The virtual reality revolution is still very much in its infancy. The Oculus Rift, perhaps the flagship VR headset, only saw a consumer release back in March 2016.
Despite this newness, the technology has already seen plenty of exciting developments. Standalone VR headsets are finally here, and AR is set to make some big impressions over the coming months and years. However, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. So, what do hope to see from the future of VR? We’ve outlined a few suggestions.
Higher-quality Screens
The dreaded ‘screen-door’ effect is evident in every headset we’ve seen so far. It’s one of the most immersion-breaking aspects of current VR technology.
Being able to see individual pixels is frustrating. Hopefully, we’ll see some much better screens with higher resolutions and broader fields of vision. The recently launched StarVR One and other forthcoming headsets promise such wonders, but will likely not reach consumers any time soon.
Better Graphics
This isn’t so much of an issue with the VR headsets themselves as the hardware that powers them. Anyone who has looked at the PC specs required to run a Rift or Vive will know that they’re absolute beasts.
Yet even with the beefiest graphics cards, many of the visuals are far behind what’s seen in standard PC and console games. A leap forward in technology would be nice, but we also hope that big studios start taking VR more seriously. A combination of these factors should see some ultra-realistic graphics within a few years.
Fewer Wires
This is already becoming somewhat of a reality. Standalone devices such as the Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo have ditched the wires altogether, but they don’t offer a premium experience.
Although there are wireless adapters for both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on the market, they’re expensive and not always effective. There’s still the issue of the sensors and other connections too. Hopefully, a wire-free solution to premium VR isn’t too far away.
The Oculus Quest (out Spring 2019) may be the first real answer to this issue.
Haptic Feedback
Sure, VR currently lets us see, hear, and walk through virtual spaces, and even interact with it. But we can’t feel it.
There are already some haptic feedback devices in the works, including gloves and vests, but they seem like fringe projects for the moment.
We want to see one of the big names in VR get behind these projects and start to bring them to their launch offerings. Microsoft has made some prototypes, but as it stands, such a device is likely years away from mainstream production.
Deeper Immersion
This point is perhaps more of a culmination of all the above ones. The current VR experience can definitely be immersive; users feel involved in the world they’re seeing. But it’s far from the stage where it can truly fool all of your sense.
This level of immersion, where the virtual world is barely distinguishable from the real one, sounds equally amazing and terrifying. We’re hoping we get to see something along these lines in the distant future.
Essential Software
For virtual reality to progress as a medium, there needs to be a library of innovative software, across multiple uses, which are exclusive to the format.
One of the big issues preventing VR from gaining more traction is the lack of essential software. There are plenty of entertaining games and experiences on offer, but there’s very little that you can only get in virtual reality.
For virtual reality to progress as a medium, there needs to be a library of innovative software, across multiple uses, which are exclusive to the format.
Mass-market Appeal
As it stands, virtual reality is the preserve of enthusiastic gamers and other technophiles. The uses could be literally life-changing, and there have been some excellent implementations in recent years. However, the tech is lacking mass-market appeal.
Premium headsets and the hardware to run them are prohibitively expensive. Besides, there just isn’t enough to do with them right now. Casual gamers or those who aren’t tech-savvy don’t have many reasons to buy the technology. For virtual reality to really progress, that needs to change.
