Will VR Become Your Reality?
Released: May 04, 2025
Written by: Darius Maharaj
Between Worlds: A passing dream or new reality
Is Virtual Reality the next big thing in gaming? This has been the question on many people’s minds for decades…and to this day the answer is, amazingly, still not definitive. VR has been around for a VERY long time, with the first ever device being developed in the 1960s. The concept of being able to visually immerse yourself in the content you’re consuming is nothing new. However the evolution of that concept has been exponential ever since
VR and Gaming
In the 2010s, Virtual Reality Headsets took the mainstream gaming market by storm, with the Oculus Rift headset being a massive success. It offered a high-quality VR experience that could not be matched at the time, whilst being comfortable and minimizing any side effects the user may experience, such as motion sickness, with its efficient head-tracking technology. This device was leaps and bounds ahead of anything else in that moment and truly paved the way for those today i.e. the Meta Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra.
Still not mainstream?
However, even with this popularity within the gaming industry, VR headsets still feel niche. The average gamer does not own one of these devices, and they are often seen as a “luxury” item, but why is that?
During the initial surge of its success, a good reason for this would have been the absurd pricing. Though, since then, due to a rise in competition between brands, the average price has gone down significantly, so this can’t be the case.
Similar to going to the cinema to watch a 3D movie, people would have no problem paying to have a “VR Experience” somewhere for a couple hours. The consumers would love it, and may even want to do it again, but the line is almost always drawn at having a device of their own. People adore the concept of being able to be “inside” of whatever content they’d like to be, but owning something that’s sole purpose is to provide you with that satisfaction feels unnecessary. Those who have them love them, but those who don’t are more than likely not longing for one.
‘Game Girl (VRG)’
Artist: Clinton Peniel King
Another reason in those years was that there were not enough good games. However, games such as Astro Bot (which won Game of the Year in 2024), Among US VR, Beat Saber and Batman: Arkham Shadow, amongst others, have all been met with superb feedback, so that can also be scratched off the list.
So then why? Why is it that these fun, futuristic consoles just can’t seem to break that last barrier? Honestly, it may be down to the fact that Virtual Reality is largely just a gimmick.
THE FUTURE
With the recent release of Apple’s Vision Pro, it’s clear to see that Apple is attempting to shift the narrative of VR, by combining it with Augmented Reality (AR) to give the consumer a whole new perspective on what the experience could be: being able to interact with the world around you while having virtual multitasking capabilities and also keeping everything private, for your eyes only. This broadens the utility of these headsets, making them more practically useful rather than simply a gaming machine. If enough people get on board with this idea in the coming years, we could see a proper mainstream breakthrough for the first time.
It still has a long way to go, but the technology is always improving and always evolving. It’s virtually impossible for VR to not become a part of lot of people’s reality.