VR has an uphill battle ahead of it. The tech is going to be expensive, and there are a number of problems that need to be solved before it could be considered an inclusive technology (motion sickness, weight issues and real comfort for spectacles-wearers, for a start).
Perhaps more damningly, there’s this persistent idea loudly trumpeted in comment sections that VR is just a gimmick – a peripheral or add-on like PlayStation Move, Kinect or stereoscopic 3D, that does little to change or improve gaming. Moreover, it’s a tech that really has to be experienced to be believed, and too many people think they have experienced it, based on dodgy 80′s tech or even very early Oculus Rift demos.
I personally have tried VR, with an early Project Morpheus demo. This very rudimentary experience, which I expected to be rubbish and only signed up for because there was a queue for Bloodborne, was simply magical. I walked away a believer.
That’s a sentiment I’ve been hearing all week from GDC attendees. Developers and press walk in to Sony and Valve’s booths sceptical, and they walk out knowing they’ve seen the future.