Virtual Reality and its potential

Abel Muro
Abel Muro
Aug 9, 2017 · 6 min read

Virtual Reality (VR), the very words can sometimes bring images of people experiencing a world that was made exclusively for them. The way VR works is that it uses our five basic senses to make us feel immersed in the game play. Our entire experience comes by way of a combination of our senses. VR has also proven itself in the industry of gaming. Many developers are now considering the idea of adding VR into their games to add that extra element of excitement that will get gamers attention. However, there are some that believe that VR is not ready for gaming in general because of some of the defects that VR headsets currently have, such as the headsets being uncomfortable and distracting to the player. Although some people believe that VR has many defects, VR is the future of gaming because of the realism, comfortability of the headsets, low cost of headsets and how easy it is for developers to sell their game when they install VR into their games.

The one strength of VR gaming is that it can make a game more realistic. Especially when the gamer is playing a first person horror game with a VR headset. It will make the jump scares more frightening and exciting. In the article that was written by Kelly (2015, Feb 19), it shows a video of a couple of gamers experiencing a horror game known as “Alien: Isolation”. The players first feel immersed in the game as they start exploring the virtual world that the game has to offer. Then the suspenseful music starts, and some alien thing pops out of nowhere and scares the player half to death. The reaction from the players is priceless. This is one example of how VR can make any game more realistic. Also considering that there are more comfortable headset like the hololens, this will make the game much more enjoyable. The way that VR can make a game more realistic will persuade people that VR is the future of gaming because the realism is a huge appeal to gamers worldwide. This will make more people buy the product and will increase revenue towards developers.

Another game that was made more popular because of VR is Resident Evil 7 (RE7). According to an article written by Feltham(2017, Jan 27), the author states ” More Than 62,000 People Are Playing Resident Evil 7 On PS VR”. This proves that once a game has installed VR, it will make it more popular. Before VR was installed on RE7, the game did not have 62,000 people playing it, but now they do.This is one example of a game that was made more popular because of the installment of VR. VR gaming will make a game much more popular and because of this, developers will understand that by installing VR in their games, it will make the games more popular and more profitable. More and more developers will catch on to this, and this in turn will also make VR the future of gaming.

The future of VR gaming lies on the success of its games. The games mentioned so far are reasons why VR gaming can be successful. However, even though VR can make a game more interesting, there are still defects that current headsets have, but these defects can be fixed.

One of the defects of VR is that the headsets are uncomfortable and that prevents the gamer from enjoying the game. In the article that was published by Kelly (2015, Feb 19) , the author states “The problem is, use the thing(VR headset) for any longer than ten or 20 minutes and you start to feel like you might die. Turns out having a block of plastic lashed tightly to your skull isn’t that comfortable. You start to feel hot, sweaty, and claustrophobic, and the foam cushion around your eyes becomes stifling. Sometimes you feel like you’re going to hurl”. This quote explains the defects of VR headsets. When you are expected to sit down and play a game for 10 minutes, then this won’t be a problem. The problem occurs when you are expected to play a game for hours. The headset will become heavy and claustrophobic. In order for VR to be the future, VR headsets are supposed to be comfortable enough for players to use for more than a couple of hours, but this is not the case with the current headsets. However, Microsoft has been working on a headset that solves this problem.

Even though VR headsets have the defect of being uncomfortable to wear, Microsoft has been working on a specific headset, the Hololens, that solves the problem of headsets being uncomfortable (Microsoft, 2017). The company states that their headset is designed for comfort. A representative of Microsoft states “The headband is designed like a performance car with great weight distribution for a comfortable fit. Weight is distributed around the crown of your head, saving your ears or nose from undue pressure”. Every part of the Hololens will be comfortable for gamers who intend to play for more than a couple of hours. The Hololens saves the future of VR with its comfort and potential.

The Hololens has seen great success since its release, according to the article published by Warren (2017). Warren states “Microsoft says HoloLens sales are in the thousands”. Even though the Hololens is priced at $3,000, these sales are actually impressive. This proves that VR headsets can be improved as companies put their hard work and dedication to improve their headsets for gamers. Even though the uncomfortability of headsets was solved by Microsoft, there is another problem with VR headsets, and that is the high price.

Another problem that VR headsets have is the high price. The hololens (Microsoft, 2017) is priced at $3,000! This price is too high for the average person who works at a minimum wage job to buy. Then there’s also the Oculus Rift, even though the headset itself is only worth about $300, it will be useless without buying the other bundles that must be used to experience VR (games, system, controllers, etc…). All of this adds up to about $1.499 for the bundles with Oculus Rift (Kayla, 2016). Even though these headsets are expensive to the average person, Sony has solved the price of VR headsets by setting their own VR headset at a lower price.

Sony has launched their own VR headset (included with the bundle of controllers, cables and a game) at a low price of $499.00! The price of $499 is a low price compared to the hololens and the oculus rift. Also, the PS VR actually got a price drop! This price drop (Kuchera, 2017) has made the PS VR cheaper by lowering the price to $399. The low price will persuade other developers of VR headsets to lower their price because it makes them understand that the average gamer will buy Sony’s VR headset instead of the hololens or the Oculus Rift. Who would want to buy an expensive headset like the hololens when a cheaper option like Sony’s VR headset exists?

All in all, I believe that VR is the future of gaming. The flaws of VR headsets can be fixed. We should all continue our lives as they were, but just pay close attention on the evolution of VR gaming. You don’t have to buy any expensive headsets to experience VR. But it couldn’t hurt to try the VR demo in your nearest GameStop.

Microsoft (2017) A New Way To see the world

Andy Kelly (2015, Feb 19) Is virtual reality really the future of Video Games

Rouse, Margaret (2016) Virtual reality

Warren Tom (2017 Jan 27) Microsoft says HoloLens sales are in the thousands

Feltham Jamie(2017, Jan 27) More Than 62,000 People Are Playing Resident Evil 7 On PS VR

Marcus O shea(2017, Jan 20)Vomit By The Bucketload: The Worst VR Games To Endure

Kayla Mathews(2016, June 8) Virtual Reality still has 5 big problems

Ben Kuchera(2017, May 3) PlayStation VR gets a price drop of sorts from Amazon and GameStop

Conception Miguel (2016 October 12) Here They Lie Review

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