Video Game Technology Winner: VR
VR used to be the stuff of sci-fi television shows, but over the past console generation, it’s finally arrived as a viable technology.
Sure, it hasn’t reached Star Trek levels of immersion quite yet, but we’ve come a long way since the Virtual Boy of the 1990s. Superb games like Beat Saber and Half Lyfe: Alyx that take full advantage of the technology’s best attributes are finally beginning to show what the platform can really do.
Although in truth, VR is still finding its feet as a growing segment in a very competitive industry. While the arrival of affordable headsets like PSVR has made the platform accessible, we’re still waiting for a watershed moment that truly brings it to the masses.
But there’s no doubt that in the years to come we’ll look back at the eighth console generation as the era in which VR debuted properly as a new gaming platform. That or we’ll be including it in lists like this one ten years from now under the “loser” section after it completely failed to gain the sort of traction we’re expecting it to now!
In all seriousness, though, between the launch of cheaper headsets and quality games like Half-Life: Alyx, VR’s future looks bright and its longevity assured.
