Last Updated on by William J. Lopez
Arcades used to reign supreme as the king of entertainment in the ’70s and ’80s — until home consoles like the PlayStation in the mid-’90s hit the consumer market. Suddenly, these portable gadgets replaced the arcade gaming experience. And with each new iteration, the devices were able to outpace their predecessors. Soon enough, arcades were a thing of the past.
While retro gaming arcades still exist in Japan, their popularity is nowhere near glory. With more powerful modern gaming consoles coming out each year, are arcades a thing of the past? Not quite.
Virtual reality is the next big thing in gaming. A few years ago, you would have needed a high-end PC to experience VR, but now with mobile technology and cardboard headsets from Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR, you can enjoy immersive virtual worlds on your smartphone. This blog post will talk about my favorite virtual reality arcade.
What is Virtual Reality?
Enter virtual reality (VR), which has breathed new life into the arcade scene. Virtual reality uses technology to create visual simulations, giving you the impression that you’re in a different world. The VR headset, which completely blocks your surroundings, is one major component to facilitate this.
The physical environments for the virtual reality arcade games are unlike anything you’ve seen before. They’re not just video game consoles with screens in front of your eyes; they simulate an environment and place you right inside it, making every moment more immersive than ever before! The simulations allow players to feel like a part of the action no matter what game they choose from their selection screen. Players can see previews on YouTube or Google Street View without stepping into these worlds themselves, thanks to this new-age technology changing everything we know about gaming today.
Once you turn the headsets on, lenses refract LCD or OLED panels to fill your field of vision, completely immersing you in whatever is being displayed. VR headsets are usually paired with external sensors, which use six degrees of freedom motion tracking to precisely detect your movements along different axes. It further pushes the immersion offered by the VR platform. And given its novelty, VR and its applications are now being explored in healthcare, education, journalism, and entertainment.
The Rise of “VRcades”
Despite being relatively young, the VR gaming market will reach $45.09 billion in 2025. As such, the sector has sparked entrepreneurial interest among many investors. The hook is simple: to offer total immersion in video games with home consoles that can’t be had. Video games are brought to life thanks to VR, enabling players to fulfill their fantasies of being a hard-boiled zombie killer or high-octane racing car driver. With its vast potential to rake in profits, VR is being brought to the masses via hundreds of locations or “VRcades” worldwide — from the UK and Singapore to Japan and the US.
For instance, V-room in Singapore is an affordable casual gaming hub where friends can gather to shoot zombies, solve puzzles, and even play virtual bartenders. At $12 to $15 per person per hour, it’s a reasonable price for individuals who want to experience VR gaming without emptying their wallets. Similar games are available on the other side of the globe as well. For example, ImmotionVR in Bristol, in the UK, has family-friendly educational options like Swimming with Humpbacks and The Legend of Lusca.
Much like retro arcades, it’s not difficult to see why location-based VR gaming is an attractive option for most consumers. For one, a decent VR setup can easily cost hundreds of dollars for a headset alone. The costs are so prohibitive that, of the 214 million gamers in the US, only 29% can afford a VR system at home. Additionally, VR consoles require plenty of space to move around, which not all gamers have at home. Storage might also be a problem as the headsets can be bulky and unwieldy. Some gamers even complain of motion sickness and nausea after using them.
Thankfully, VR has been making strides towards more lightweight equipment in recent years, thanks to metal-core PCBs. These innovations allow processing hardware to deliver high-quality graphics and performance without taking up too much room — as is the trend with most devices today.
Challenges in the VR Gaming Industry
Still, it’s not all fun and games in the VRcade industry, which has its share of problems to deal with. The aforementioned “VR sickness” is a common complaint in player feedback. It is something that game developers and hardware manufacturers are working hard to address as a safety concern.
Sanitation also poses a challenge. Unlike traditional arcades where joysticks can easily be wiped down, VRcades use more sensitive equipment handled carefully. Furthermore, VRcades have taken a massive hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has neutered patronage and forced some VR startups to file for bankruptcy. Among the casualties are Spaces (which was recently acquired by Apple) and the US subsidiary of Sandbox VR.
Reports suggest that media conglomerate Disney had to terminate the lease of The VOID’s Downtown Disney in California due to COVID-19 closures. These are all significant losses for an industry struggling to find its footing with a tepid consumer base. As promising as VR is, it’s clear that there are still plenty of kinks to work out. And with the health crisis still plaguing the world, it remains to be seen if VR will indeed be the future of arcade gaming.
Conclusion
Have you heard of virtual reality arcade games? If not, then it’s time to give them a try. At first glance, they may seem like just another way for people with too much money on their hands to spend more cash. But the truth is that VR arcades are one of the most innovative ways to enjoy gaming today because they offer a uniquely personal experience and an unprecedented level of immersion in your favorite game or activity.
Another benefit is that these places help break down some barriers between gamers with different skill levels by making everyone feel comfortable playing together regardless of how well each player can play individually. Plus, there will always be someone looking out for your safety, so don’t worry about getting hurt while having fun!
