Virtual Reality – Why Hasn’t It Taken Off As Predicted?

Virtual reality technology is something that was rumored for many years before it actually became a realistic possibility. For a long time, these VR headsets were going to be the next big thing, a revolutionary piece of technology that would transform numerous industries and even lives. They finally began hitting the high street back in 2016, but so far they’ve just not taken off as experts predicted; with many people seemingly not interested in the latest craze.

The most common headsets such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR have all been geared towards one thing, gaming. Nobody really expected any different though as this was seen as virtual reality’s primary selling point. It would be a great chance for the developers to show the capabilities of virtual reality technology, but so far, even gamers have stayed away too.

One of the main reasons it has failed to take off so far is the price of the flagship headsets. People want to enjoy a quality virtual reality experience, but up until very recently, the technology was an extremely expensive bit of kit to purchase. For the most part, you’re still going to have to fork out upwards of £400 or $500), and the reality is that VR headsets are actually add-ons to things such as PCs and games consoles. A lot of people just don’t think they’re worth it, yet.

That leads me on to another key reason for virtual reality technology not taking off in the gaming sector. Headsets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive require top spec PCs to use them. Although developers understood that this was a stumbling block for many and changes have been made a lot of people simply don’t have a PC capable of supporting virtual reality technology. So while the cost of a headset is still pretty expensive, combining that with having to buy a machine capable of supporting it and you can see why many have been put off the latest trend before it even began.

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Many had expected virtual reality to take the gaming industry by storm; the possibilities were seemingly endless. There was the chance for the top developers to get involved to create VR versions of popular console and PC games, specifically developed fresh content was sure to be a big hit. In fact, even other gaming industries like the online casino world, could also incorporate the technology into the services that they offer customers. So far, there has been a lot of content created but it varies in quality, and it is very much hit and miss.

Things are changing for the better as headsets are coming down in price, tweaks have been made to improve the hardware, better content is being produced, and top gaming developers have got on board too. Whether the technology ever takes off as expected remains to be seen, but the key players are looking to strike the right balance to appease the public in order to generate more interest and sales.