What hooked me into VR
In the most recent years Virtual Reality as we know it has skyrocketed. The kickstarter of Oculus Rift started in 2012, and soon thereafter a competitor joined in. The announcement in 2015 regarding a collaboration with HTC and Valve was made during its Mobile World Congress. In 2016 both units started shipping out in the world and VR had made its stand internationally.
Nevertheless most people who have never tried VR has low expectations. A lot of people to this date view it as even gimmicky. All people who has probably never even jumped into Virual Reality. Despite this there are solid backers of this technology, and even one time use of a proper HMD (head-mounted-display) leaves a lot of people with a solid impression. A lot of eyes start to glimmer wildly in excitement inside those VR goggles. And soon thereafter in anticipation. Like myself, a lot of people start imagining what is to come in the future. Without a doubt talking about VR does not leave its deserved praise. VR is something which has to be tried to be understood.
But why does VR have to be tried to be understood?
I was shown VR during a convention back during the early DK builds of Oculus back in 2013. As a 17 year old my mind started boiling up as I was processing how far this technology could go. I was hooked. The early development builds for modern VR was very simple in concept, and reminded much of a pair of 3D goggles to view sit-and-watch experiences.
Four years later in 2017 I finally took the leap and purchased a HTC Vive. An upgraded model with room scale tracking and wireless motion controllers. It was a game changer. VR was suddenly an intractable experience and you could now see your hands in the game. The level of immersion had been bumped up. The potential felt endless.
My very first experience with my new HMD was Steam VR Home. It was an experience I will never forget. I was breath taken by the immersion. For twenty minutes I had completely forgotten what I booted the VR library for.
This was my very own room, with my very own terrace! Instinctively I teleported to look what I had on my shelves. I was curious as to see what my “personal” designer had done. Upon getting closer to the shelf I spot a Unicorn of some sort. I pull my head closer to it to see it in more detail. Meanwhile taking particularly care to not hit my head on the virtual shelf. I turned my head towards the terrace and teleported outside to get a grasp of fresh air.
I was completely astonished. It was a game changer for me.
I thought to myself if my favourite games was in VR, I would see no reason to ever game outside a HMD. The potential was huge.
A realization soon hit my head as a developer. I wanted wider FOV, higher pixel density and more experiences to view. My desire for VR was not fulfilled, and instead my mind kept pursuing the thought of what is to come.
After owning the HTC Vive for some time I got to test it to a further extent. I got to try more games, and was even able to share my excitement with friends and family. As an aspiring VR developer seeing my close friends and family try VR and get filled with excitement and humour through different adventures was just as exciting for me. A lot wanted to even buy a HMD for them self. But most importantly to me, they now also shared my enthusiasm for VR and was now very interested to see the technology grow.
I came to an understanding as to what really hooked me into VR. Sure enough the games and experiences we have available now has a wide spread of entertainment and innovation. And my first true experience in VR with Steam VR Home left me speechless. But more importantly a huge reason behind my excitement for VR is the potential. Interest for VR is increasing, and for a good reason. We have hit a milestone. Without a doubt VR is here to stay. And the technology can only get better, and cheaper. I can speak from my own experience and others on how VR leaves such an incredible impression on people.
My faith in my anticipation for all the potential for VR is what hooked me. Both as a consumer, and a developer. I believe it is only a matter of time before even more people share my excitement as well. I want to be a part of the future, and the future is now.
