The gaming industry definitely thinks that virtual reality is going to be the next major wave for gamers. We've seen evidence of this for a while now with companies like Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Google, HTC and Valve all trying to get themselves in the mix. Virtual reality devices come in all different forms and price ranges which is great because it is open to all consumers that way. For example, someone who just wants to check it out and casually play in virtual reality can buy the Google Cardboard which has a price range of 15-30 dollars which is very affordable.
On the other hand if you are the person who wants a powerful gaming experience that sets you inside your favorite games you may look into Project Morpheus set to release at $399 for the Playstation 4 or maybe you want the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift that sit at around 799 and 599 respectively. This may seem pricey but as I mentioned above these devices are for the hardcore VR player not your every day consumer.
So do I think it will launch? I think it has amazing potential, especially with the support of major companies like the ones listed above! That said it will depend on a handful of things, the first of which is price. I know I mentioned that these powerful VR devices are for the hardcore consumer but if a company wants to see something launch it has to have mass appeal and it has to e available to the majority of the market. With a Price of 399-799 for the headsets alone, this will not happen. The average household finds it difficult to purchase games that cost 60 dollars these days so if they have to pay 1000 plus dollars for a PC and then buy a $599 dollar headset it will never get inside a home.
This is where companies like Sony and Microsoft may come in handy, if they can develop gaming consoles and PC's then bundle them with a VR headset at a reasonable price we could see some real growth in the virtual reality markets. Also, I can see these things being great things to put on sale in the holiday seasons to get them to really launch.
Of course, Price isn't everything we need to get the type of games that the consumer wants with these devices as well. If E3 2016 is any indication this shouldn't be a problem though with games like Resident Evil 7, Batman Arkham VR, Fallout 4 and Doom all set to release for VR devices we definitely have things to be excited about.
To sum things up here, the prices are much to high for virtual reality to snowball into mainstream gaming right now but the future is super bright. With a little more development and some good business decisions I really do feel like Virtual Reality is here to stay and I couldn't be more excited.
Have a great day and please let me know what you think about the potential of virtual reality!
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