Bring On The Virtual Lif3

What are you up to these Christmas holidays?

This post is brought to you by Lif3 Smartchip

I am planning on a trip to Hawaii, the Maldives and possibly a high-end art gallery in London, then I will jump out of a plane over Antarctica and party with the penguins and the next week, I think I’ll step out onto the red carpet on the arm of Channing Tatum for a star-studded event.

I can see you shaking your heads in astonishment (and others making circle-like motions to the side of your head”¦) but all of this could be possible thanks to the wonderful world of virtual reality. It was something I’d dreamed about being able to do as a kid, but back then, the machines were massive, totally boxy and seemed to be weighed down with metres of cables.

Not anymore!

Companies around the world are clambering over each other to present us with the most compact, lightweight, and functional devices they can and some of them look rather sexy.

To someone as low-tech as me, they seem to be fairly easy to operate. Put VR set onto head, slot smartphone into the front, select your adventure and off you go!

Total immersion and some wicked awesome adventures at the touch of a button. Is it really like the real thing? Not 100%, but pretending I can escape to Hawaii for even just 15 minutes sans kids begging for the paddling pool to be filled or for another snack or for me to entertain them”¦. Well, it’s pure heaven.

So, a VR headset for Christmas please, Santa!

Something we all need to be aware of when buying these great new products is that the majority of the latest VRs are head-mounted displays, putting your smartphone awfully close to your brain cells, and it’s a good idea to avoid them getting fried.

So Santa, can you please throw in something to help us safeguard ourselves?

Studies have shown that smartphones emit a low level of radiation, which is absorbed twice as much by children they have more fluid in their developing brains and their skulls are thinner. We already spend an average of 21 hours a week using and checking the phone and when I throw in my, let’s face it, daily escapes to paradise, that will only be on the rise.

Just to help you out, Santa, I heard about this Aussie company called Lif3 Global, who have a product called a Smartchip that helps safeguard us from mobile phone radiation. It has been scientifically proven to reduce mobile phone radiation absorption by as much as 95%!

It just sticks right onto your smartphone and acts like a knight’s shield, warding off evil while you get on with your day.

If I can bear to part with my VR equipment for a short while, a Smartchip means I won’t have to worry about my daughter wanting to walk around her princess castle, or my son saddling up to Lightning McQueen to race for the Piston Cup, their little noggins and the precious contents inside will be a lot safer and I will also have peace of mind.

But far from being a one-purpose device, the 0.35mm microwave absorbing Smartchip will be working whenever I answer the phone, have it in my pocket or when the kids steal it out of my bag to watch ABC Kids.

It really is a smart investment.

So, Santa, I would like to put in my formal request for three things for me for Christmas please:

1. A good quality virtual reality headset
2. A VR For Dummies instruction book
3. A Lif3 Smartchip (in case you were wondering, you can find them at Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Betta Home Living, Retravision, Kambos and the Lif3 Global website lif3smartchip.com.au.

And for those lucky enough to get their request for the above fulfilled, here are some of the top VR games for kids these holidays:

1. Minecraft – That’s right, the popular block-building, axe-wielding game is available on the Occulus Rift and on the Samsung Gear VR.
2. Lucky’s Tale – This game is like a mish-mash of Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. A great game for the younger members of the family as you get to explore a pretty cool world in third person view. This is being bundled with the Occulus Rift.
3. Everest VR – This is a literal climbing simulator,where you are pushed right in the middle of a mountain cold enough to freeze off your limbs. Luckily you can’t be chilled to the bone through the HTC Vive consul, but the experience will be amazing.
4. Dragon Front – One for lovers of board games. Modeled after traditional card collecting games, this game is all about strategy and leaning in to experience your cards coming to life.
5. Headmaster – If soccer is your thing, you will love this Playstation VR game, where you are tasked with heading balls at or around targets, bombs and ‘goalies’ with each success making the next task trickier.
6. VR Karts: Sprint – Think Mario Kart on steroids with the Samsung Gear VR experience. This game has nine racing tracks and single player, championship and online multiplayer modes.

I promise I’ll leave a beer out with your cookies and Rudolph’s carrots this year, Santa, just to sweeten the deal.