Team Pocket Gamer reveals its top VR moments of 2015

2015 is coming to a close and we're all a bit excited here at Pocket Gamer. It's not so much the Christmas dinner and the presents - although we're all fans of that - and it's not the week off, followed by our triumphant return in 2016.

It's that 2016 is the year virtual reality comes to consumers. The Samsung Galaxy Gear has already launched (and we'll have a review early in the new year, as well as a hands on with some of the many launch titles vying for your attention right now) but the Rift, Vive and PlayStation VR are hot on its heels.

The whole team at Pocket Gamer except Glen is excited for virtual reality and we spent most of 2015 getting to try some really cool VR experiences. Sadly, most of the time you only hear me wittering on about it.

Here are some of our favourites:

James Gilmour - Video Editor, AppSpy
For me it was using the half moon controllers at E3. It felt like I was experiencing proper VR for the very first time. Tracking my movements within the room, seeing my hands reflected 1:1 in the virtual space, interacting with another person in real time. Here's a video of me and Alysia trying it out.

EVE: Valkyrie is also badass.

Harry Slater - Reviews Editor, Pocket Gamer
I'm the sort of person who's always going to be more interested in little DIY projects than mega-bucks Facebook-funded ventures. Which is why the VISR VR was so interesting to me. It's like a more advanced Google Cardboard, and it was one of the few VR experiences I had this year that didn't make me want to vomit. Technology isn't all that intriguing until it's accessible to everyone, and that's something the VISR team is aiming for.

Mark Brown - Editor, Pocket Gamer
I've been a VR fan since playing the first student prototypes on a first-gen Oculus dev kit. But the HTC Vice turned me into a bonafide evangelist. Especially the 'Arizona Sunshine' demo, which pits you, and a handgun, against waves of zombies. The ultra precise controller will trick you into thinking you're holding a real gun. The ability to move makes it better than any light gun arcader. And the headset's so immersive, you'll swear you're about to be eaten by a brain-hungry walker. It's manic, terrifying, and fiercely fun. I'm already making room for a Vive set-up in my house.

Ray Wilmott - Community Manager, Pocket Gamer
Not from hands-on experience, but just from someone observing VR with keen interest. I actually thought the recent support thrown at PS VR was really eye-catching and finally made me a believer that this won't just be another fad or gimmick. Whole new IP from Epic, Rez, a new Psychonauts game and even robot golf. It's very impressive stuff and seems like a 'all hands on deck approach' from Sony & partners.

Rob Hearn - Managing Editor, Steel Media
My favourite VR moment of 2015 has to be the Oculus Toybox demo. I've tried a lot of neat VR experiences, from the (almost) universally beloved Vive to a strange rollercoaster set-up with a moving chair in a quiet corner of G-Star, but the thing that set Toybox apart was the fact that I shared my virtual space with another person.

Over the last couple of years proto-VR experiences have grown exponentially more impressive as body tracking, higher resolutions, and controllers have been introduced, but Toybox was not just impressive, but moving too.