Tired of the real world? Get your VR/AR fix with these 7 resources in Philly

There’s no need for Philly VR enthusiasts to go elsewhere for their fix of augmented or virtual reality experience: there’s a host of places around town to get near VR creators or delve deep into other realities by way of a headset.

Here’s a quick roundup of places, groups and technologies for those itching to get closer to the VR/AR world:

• VR Philly Meetup group

With the tag line “enhancing your reality,” Philly’s own VR Philly meetup group has been offering a chance to tap into mixed reality experiences since 2014. Founded by Taylor Roach, a VR creator with Doylestown firm BrickVR, the group was present last year at our Philly Tech Week 2016 presented by Comcast kickoff last year. There aren’t any upcoming events posted yet, but look for them at this year’s Philly Tech Week 2017 presented by Comcast.

• Links in the Landscape

Presented in the fall as part of the FringeArts Festival, this augmented reality experience by creator Ellen Chenoweth shows viewers audiovisuals pertaining to five Philly-area artists or groups in the places where it all happened.

• A&G Labs

Allen & Gerritsen’s most “experimental” division is constantly cranking out fun lil projects like a Thanksgiving turkey controlled with hand motions, but they also create augmented reality marketing experiences for brands like Sunoco.

• Microsoft Reactor Philadelphia 

Pop into Microsoft’s University City beachhead and get a demo of the software giant’s latest offering in VR. Here’s one curious attendee tinkering with a HTC Vive VR at the research hub’s inauguration in November.

⚠VR DEMOS AT @MSFTREACTORPHL ⚠ pic.twitter.com/vVSnlMBDce

— Technical.ly (@Technical_ly) November 3, 2016

• The Franklin Institute’s VR exhibit

This is pretty much as legit as a museum VR experience can get. Launched last fall, the expo lets visitors strap on an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift and “be transported to another place where anything is possible.” Lookout for the mind-boggling 360-degree video from the bottom of the ocean, which can be tapped into through the museum’s mobile app

• Drexel University’s VR Club 

Mind you, this group is open to all students and everyone who’s curious about VR. The club hosts regular events to showcase VR hardware and software with the goal of building a community around VR development at Drexel.

• Visit Philly’s VR tour of the city

Get a steak from Pat’s, trot up the Art Museum steps or take a walk through Schuylkill Yards. Pick from an array of 25 panoramic photos of Philly or watch a pretty impressive three-minute video jawn, all created by New York-based Vr studio YouVisit.

Oh, an here’s a bonus one: since we’re not that far off Philly Tech Week 2017, on May 2 the Microsoft Reactor will be hosting this event on how both augmented and virtual realities are increasingly becoming a part of our lives.  See you there.