The words “virtual reality” are synonymous with science fiction. To many, the idea of being transported to a computer-simulated environment in which your senses are fully immersed and you can physically interact with your surroundings seems unachievable and futuristic. But if you are one of those people who have dreamed of just such an experience, you will only have to wait another year.
In 2016, Sony and Kickstarter-funded Oculus VR will be releasing Project Morpheus and the Oculus Rift, respectively. Both are virtual reality (VR) projects designed to be used with video games with Sony’s Project Morpheus being compatible with the PlayStation 4 and Oculus Rift with PC.
The devices are essentially giant goggles that act as a television screen attached to your face that display images which adjust and align with the direction that your head turns. These headsets block out exterior sounds and sights to provide a one of a kind immersive experience.
As demos of the VR headsets at gaming conventions have shown, games developed to be experienced in VR will be contained experiences designed to maximize the new technology. The majority of these games are first person experiences that include flight simulations, exploration and puzzle-solving. Other games are even more modest in focus and simply try to capture the novelty of the whole experience through simple interactions between the gamer and objects within the VR environment. These VR games are shaping up to be less grand in scale and offer less to do than other games, yet it won’t be how much you can do in these games that attracts customers. Instead, it will be the full body immersion of these games and the emotional response connected to exploring and completing otherwise impossible actions that will make this experience a surefire success.
As this technology progresses and becomes more widely accepted, it has been speculated that traditional, mainstream console titles could be VR functional. Personally, I see popular franchises like “Forza” motorsport, “FIFA” or the mega-successful “Call of Duty” being instant sensations when paired with VR technology. However, “Rolling Stone” editor Mark Yarm feels much less optimistic about the success of certain VR experiences saying, “Call of Duty fans beware: [Oculus] Rift-specific games will be so immersive they may take the fun out of virtual warfare.” In the same article, Yarm quotes Oculus Rift Vice President Nate Mitchell who says that, “Watching your friends die, being shot at — I think that’s a little too intense for virtual reality, but there are going to be some people who really enjoy that experience.”
Other than the potential emotional trauma of certain VR experiences, some of the biggest challenges facing the success of companies like Project Morpheus and Oculus Rift have been in designing products that minimize the bodies’ natural response to immersive experiences, namely feelings of vertigo, motion sickness and eyestrain. While not everyone will suffer from these ailments, developers have been experimenting on stabilizing these devices to provide the safest and most comfortable gaming experience for the greatest number of gamers.
In response to the concerns raised in regards to the success and marketability of this new gaming technology, “The Guardian” writer Keith Stuart said of a conversation he had with Yves Guillemot, the CEO of game developer Ubisoft, that he, “recognizes the possibility of this kind of instinctive hardware revulsion, but he thinks it’s like any new technological advance: the right kind of experience will make users of us all.” Guillemot later says specifically that, “If we produce experiences that are emotional and intense there will be a market. It doesn’t matter that you have to wear something on your head, if it’s good people will do it.”
And that’s the biggest draw of virtual reality gaming. The fact that you can experience the thrill and emotions of physically flying a space ship, or scoring a goal as your favorite soccer player, or taking cover in a warzone as bullets whistle by your head, all while in the safety and comfort of your living room – that’s what will truly make this experience special. The future of virtual reality is promising that video games will no longer just be an escape from reality but an escape into reality.
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