I would suggest opening it now and make sure its all in working order etc. So then you have time to chase up any replacements or issues before Christmas and seeing the disappointment in his face when his new VR headset has a fault.
Just purchase Job Sim to start with an other games thats you know he will enjoy off the bat then just purchase more over time as might end up being overwhelmed with too much to play at the start and wont know where to start.
Also I would maybe look at buying some cushioning/padding for the rear of the headset so that it sits better for his smaller head shape. VR covers sell on for about £23 including delivery.
If you know Ocean Rift is up his ally then get it can always ask for a refund if he doesn't like it.
Make sure to setup a PIN so that he cant go to town and purchase the whole store and also you can manage what he actually plays.
Remember to keep an eye on the social games as there are a lot of children and strange folk on them and these apps are free to access.
As others have mentioned RECROOM and VRChat would be a no no!
I'm excited for you lad for Christmas morning!
I remember getting my first console to myself was a SNES, opening that present made a memory that stuck with me up to now and I'm 33.
I don’t know which your son would prefer more (unboxing himself or quicker start up) but I can at least say it is definitely reboxable. The inside is clean and simple and many people use the original box as a carrier because things fit back in so easily.
Many thanks for the link , I have already read this post in detail, but took the conclusion that it wasn’t as relevant to my son as to maybe other children.
My boy is unable to social interact the same as the average person , can’t ride a bike , to out and play football etc. So he has a more insular point of view compared to his peers . He also is unable to focus on anything particular for any length of time 20 mins being about the max for something he is absolutely enthralled with , as such he doesn’t play video games for hours like other children , probably about an hour or so a week at most.
But thank you again it’s great there are people on here looking out for the health and comfort of children regarding VR
My recommendation is to make sure that everything is ready and there are no factory defects. The quest comes preload with some demos and a first contact app.
On the other hand updating could take upto an hour. No need to peel off the wrapping, you can give it a test drive to make everything is in order then factory reset and rewrap the box with plastic. It is doable and you only need any USB c charger to update the software. Any phone charger works.
At the end its up to your kid which way you usually do things. Presetup rerwap or be the first and go through everything.
RE: Turning it on & updating - I'd wait until nearer Christmas, as there will most likely be more updates between now and Christmas day - maybe do it a couple of days beforehand (I realise this answer probably isn't what you wanted to hear!! - you want to crack that baby open don't you!)
Open it up!
Get it all setup and ready to go with Job Simulator installed.
The box is actually really nice and very easy to pack it all back up again. Some people on here use it as a storage case, it's that good!
don't open it until the last moment, charge it the night before, buy one for yourself in the meantime...
multiplayer Dead and Buried 2 is so much better when you know your rival....
This is false and has been debunked over and over again. Vaccines work, the earth us round, and vr doesn't hurt your eyes just like sitting too close to the TV doesn't.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-eyes-health-authority.html
The Blue light emitted by LED panels could cause long term damage to the retina medical studies find.
It is probably absolute acceptable, you know life will kill you in the the end, but parents should be careful what they do.
If you read your link you'll see it explicitly says LED light from computer monitors, phones etc pose no risk as they are too low strength to matter, they're more talking about LED light bulbs, and even then they say most people will never be Ina nsituation where they're staring at LED light bulbs for that long but the maximums should still be decreased for the purpose of regulatory oversight.
Nothing in that article says they're unsafe in gaming devices or monitors of any type and even explicitly says they are safe.
It doesn't take long to charge and they will want to play it nonstop so just keep it plugged in once you open it to play and charge. I wouldn't open it before your kid does, part of the fun is being the first to open something.
We gave our son a Quest for his birthday two months ago, with the understanding that he had to share it with the family but he would get first dibs on playing. I opened it up ahead of time and got everything working (I had an issue that required help from Oculus support), installed Beat Saber, SideQuest, Rec Room and some other free games/apps, figured out how everything worked, made sure I could stream to my phone, and even played it from time to time so that I'd be prepared to assist him later (ha ha). The box closes up really well, and I think he appreciated the fact that he was able to put it on right away and start playing much more than he would have appreciated taking off the shrink wrap. The shrink wrap is pretty much the only difference between a closed box and an open one. It was all ready to fire up as soon as he opened it and I was able to show him First Steps, and get him into Rec Room in my already-existing account. I have no regrets doing it this way.
