Skip to main content

YouTuber sets Guinness World Record for longest amount of time gaming in VR

Spending 36 Hours in VR | Official World Record Attempt
When the HTC Vive headset first released, room-scale virtual reality made it possible to truly transport to a virtual world. Gaming in VR has largely stuck to a bite-sized experience though, letting people get back to the real world before too long. But earlier in 2017, Australian YouTube personality Jack McNee said goodbye to real life and spent more than a day in virtual reality, winning a world record in the process.

The marathon, which was documented on the LPVR YouTube Channel, had him playing Tilt Brush for 36 consecutive hours, 2 minutes, and 16 seconds. It has now been confirmed by the Guinness World Records, beating the previous record, set by tech journalist Georgie Barrat, by roughly 11 hours.

Recommended Videos

One of the requirements for the record is to stay within a single VR app. McNee’s game of choice was Tilt Brush, smartly picked for its freedom. Throughout the event, McNee drew characters from The Simpsons, Adventure Time, Pokémon, and more. Since the whole event was live-streamed, he was able to entertain himself by playing rounds of Hangman and Pictionary with viewers.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

According to the official guidelines, McNee was allowed a few small breaks to relieve himself, but meals were hand-fed during play. He was also not allowed to sleep throughout the gaming session.

While the goal of the stream was to break the previous world record, a secondary goal was to collect donations for The Reach Foundation. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding children in need, whether physically, socially, or financially.

For those looking to break a VR world record, there are other records using a virtual reality headset. In April, Alejandro Fragoso and Alex Christison of Cyberlink set the record for continuous hours watching VR Movies. The duo watched for more than two days straight, totaling 50 hours without any sleep.

Before challenging either of these Guinness World Records, be sure to contact the organization for official confirmation. It is also a pretty good idea to keep a few people around who can properly monitor vitals. With the HTC Vive now $200 cheaper, the bar for earning a world record just got a little bit lower.

Garrett Hulfish
Garrett is the kind of guy who tells you about all the tech you haven't heard of yet. He also knows too much about other…
HTC offers cheaper Vive Pro Eye bundles, expands eye-tracking in VR
HTC Vive Pro Eye virtual reality headset

HTC is expanding its push into enterprise virtual reality solutions by launching several new bundles in the Vive Pro Eye family. Both new bundles come packaged with HTC's Vive Pro Eye, which boasts to be the first virtual reality headset that comes with built-in eye tracking technology.

However, enterprise users who just want the VR headset without buying a bundle can grab the Vive Pro Eye at its new lower price of $1,399, HTC announced. This represents a savings of $200 from the original $1,599 price.

Read more
3 new PS Plus games that you should play this weekend (December 20-22)
Frey in Square Enix's Forspoken.

The latest batch of new PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium game catalog additions was released this week. As a result, PS Plus subscribers have a ton of new options when it comes to what to play as we approach what is many people's holiday break. Games from this most recent batch are what I'm recommending people check out this weekend. One of the titles is technically a Christmas game, so it's fitting to play this time of year, while my other recommendations are good options if you're looking for something to play with others.
Forspoken
Forspoken - Official Launch Trailer

Square Enix's Forspoken is a high-profile action RPG console exclusive that was released on PlayStation 5 in 2023. While its quip-heavy dialogue definitely isn't for everyone, the way it incorporates the player's magical abilities into combat and traversal is truly exhilarating. Dashing through large fields, surfing on top of water, and launching bullet-like streams of rocks at enemies is immensely satisfying. Forspoken's Isekai adventure technically begins with the main character, Frey, being whisked away from New York City around Christmas. That technically makes this a Christmas game, giving you all the more reason to check it out this weekend.

Read more
We might get a new Steam Deck next month — and Valve isn’t making it
The Steam Deck OLED on a pink background.

I expected to see some new handheld gaming PCs this year at CES, but it looks like something even more exciting is in store. AMD and Lenovo are hosting an event during the week of the show, and it'll have two special guests in attendance: Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais and Microsoft's Jason Ronald.

I'll be attending the event on January 7, about which Sean Hollister over at The Verge initially shared out the details. There are a couple of reasons why this event could be significant. First, Valve. Since the launch of the Asus ROG Ally, there have been a handful of these types of events featuring spokespeople from AMD, Microsoft, and the company making a handheld -- Lenovo or Asus. Valve hasn't ever been in attendance, and considering Valve makes the Linux-based Steam Deck, it would be odd for the company to have a presence.

Read more