymathist]

The most realistic virtual reality I have ever participated in was the Duke immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE). There is a program that simulates a kitchen. There are cereal boxes, silverware, etc that you can pick up and even throw across the room. When I opened the refrigerator door, I instinctively moved my body out of the way. The crazy thing is that it's not even the best tech out there. The resolution was crappy and the physics were a little bit off. But if you stopped actively paying attention to the details, even for just a moment, it was enough to make some part of your brain think it's real. VR doesn't have to much better (if at all) in order to be really immersive.

If you're at Duke or somewhere nearby I highly recommend checking it out. They have visiting hours fairly frequently. http://virtualreality.duke.edu/

[jonahx]

How did it compare to Oculus Rift? I've never experienced either but I'm curious....

[polymathist]

I've tried the Oculus DK1 but not the DK2. They are similar in terms of resolution and tracking accuracy. There are two main differences. The DiVE is a cube-shaped room with six projected walls. So you can fit multiple people into the simulation at once (only one person gets head tracking and the proper perspective). The DiVE also had a "wand" which you could use to interact with your environment. I would bet there are similar peripherals for use with an Oculus Rift, but I haven't tried them.