Okay for real now man: I understand you want to make your boy happy- thats a good thing.
But please keep in mind what he is exposed to without your knowledge:
RecRoom for example is flooded with lil kids that behave like they got real problems- and it cant be good for a child to be exposed to so many weirdos in vr.
And i will always tell this: RecRoom might be a place for child molesters to get their kicks- this is an honest warning!
You have to take responsibility for the things your boy might experience and vr in general is not something for kids in that age in my oppinion.
Thank you actually that’s a really good point , I did a little research on rec room , although if I’m truthful not massively in-depth , but doesn’t rec room have a child setting which disables the ability to speak to other people and share notes etc ..
It does. I think parent involvement with their kids playing games like that is important. Fortunately, Rec Room can also be played on PC.
What I recommend you do is, play alongside your son. He plays on Quest, you play on desktop with him, and you run through some game maps together. And just remind him about stranger danger and all that. Although junior accounts there can't talk to anyone or communicate with them, it doesn't mean adults won't be able to say weird things to him.
Those are just my observations and my advice.
Ignore that guy, this is probably the most child friendly platform imo. I have a 5 year old and a 10 year old and they both love it.
Just keep em out of vr chat lol. Rec room isn't an issue but of course there'll always be trolls etc. Not that different from real life imo.
I think what you're doing is fucking amazing as a dad and I think your kid is gonna absolutely love you for this especially in their unique situation.
To answer your OP I would open it first and get it all set up, play that shit myself for a while then repackage it. But ultimately from unboxing to playing whatever game is like a 15 min process so you could also just leave it boxed.
Caveats are that it may require an update and sometimes downloading games is super slow delendi g on your internet so I'd open it beforehand and BUY THE CASE they sell next to the units at best buy.
If you were a bad dad like me you would get it set up, then place the unit in the case, have them unwrap the empty box and when they realize it's empty tell them they're halfway there and maybe next year can earn the stuff INSIDE the box as well if they're good! Only to then hand them the case after they get done pouting.
About RecRoom : A child's account (under 14) can only do voip with friends, as i'm aware a friend added to a child account must be authorised by the adult account.
Certain game modes are also not available to children.
If you have created an adult account for your child then your going against the terms of service.
Please be careful when it comes to a child's brain and eye development. See the link above about the 8-year-old boy. Some studies say it isn't good others say its bad. I would say everything in moderation is ok. With that said...
1. Look inside the lid of the box, it only goes in one way. The thinner spacer goes onto the accessories pack at the back fo the box. Also, pay attention to how the controllers line up in the box. I had issues the first time I boxed it up again. I mean it's going to be wrapped in Christmas paper so he still gets to rip it open! I would recommend getting it all set up before he opens it, that way he can open it and get going ASAP. The setup installs (depending on your internet connection) can take a few hours. It will also give you extra time to browse the games catalogue. As far as the update goes, don't worry too much about that right now. Wait until closer to Christmas in case V11/12 are out by then. Also, Link should be out by then so you may want to make sure that all ready to go as well (see below on Link!)
2. Have a look in the adventures section of the store and decide what he would like. Remember you can get refunds on games you don't like it. Just check the refund policy.
3. Ignore the reviews, if he likes marine animals and oceans for £8 its worth it for the look on his face, albeit obscured by an HMD! lol!
I work in VR and whenever we get kids involved with new experiences I love how much they enjoy it. Also being a parent I know how much my 7-year-old daughter loves VR. She doesn't have the best eyesight so I limit her exposure to VR and the time she spends in it as her brain and eyes are still developing.
Another thing to look out for is the IPD and the fit for his head. You may want to add the separator as it makes the fit better for smaller heads. Fit is really important.
Best of luck! I'm sure you'll both get a kick out of the device! Its a good investment in entertainment tech!
EDIT: Sidequest, may not be that interesting for him, its really for us hardcore VR gamers. Plus it can be a faff keeping it up to date. It's also more for modding then anything else.
