Virtual Reality Needs to Become More Approachable for Novice Users

A lot of people buy a virtual reality headset for their own use. That is only normal, as it is a massive investment for most people. To get more people excited about VR, however, one needs to find ways to make it appealing to others as well. The bigger question is how this can be done in a frictionless and affordable manner. Not everyone is into gaming, thus a different selling point needs to be created.

Convincing Older Generations to get Excited About VR

It is hard to praise virtual reality hardware to people who are not even interested in the concept. Some people can be won over by highlighting the benefits of gaming in VR. However, older generations are not too keen on gaming whatsoever. It is very difficult to get parents excited about VR. The experience feels clunky, the hardware is expensive, and with no interest in gaming, there is no real reason to be excited about the technology.

One possible solution is to look at educational applications. Viewing Google Earth in virtual reality is a very tantalizing experience, to say the least. It is a breathtaking environment where you can literally zip from one part of the world to the next. Unfortunately, experiences like these can also induce simulator sickness. If people get nausea from using a VR headset, it will often be a one-time experience.

It is evident there is a growing need for more “introductory:applications”. Even younger people who are tech-savvy may struggle a bit when experiencing VR for the first time. A hands-on experience with a clear guidance system can certainly do wonders. There is no point in letting people ride a virtual roller coaster as their first VR experience. Doing so will only make people hate the entire VR concept, which should be avoided at all times.

All of this goes to show there is still a disconnect between VR content and the people using it. The current offering of applications and experiences is not exactly novice user-friendly right now. Especially not when controllers are part of the experience, as they can make things a lot more complicated than need be. Moreover, some content tailored to first-time VR users is quite expensive. The Blu is something everyone should try, but it is not cheap by any means.

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