Why does Virtual Reality remain a "promise" for so long?

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In 2016 we suddenly saw Virtual Reality everywhere; on the internet, on television, in the magazines and newspapers, all journalists were wearing bulging glasses, fell over, became nauseous and indicated that the world would soon become virtual. Then it became quiet, the promise was not fulfilled, VR was nothing more than a hype that had blown again. But is that really true? Although the traditional media are looking for VR, they are still working hard on the development of Virtual Reality. Only less is being called. Why does Virtual Reality remain a promise for so long, and when does this change?

What went wrong with Virtual Reality?

Palmer Luckey is the man / boy who started the current VR sector with his extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus VR headset. Later, Facebook would take over this startup for a huge amount. Then things went a bit wrong. The beautiful promises were not immediately realized, the virtual world was littered with bumps and thresholds. To make matters worse Luckey turned out to have made some "awkward" decisions, on which he was sidelined by Facebook director Mark Zuckerberg. In addition, the media was already ready with the virtual world, because after the enormous amount of journalistic items about VR there was a new and successor in 2017: Augmented Reality.

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Augmented Reality is the new toy

"Love 'em or hate' em", Apple determines the trends in technology. And in 2017 Tim Cook thought it was high time for Augmented Reality, so the crowd would follow. Honest is fair, AR is a fascinating technology with enormous possibilities, yet it is not better or worse than VR. It is just another way of combining virtual elements with the environment. Rest assured, Mixed Reality is on the agenda for next year, trend watchers can get back to work with a new hype!

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How will Virtual Reality break through?

It is not the question "or", but "when" VR will break. And that can be faster than you think, especially because of these developments:

1. The prices of VR headsets are going down

At this point, major improvements have already been made, the first generation of "real" VR headsets have already dropped enormously in price, the same applies to the PCs with the minimum specifications required for these VR headsets. A new line Mixed Reality glasses for Windows 10 immediately got a more friendly price tag, also the system requirements are lower. HTC has developed a reasonable luxury wireless headset, that does not require a PC at all. This also applies to a more simple Oculus GO headset where the hardware similar to a smartphone is already built in.

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2. More success without cables

The new generation of VR headsets is wireless. The first group of users mainly went for the lowest possible "latency" or delay, the rest of the market simply did not like cables anymore. Everything has to be wireless, if VR glasses really become popular they will have to work without cables.

3. Content is King

The library has grown from dozens to hundreds and now thousands of applications for the various Virtual Reality glasses, which is a good sign. More AAA titles may be added with larger budgets, and made by the top developers. Now it is mainly experiments and upgraded smartphone apps. Conversions from existing games to VR are not sufficient, for example Resident Evil Biohazard shows that it is possible.

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4. From early adapter to the mass

Someone who gets into new technology early can complain, but they often accept many irregularities and enjoy finding the limits. For the average consumer, a product simply has to work, and without first reading a fist-thick manual. That's why the Gear VR from Samsung is much more popular than the Oculus Rift, while the Rift is technically more advanced. Plug & Play VR is the only way in which the masses go with the Virtual Reality trend.

5. VR Arcades do good business

For home video there was the cinema, for consoles there were Arcades. Without large screens, surround sound and 3D, cinemas can no longer survive, Arcades are now even back thanks to Virtual Reality. The technology is currently too complicated or too expensive to get at home, if you buy something today it will be outdated again tomorrow. VR Arcades offer you the benefits, but not the burden. From a VR cinema with chairs that spin, to huge warehouses where you can shoot hundreds of aliens. Even Arcade cabinets with virtual wind machines and odors tempt consumers worldwide.

Technology needs time

There were already mp3 players before the iPod became a success, dial-up modems are decades old, we have switched from SMSing to Appen etc. Virtual Reality is still in its infancy, yet VR is growing faster than many technologies that are now commonplace. The promise is fulfilled, but sometimes you have to be patient...

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!

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