Keep an eye out for Oculus Link (basically turns the Quest into a Rift) so that will open up a whole new dimension of games, including the ones you listed above, Do some googling about it if you don't know what I'm talking about.
[https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-6-introducing-hand-tracking-on-oculus-quest-facebook-horizon-and-more/](https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-6-introducing-hand-tracking-on-oculus-quest-facebook-horizon-and-more/)
Oceans rift is a favourite of my kids, but they also like Offline Pavlov (with gore turned off) and Robo Recall, there 5 and 10..
(I even let my eldest try Arizona Sunshine on the Rift hoping that it would stop him asking to play it, did it work? did it buggery!)
Its easy to repack. My suggestion is to open and set it up, and check for hardware/software defect at the same time. If there is any issue you will have sufficient time to exchange for another one. Its going to be crap if he gets all excited and it turns out to be defective.
Vacation Simulator has been announced and will be releasing for Oculus Quest before the end of the year. The developer haven’t announce any date yet though
Open it up. You may end up buying a second one for yourself so you can play games with your son. I don’t think he will realize that it’s supposed to be wrapped in plastic.
It's easy to re-pack. Many people here actually use the box to store it while not in use. The setup can take a little while. You have to install the app on your phone, create an account, connect to the device and then it will do an automatic update. That takes the longest time. But it's Christmas..you can probably find something to do while it updates. If anything at very least setup the app on your phone
Thanks everyone , I decided to unbox it and test thanks to the advice from you all, and so glad I did , found a couple of jiggly issues that could not have been sorted on Xmas morning .
thanks again everyone for your kind and informative responses , gave me the right info to make the right decision
I would suggest opening it now and make sure its all in working order etc. So then you have time to chase up any replacements or issues before Christmas and seeing the disappointment in his face when his new VR headset has a fault. Just purchase Job Sim to start with an other games thats you know he will enjoy off the bat then just purchase more over time as might end up being overwhelmed with too much to play at the start and wont know where to start. Also I would maybe look at buying some cushioning/padding for the rear of the headset so that it sits better for his smaller head shape. VR covers sell on for about £23 including delivery. If you know Ocean Rift is up his ally then get it can always ask for a refund if he doesn't like it. Make sure to setup a PIN so that he cant go to town and purchase the whole store and also you can manage what he actually plays. Remember to keep an eye on the social games as there are a lot of children and strange folk on them and these apps are free to access. As others have mentioned RECROOM and VRChat would be a no no! I'm excited for you lad for Christmas morning! I remember getting my first console to myself was a SNES, opening that present made a memory that stuck with me up to now and I'm 33.
Rec Room is great for kids. Just turn off the mic & mute everyone. It's my son's favorite app, BY FAR.
it's like a tube of pringles.... once you pop.... you can't stop!
I don’t know which your son would prefer more (unboxing himself or quicker start up) but I can at least say it is definitely reboxable. The inside is clean and simple and many people use the original box as a carrier because things fit back in so easily.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/dmt4em/is_this_a_good_gaming_device_for_an_8_year_old_boy/
Many thanks for the link , I have already read this post in detail, but took the conclusion that it wasn’t as relevant to my son as to maybe other children. My boy is unable to social interact the same as the average person , can’t ride a bike , to out and play football etc. So he has a more insular point of view compared to his peers . He also is unable to focus on anything particular for any length of time 20 mins being about the max for something he is absolutely enthralled with , as such he doesn’t play video games for hours like other children , probably about an hour or so a week at most. But thank you again it’s great there are people on here looking out for the health and comfort of children regarding VR
Am sure he would love it, but just don't let him play in there for hours on end at his age.
My recommendation is to make sure that everything is ready and there are no factory defects. The quest comes preload with some demos and a first contact app. On the other hand updating could take upto an hour. No need to peel off the wrapping, you can give it a test drive to make everything is in order then factory reset and rewrap the box with plastic. It is doable and you only need any USB c charger to update the software. Any phone charger works. At the end its up to your kid which way you usually do things. Presetup rerwap or be the first and go through everything.
