Over The Edge

VR Rappelling Experience

Over The Edge runs fundraising events where supporters rappel down tall buildings for charity. When COVID-19 stopped in-person events, we built a VR experience for the original Oculus Quest that recreates the whole day – from the branded lobby, up to the roof and over the edge, down to the cheering crowd at the bottom.

Services: VR Development
Platforms: Oculus Quest (original, standalone)
Industry: Events / Charity Fundraising
See also: VR development

Looking straight down mid-rappel, with the landing zone far below

The branded lobby, with registration and staging banners as at a real event — Looking straight down mid-rappel, with the landing zone far below

The challenge

Over The Edge is a US and Canadian company that organises urban rappelling events for charities. It has run more than 900 events since 2004, and its average event raises over $100,000. Then COVID-19 made in-person events impossible overnight.

They needed a virtual alternative with the genuine stomach-drop of stepping over the edge – not a video or a slideshow – to keep supporters engaged and fundraising alive. And it had to run on the original Oculus Quest, a standalone headset with a mobile chipset and tight GPU and CPU limits.

Our approach

Rather than dropping players straight into the rappel, we mirrored the real event step by step: a branded lobby, a lift to the roof, the rigging and harness at the edge, the descent, and the landing zone. The build-up is part of the thrill, just as it is on the day.

To keep the frame rate smooth on Quest 1 we chose a stylised low-poly art style and built every asset, shader and scene for mobile VR from the start. Height does the rest: camera position, scale references and a street far below, with cars, pedestrians and city life, make the drop feel real.

The results

The experience gave Over The Edge a way to keep its community connected while in-person fundraising was on hold. Supporters could feel the thrill of the rappel from home, keeping their enthusiasm for the events going.

It also showed that immersive VR can stand in for a real physical experience convincingly enough to matter – even on a standalone headset with Quest 1's hardware limits.

Technical highlights

Full event journey
lobby, lift, rooftop, harness, descent and landing zone, in the order of the real event
Stylised low-poly art
chosen for a smooth frame rate on Quest 1's mobile chipset without losing the sense of height
Built for standalone VR
every asset, shader and scene made for the original Oculus Quest's GPU and CPU limits
Height by design
camera position, scale references and street-level detail tuned to make the drop feel real
Scripted moments
a drone flies past between the buildings mid-descent
Client branding throughout
Over The Edge banners, signage and event materials from the lobby to the landing zone

The lift that takes players from the lobby up to the roof

Rappelling rigs at the roof’s edge, with the city skyline all around

Clipping in at the rig before going over the edge

A drone flies past between the buildings mid-descent

The landing zone, with a cheering crowd behind the barriers

Have a project in mind, or want to explore what’s possible? Talk to us.

get in touch hello@unitydevelopers.co.uk

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