Virtual reality is a technology that has promised a lot and delivered very little, at least up until now. About a decade ago, Oculus launched a Kickstarter campaign so that it could raise the funds needed to develop its first VR headset, the Rift. The company attracted nearly $2.5 million from excited consumers who loved the idea of being able to play games in an immersive digital world.

When it finally went on sale in 2016, it was met with mostly positive reviews, though most tech critics were quick to point out that its $599 price tag would put it out of reach of all but the biggest technology enthusiasts.

While revolutionary, the original Rift still had a long way to go. One of its biggest drawbacks was that it needed to be plugged into a powerful PC to run, making it impractical for many. The Verge even went as far as saying that virtual reality was a technology that was “always almost here”.

After the initial hype surrounding the release of the Rift and competitor products from companies like Samsung, Sony, and HTC, VR has, so far, failed to deliver on the lofty promises that were made by so many in the industry. This is especially true for gaming, where most mainstream and AAA titles are yet to get VR support and players are left with just a small selection of niche games to play.

However, it appears that VR might be about to enjoy a big breakthrough as prices tumble and more attention is focused on it by consumers and tech companies. So could the VR gaming future we were promised in the 2010s be finally on its way?

Hardware Catching Up

Hardware is finally catching up. Newer headsets are lighter, can run without being connected to a PC, and have improved battery power, making them much more suitable for gaming.

VR headsets are also much cheaper than they were just five years ago, making them more affordable for an average consumer. This helped Oculus achieve huge success with its Quest, which went on sale for $399 in 2019. Building on this success, its successor, the Quest 2, managed to outsell all other Oculus products less than a year after its launch.

What Could a VR Future Look Like for Gaming?

With the technology finally going mainstream, many more game developers are considering how they can take advantage of the technology.

For some games, it is quite obvious. For example, racing …….

Source: https://www.sproutwired.com/is-virtual-reality-the-future-of-gaming/