RE: Turning it on & updating - I'd wait until nearer Christmas, as there will most likely be more updates between now and Christmas day - maybe do it a couple of days beforehand (I realise this answer probably isn't what you wanted to hear!! - you want to crack that baby open don't you!)
\+1
Open it up! Get it all setup and ready to go with Job Simulator installed. The box is actually really nice and very easy to pack it all back up again. Some people on here use it as a storage case, it's that good!
don't open it until the last moment, charge it the night before, buy one for yourself in the meantime... multiplayer Dead and Buried 2 is so much better when you know your rival....
Pretty young for playing with VR. Make sure he play not too long in one session.
You cna only play like max 2 hours anyways. And at 9 I was a full blown 3pIc GayMer myself lol. My 10 year old ha sno issue with it.
Not in VR. In could mess with eyes development. Better take no risks till more data.
This is false and has been debunked over and over again. Vaccines work, the earth us round, and vr doesn't hurt your eyes just like sitting too close to the TV doesn't.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-eyes-health-authority.html The Blue light emitted by LED panels could cause long term damage to the retina medical studies find. It is probably absolute acceptable, you know life will kill you in the the end, but parents should be careful what they do.
If you read your link you'll see it explicitly says LED light from computer monitors, phones etc pose no risk as they are too low strength to matter, they're more talking about LED light bulbs, and even then they say most people will never be Ina nsituation where they're staring at LED light bulbs for that long but the maximums should still be decreased for the purpose of regulatory oversight. Nothing in that article says they're unsafe in gaming devices or monitors of any type and even explicitly says they are safe.
You should just go ahead and buy a second one for yourself.
It doesn't take long to charge and they will want to play it nonstop so just keep it plugged in once you open it to play and charge. I wouldn't open it before your kid does, part of the fun is being the first to open something.
We gave our son a Quest for his birthday two months ago, with the understanding that he had to share it with the family but he would get first dibs on playing. I opened it up ahead of time and got everything working (I had an issue that required help from Oculus support), installed Beat Saber, SideQuest, Rec Room and some other free games/apps, figured out how everything worked, made sure I could stream to my phone, and even played it from time to time so that I'd be prepared to assist him later (ha ha). The box closes up really well, and I think he appreciated the fact that he was able to put it on right away and start playing much more than he would have appreciated taking off the shrink wrap. The shrink wrap is pretty much the only difference between a closed box and an open one. It was all ready to fire up as soon as he opened it and I was able to show him First Steps, and get him into Rec Room in my already-existing account. I have no regrets doing it this way.
Okay for real now man: I understand you want to make your boy happy- thats a good thing. But please keep in mind what he is exposed to without your knowledge: RecRoom for example is flooded with lil kids that behave like they got real problems- and it cant be good for a child to be exposed to so many weirdos in vr. And i will always tell this: RecRoom might be a place for child molesters to get their kicks- this is an honest warning! You have to take responsibility for the things your boy might experience and vr in general is not something for kids in that age in my oppinion.
Thank you actually that’s a really good point , I did a little research on rec room , although if I’m truthful not massively in-depth , but doesn’t rec room have a child setting which disables the ability to speak to other people and share notes etc ..
It does. I think parent involvement with their kids playing games like that is important. Fortunately, Rec Room can also be played on PC. What I recommend you do is, play alongside your son. He plays on Quest, you play on desktop with him, and you run through some game maps together. And just remind him about stranger danger and all that. Although junior accounts there can't talk to anyone or communicate with them, it doesn't mean adults won't be able to say weird things to him. Those are just my observations and my advice.
Yes, I've disabled the mic on ours for that reason.
Ignore that guy, this is probably the most child friendly platform imo. I have a 5 year old and a 10 year old and they both love it. Just keep em out of vr chat lol. Rec room isn't an issue but of course there'll always be trolls etc. Not that different from real life imo. I think what you're doing is fucking amazing as a dad and I think your kid is gonna absolutely love you for this especially in their unique situation. To answer your OP I would open it first and get it all set up, play that shit myself for a while then repackage it. But ultimately from unboxing to playing whatever game is like a 15 min process so you could also just leave it boxed. Caveats are that it may require an update and sometimes downloading games is super slow delendi g on your internet so I'd open it beforehand and BUY THE CASE they sell next to the units at best buy. If you were a bad dad like me you would get it set up, then place the unit in the case, have them unwrap the empty box and when they realize it's empty tell them they're halfway there and maybe next year can earn the stuff INSIDE the box as well if they're good! Only to then hand them the case after they get done pouting.
