The figures are in, and consumer spending on virtual reality hardware was surprisingly low in 2016. Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Sony’s Playstation VR all underperformed against the market’s expectations, leaving some to wonder about the industry’s prospects in 2017. But disappointing sales aren’t the only thing these high-end systems have in common.
Each of these platforms is designed for at-home use. In fact, most of the hype we’ve been hearing over consumer VR has been telling us it’s just a matter of time until we’re all accessing VR worlds from home.
While mobile VR platforms like Google’s Daydream could deliver on the promise of widespread use of VR at home, there’s a real possibility that a more promising launch point will be the kinds of VR experiences that require us to get out of the house.
2017 could be a year that out-of-home virtual reality becomes more common with things like micro amusement parks, VR arcades, and even fitness gamer gyms. The design of physical space is a critical element of good VR, and one benefit of these setups is that the physical layout can be tailor-made for VR.
I’ve been in awe of how much better my own Oculus Rift is now that I’ve added the touch controllers — but I’ve smashed my hands on my dresser enough times to realize that a small San Francisco apartment is not the ideal setup for immersive VR.
I recently had a chance to try out one high-end out-of-home installation at the headquarters of The Void, in Lindon, Utah — a sort of building scale experience with a full stage setup and interactive effects (think big fans blowing wind in your face). The hardware included a VR headset with sound, a vest with haptic vibrations, and a body suit that carries a gaming PC in a backpack.
The experience I tried, a Ghostbusters themed game, was not unlike going to laser-tag — except you’re moving around inside a video game world. If a physical…