The Oculus Rift headset has proven to be more than a virtual reality gaming device. The Rift was recently used to let a dying woman experience the outside world again for the last time.
Game artist, Priscilla Firstenberg recently used the Oculus Rift to let her terminally ill grandmother Roberta Firstenberg see the world outside her home. Roberta had become too weak to enjoy her favorite pastimes or walk around her yard.
Priscilla had the idea to request a Oculus Rift dev kit to help her grandmother and customer service lead Kevin Crawford responded to her with kind words, telling her the decision to send her a kit was unanimous.
"Unfortunately, we can't send you out a brand new unit as we're still trying to fulfill our backlog queue of existing orders, but, we have just received a few developer loaner samples back in the office," Crawford wrote. "Keeping with the spirit of these specific Rifts, it only makes sense that we loan a working developer Rift to another game dev.”
Using the Oculus Tuscany demo, Priscilla built a world that her grandmother could navigate from her house using Google Street View and other features that Roberta could interact with. Roberta spoke on feeling part of the world again through the Oculus Rift saying:
"You can be in pain but, somehow, when you see a blue butterfly reach out to kiss you ... it makes you realize we are all a part of this world.”
Weeks after visiting Tuscany through the Oculus virtual reality device Roberta died.
See Roberta visiting Tuscany for the first time in the emotional and touching video below.
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