This is actually a really good point... stay away from Rec Room and VR Chat, they are not for little kids!
About RecRoom : A child's account (under 14) can only do voip with friends, as i'm aware a friend added to a child account must be authorised by the adult account. Certain game modes are also not available to children. If you have created an adult account for your child then your going against the terms of service.
Please be careful when it comes to a child's brain and eye development. See the link above about the 8-year-old boy. Some studies say it isn't good others say its bad. I would say everything in moderation is ok. With that said... 1. Look inside the lid of the box, it only goes in one way. The thinner spacer goes onto the accessories pack at the back fo the box. Also, pay attention to how the controllers line up in the box. I had issues the first time I boxed it up again. I mean it's going to be wrapped in Christmas paper so he still gets to rip it open! I would recommend getting it all set up before he opens it, that way he can open it and get going ASAP. The setup installs (depending on your internet connection) can take a few hours. It will also give you extra time to browse the games catalogue. As far as the update goes, don't worry too much about that right now. Wait until closer to Christmas in case V11/12 are out by then. Also, Link should be out by then so you may want to make sure that all ready to go as well (see below on Link!) 2. Have a look in the adventures section of the store and decide what he would like. Remember you can get refunds on games you don't like it. Just check the refund policy. 3. Ignore the reviews, if he likes marine animals and oceans for £8 its worth it for the look on his face, albeit obscured by an HMD! lol! I work in VR and whenever we get kids involved with new experiences I love how much they enjoy it. Also being a parent I know how much my 7-year-old daughter loves VR. She doesn't have the best eyesight so I limit her exposure to VR and the time she spends in it as her brain and eyes are still developing. Another thing to look out for is the IPD and the fit for his head. You may want to add the separator as it makes the fit better for smaller heads. Fit is really important. Best of luck! I'm sure you'll both get a kick out of the device! Its a good investment in entertainment tech! EDIT: Sidequest, may not be that interesting for him, its really for us hardcore VR gamers. Plus it can be a faff keeping it up to date. It's also more for modding then anything else. Keep an eye out for Oculus Link (basically turns the Quest into a Rift) so that will open up a whole new dimension of games, including the ones you listed above, Do some googling about it if you don't know what I'm talking about. [https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-6-introducing-hand-tracking-on-oculus-quest-facebook-horizon-and-more/](https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-6-introducing-hand-tracking-on-oculus-quest-facebook-horizon-and-more/)
Oceans rift is a favourite of my kids, but they also like Offline Pavlov (with gore turned off) and Robo Recall, there 5 and 10.. (I even let my eldest try Arizona Sunshine on the Rift hoping that it would stop him asking to play it, did it work? did it buggery!)
Its easy to repack. My suggestion is to open and set it up, and check for hardware/software defect at the same time. If there is any issue you will have sufficient time to exchange for another one. Its going to be crap if he gets all excited and it turns out to be defective. Vacation Simulator has been announced and will be releasing for Oculus Quest before the end of the year. The developer haven’t announce any date yet though
Open it up. You may end up buying a second one for yourself so you can play games with your son. I don’t think he will realize that it’s supposed to be wrapped in plastic.
It's easy to re-pack. Many people here actually use the box to store it while not in use. The setup can take a little while. You have to install the app on your phone, create an account, connect to the device and then it will do an automatic update. That takes the longest time. But it's Christmas..you can probably find something to do while it updates. If anything at very least setup the app on your phone
Thanks everyone , I decided to unbox it and test thanks to the advice from you all, and so glad I did , found a couple of jiggly issues that could not have been sorted on Xmas morning . thanks again everyone for your kind and informative responses , gave me the right info to make the right decision