8 reasons why virtual reality will continue to grow
The Meta Quest 2 is succeeding. A meta manager gives eight reasons why virtual reality will continue to grow in the coming years.
The Meta Quest 2 apparently became a Christmas hit for the second year in a row. The autonomous VR goggles landed at the top of the app charts and VR studios report increasing demand in the Oculus Store.
On Twitter, Vivek Sharma gives eight reasons why this trend should continue. Sharma joined Facebook in 2016 and has been in charge of Meta's Metaverse product Horizon since August 2021.
Price, wireless, app diversification.
Sharma cites the "unbeatable price" of the Meta Quest 2 as the first reason. At $300, the device is in the same price segment as a Nintendo Switch without a memory card this Christmas.
The second reason and a "big selling point" is the wireless nature of the device. It makes the VR goggles more versatile, more mobile, and more immersive since no cables interfere with the immersion.
That gaming is just the beginning is Sharma's third reason. For virtual meetings, there's Horizon Workrooms, and for physical training, there's Supernatural. Art, design and collaboration: there would also be VR apps for these.
To everyone ? seeing the Quest app trend to #1 in app stores and realizing VR may actually be a thing. Some reasons why this trend will only continue (my opinion only - not official lol) 1/
- Vivek Sharma (@pucknorris) December 26, 2021
Social factor and versatility of VR glasses
Another success factor is the social aspect of VR, the possibility to get in touch with people in old and new ways: in the form of virtual events, creative collaboration or casual meetings.
The fifth reason cited by Sharma is the versatility of upcoming VR glasses. The Quest product and VR glasses from other companies would evolve towards smartphones. They would be personal, social, mobile, versatile, and open up new use cases compared to consoles and PCs, which have "fundamental limitations."
Immersion, hardware development, ecosystem potential
Having to wear a device on your face is a "legitimate limitation" of the technology, he said. Virtual reality won't replace the smartphone, he said, but it will complement it in immersion, if that's desired or preferable. Staring at a screen or being virtually transported to a place makes a big difference, he said.
Another important point is that hardware will improve over time. The next challenges, he said, will be a combination of miniaturization and specialization, similar to smartphone development. "It will be hard, but is already happening," Sharma writes.
Despite initial successes, he says the VR ecosystem is still in its infancy. There's far less content and apps, he says, and the possibilities are far less explored compared to other platforms. That's a big opportunity for developers, creatives and businesses, Sharma says.
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