I have been excited about VR or virtual reality for years now. I even purchased the different types of VR gear you can get from mobile on to PC based VR headsets. But is VR losing its cool factor?
The gaming industry was raving about VR, with companies such as Facebook, Google
getting behind hardware that they developed to get VR into as many hands as they could.
With its acquisition of Oculus, we knew that Facebook was serious about VR and being the social giant, it is, they had the opportunity to build the best social VR platform ever.
Fast forward to today, VR is slowly moving away from being the buzz word and AR is starting to take its place.
VR totally immerses you in the virtual world, but AR brings the virtual world to reality, so the differences are there, and VR is still more immersive.
VR apps such as Facebook spaces, which was a VR version of Facebook, was abandoned, because even though it was a great concept, the graphics and interactivity felt primitive. Equivalent to taking gaming graphics back a few years, which is understandable as more computations were necessary as compared to standard games.
Another factor influencing the fall of VR is the cost of entry, VR goggles cost a pretty penny, maybe not Google cardboard,
but their daydream headset did cost as it was built better and also had an included controller. This was when the Pixel phone was launched. but google later abandoned the project due to low adoption.
Gear VR was Samsung’s take on the VR Headset space, and while it was great, the headset needed a compatible Samsung phone to be able to use it. And these phones being flagships, cost a lot, and they also tended to heat up quite fast making gaming time max 30 minutes.
Now Gear VR is not being talked about at all, and Samsung seems to have abandoned the project too.
So, what’s the future of VR? There are a few games i play using the HTC Vive, such as Beat Saber and Box VR which allow me to have some form of exercise, but they do get monotonous really fast.
Games such as Resident evil 7: Biohazard on the PS4, No man’s sky and of course Half Life: Alyx are bringing mainstream games to VR which is a plus as most VR games look very low quality. These games at the very least felt like you’re playing a AAA title.
But as the graphic quality goes up, so do the requirements for a souped up PC, which would easily cost 1.5-2 lakhs over and above the cost of the VR headsets.
Game enthusiasts would already have the required configurations, but the average consumer would still be left behind with simpler games as they can’t run the AAA titles on their machines. I myself would not be able to run the games at their maximum quality and toning down the graphics quality, would ruin the experience.
Prices are coming down, and hardware are getting better but you would still need a certain configuration to play comfortably, as you are playing using a VR headset any frame drops would make you lose your balance literally or could also be nauseating.
Facebook is trying their luck with an upgraded Spaces called Horizon, which is available in beta and promises a lot more than what they had released earlier. Being able to hangout with friends in VR is a great concept and I hope they can pull this off.
Now with the pandemic, and lockdowns in place I feel VR is slowly peeking out of the closet to be used again. We now have the opportunity to meet people online, play games, and connect through virtual reality. Yes, the current state of graphics is not super, but one step at a time, and there would be a day when everyone would be logged in.
The manufacturers need to find a way to make the headsets more comfortable to wear, as 30 minutes of play would make you sweat profusely. The weight also becomes an issue, when playing for long periods.
There are newer headsets that solve some of the problems, but they are still bulky, hoping for some newer glasses only models to be released or maybe contact lenses with displays in them.
Who knows the sky’s the limit and I hope the companies explore the potential and develop better hardware for the masses.
