Dad uses HTC Vive to give daughter immersive VR tour of her dollhouse

Because the technology is so new to mainstream users, the benefits of virtual reality are still being discovered. But we're increasingly finding that VR can bring families together in new ways.

The latest example comes from an HTC Vive user who decided to give his daughter a tour of her dollhouse in a way that's never been possible before.

Using a Ricoh Theta SC 360-degree camera, Toby Newman captured all the rooms in his daughter's dollhouse and then gave her the unique opportunity to stroll around alongside her dolls inside the tiny structure.

Newman also posted a series of 360 photos to give everyone an idea of what his daughter can see when looking through the VR headset.

And while the set-up is an amazingly clever use of VR technology, parents thinking of duplicating the effort should be aware of the age restrictions around VR headset use.

Although the HTC Vive doesn't list a specific age limit, its site does state that, "The product was not designed to be used by children." Similarly, the Oculus Rift advises that, "this product should not be used by children under the age of 13," and the PlayStation VR suggests that its VR headset should be used by those, "age 12 and up."

Nevertheless, since the holiday season we've seen a number of social media images and videos of parents and children wading into the world of VR together. Therefore, it appears that age advisories aside, families will continue to use VR as a new means to share special moments both at home and in the growing metaverse.