No There, There, Geek Dept. 0
Nury Vitachi is skeptical that “virtual reality” gadgets can have any durable appeal.
I hesitate to hold myself up as typical, but I’ve not found any appeal in the prospect of putting on some kind of headset or helmet to fool myself into thinking I’m somewhere other. I’ve found this where quite enough, thank you.
Nevertheless, it is true that every virtual reality device so far (as opposed to simulators, such as flight and driving simulators, which are quite a different thing and have practical application) have flopped after the initial gee-whiz wore off.
Methinks Mr. Vitachi has a point. “Virtual Reality” may be another area where “because you can” is insufficient reason for “you did.”
Here’s one of his arguments (emphasis in the original):
5) We fail to realize that the wow doesn’t last.
Yes, there’s a big wow factor in trying out VR headsets, or reading reviews by people who have done so. But they have done so in trial situations, where people are demonstrating the equipment.
This doesn’t mean that the average person wants that experience several hours of VR a day every day of the week. We need to find a way to go beyond the wow.
Follow the link for the rest.
