Why hasn't virtual reality taken off yet?
I'm Justus, a director of commercials and an enthusiastic advocate of Virtual Reality (VR) in the past. It's now the year 2022, and although I once predicted that VR would be the future of advertising, it seems that we're still a long way from getting to that point.
Here is the article I wrote at the time in 2017.
https://medium.com/@JustusaBecker/virtual-reality-is-the-future-of-advertising-779bf7d3d8e5
Here's a look at why, despite its initial promise, VR hasn't quite caught on.
The VR market: from boom to bust.
In recent years, we've seen an unprecedented wave of technological advances. In many ways, these advances had the potential to change the way we live. VR seemed to be at the top of the innovation pyramid. It promised to revolutionize everything from education to entertainment to advertising. But despite the initial hype and heavy investment, VR has yet to take off in the way some expected. Why is that?
Technological barriers
The technology itself is one of the main reasons. VR headsets are still expensive and bulky. They are difficult for the average consumer to use. In addition, the intense, immersive experience that VR provides makes many people feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable. This is not surprising. Although VR transports us to another world, we are still physically anchored in our own reality. This can lead to feelings of alienation and even discomfort or nausea. This is known as "VR sickness".
The lack of killer content
The lack of "killer content" is another important factor. In the early days of VR, we saw fascinating applications. For example, the ability to take virtual trips to exotic locations or experience breathtaking 360-degree movies. But these experiences are still the exception, not the rule. There just isn't enough high-quality, engaging VR content out there to get consumers to put on a headset on a regular basis.
Growth of AR
By contrast, augmented reality (AR), the integration of digital information into the real world, has had more success. More accessible and less alienating than VR, AR has already spawned a number of popular applications, from games like Pokémon Go to practical tools like Google Maps Live View.
The future of VR
So is all hope for VR doomed? In my opinion, the answer is no. Especially in specialized areas such as education, therapy, and even certain forms of entertainment, the technology still has tremendous potential. What it needs is time. Time for the technology to evolve and mature, and for content creators to hone their craft. Perhaps it will also take a paradigm shift in how we understand what VR can and should be.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the question remains: Will VR ever become mainstream, as some predicted years ago? But even if it doesn't: That doesn't mean VR has failed. Maybe we're just not ready to jump into virtual reality yet. Until then, we'll have to be patient and wait to see what the future holds.