What is the current state of VR gaming?

The Game Room
1

I was just wondering what happened to 3D/VR games. Our arcade back around '92-93 had a VR game that cost something like $10 for 5 minutes, strained eyes, and a stiff neck. You would wear a giant headset and stand on an enclosed platform. It was a single level consisting of a center and four platforms branching outwards. You would fight another human player by shooting what looked like giant bolts. I think there were pterodactyls too.

I think they also had a 3D hang gliding game too, but I don’t I did that one but maybe once or twice.

The next VR game I remember was the Virtuaboy. It could be argued convincingly either way whether that was a step forward or not, but at least it was a home console.

Back around 2000 I saw a 3D Imax movie in Vegas, it was halfway decent and in real color, but like that original game it also came with a giant headset that was just brutal on your eyes and neck. I haven’t seen any of the recent 3D movies, so I’m not even sure how far along we are on the film side either.
So where are we at now with virtual reality gaming? Where are we going to be?

I have seen those glasses on ThinkGeek and in the SkyMall catalog that are suppose to be looking at a big screen, but have never actually tried them. Is the eye strain/pain still a problem? Do they even work? I’ve read they could be used for gaming, what is the result?

2

“Virtual Reality” is a pipedream and will continue to be a pipedream for the forseeable future. People don’t want to game that way until it basically replicates The Matrix. Until then, it will be (and should be) passed off as nothing more than a fad among computer makers.

See also: The “connected living room” and online worlds like Habbo Hotel.

And by the by, the Virtual Boy was not a VR setup. It was a home console with crude 3D games that required a crazy headset.

3

you can buy 3d goggles that hook up to your PC and, with proper drivers, make games look much more 3d. Dunno if I’d call that true VR or anything, though. Those goggles are just starting to come into their own, with the latest gen supposedly actually being worth the price, whereas the ones produced in the '90s weren’t worth the gas it cost to drive to the store and back. I’ve not tried them out personally, mind you, just seen a slight buzz in the industry of late