The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Could VR prove to be the next big thing? Iwata’s revolution is often spoken about and for good reason: appealing to markets outside of the established core was an admirable strategy, and to see it pay off in such a landslide way for the Wii was gratifying. However, it had its plug pulled when swathes of buyers of the original Wii moved over to the mobile and tablet market, where games are usually cheap or free, and far more social. VR may well sweep non-gamers up in a tide of early enthusiasm; it seems like the perfect dinner party show-and-tell. When the novelty wears off, it will have to struggle to find experiences that will hold people and keep core audiences coming back.
During VR’s maturation, Sony, Valve, and Oculus will need to stumble over these obstacles (which, fingers crossed, will seem more like early hurdles a few years down the line) if they are to bring the new medium to the center ground. Or maybe not; maybe the ‘next stage’ view of VR is a misnomer.
This may well not be the fourth dimension, just an expanded and more immersive third. Perhaps instead of a step forward, VR will be an interesting step to the side – a curious excursion worth making for its own sake. Perhaps it will exist in the same way as the Wii: not in direct competition with more traditional platforms, but carving out its own direction and finding a new market for itself in the process – along with a new way to play and look at the medium.
