With all the virtual reality (VR) demos at the Game Developers Conference, one of the most anticipated headsets comes from Oculus VR. Attendees to the event could (after waiting in lengthy lines) test out the Oculus Rift and see just how effective and immersive the VR technology is, and after trying it out, I now know what it’s like to fly in space.

The demo I tried was for “EVE: Valkyrie,” a space combat game. Those of us playing were split into teams of four, and launched into a dogfight in the cosmos.

The Oculus headset fit comfortably, after adjusting a few straps. With it on, I was staring into a series of holographic screens from a space fighter’s cockpit. I looked down, and saw a body – the game’s representation of my body – in a tight flightsuit. The character held a small controller, just as I held the one for the game, so the controls felt more natural even though it was a regular game controller.

When the ship took off, I was staring ahead into a beautiful space-set scene, with massive ships up ahead, and a bright planet in the background. Wherever I looked, I was completely immersed in the scene, and the headsets I wore blocked out all noise but that of the game. Bright red arrows indicated the presence of enemies, and I flew off with my companions to fight.

I am not very good at space battles.

So I died a few times, but each time I did, I noticed something new. The ship I was in would show signs of damage with each hit, with sparking panels and cracked screens, until an explosion shattered the windows and the cold void of space froze everything. A glance down showed my quite literally cold, dead hands freezing over, before the character revived and I returned to the fight.

The Oculus Rift was completely immersive, and “EVE: Valkyrie” was an impressive game both visually and mechanically. While using game controllers took me out of the experience in other demos, it worked well together with the game, and the Oculus Rift provided a true virtual reality experience.