Virtual Reality is coming in a big way. With major companies diving in, namely Steam (Steam VR ), HTC (Vive), Facebook (Oculus) and Sony (PSVR), VR will certainly be a “thing.†How long will it last? No one really knows, but I do know that it was a big thing at San Diego Comic Con. And it created a headache for all, no, not due to the actual tech, but the time it takes to get through a VR experience.
VR is certainly a great way to show-off upcoming IP whether it be a new movie or game, but I’m not so sure the best time to try it out is with thousands upon thousands of people everywhere! The typical VR experience lasted between 5-10 minutes or so, and while that doesn’t seem like that long of a time; it certainly is when you are standing in the sweltering heat San Diego randomly dished up this year.
Would you put a headset on that was on hundreds of other people’s heads? Didn’t think so! So to combat the possibility of pink eye, yeah poop particles in your eye, a Clorox wipe swipe will do. But again, there are loads of people waiting to try it out. The most egregious of the bunch appeared to be the ones for Mr. Robot and the Samsung Suicide Squad Experience. While I didn’t actually try them out, the line literally spanned several blocks for both. Were they worthwhile? Most certainly for those that made the wait.
From the business side, I’m sure that VR was a boon for the companies. Die-hard fans and casual watchers alike would love for nothing more than to step into the room of their favorite character or get tatted up by their favorite jester. Further delving into a show would certainly be a further selling point and a nice story to tell your friends. And, from what I’ve heard, the experiences were very well done, especially the horror-centric experiences.
As easy as it would be to nit-pick all over VR at San Diego Comic Con, it really is strikingly similar to various other experiences at San Diego Comic Con. You will wait in long, long lines. Some will be fantastic experiences leaving you breathless, while others will have you scratching your head wondering why you “wasted†so much of your day. I only wish each installation brought along more headsets, but SDCC has become a numbers game and that isn’t changing any time soon.