Reports of the death of virtual reality are greatly exaggerated.
Modern VR headsets arrived less than three years ago.
But to hearpundits talk,youd think the technologys already reached its developmental zenith.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out these people are usually referring to VR as agamingplatform.
Games are great; but VR is much, much more than the technological evolution ofPong.
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Its because gamers are better people.
Well, were better consumers.
Gamers are a market segment that already has those machines.
Eventually, immersive gaming could gain mainstream appeal.
And itll never be perfect.
Gamers are the hardware, OS, and UX beta testers of the VR world.
VR as a non-gaming platform
The gaming market is worth a lot of money.
Expertspredictitll break $180 billion globally by 2022.
Analysts say itll be worth $117 billion in the same timeframe.
No sign of a dying technology there.
Theyve quietly transformed workforce education.
Companies like Walmart and Verizon conductemployee trainingin VR.
The militaryuses VRto prepare warriors for the battlefield, pilots for flight, and operators for remote deployment.
Its also a fantastic educational platform.
Universities such as MIT, UNC at Chapel Hill, and Arizona State all have virtual realitylearning programs.
And theres more to the immediate future of VR than just education and business applications.
Biometric whatchamacallit?
TNW spoke with Amir Bozorgzadeh, CEO of VR startupVirtuleap, about his companys entry into the VR space.
We werent sure what that meant either, so we asked.
Bozorgzadeh said:
We are looking at frequency changes and abnormalities in movements.
VirtuleapsAttention Labedutainment app will be available on the Oculus Gostorelater this year.
For example, if you were a tree, you might wish humans had more empathy for forests.
Luckily for trees (and the future of our planet), HTCsVR for Impactis in the empathy-generation business.
Suffice to say its not all soothing breezes and swaying branches.
These kinds of VR experiences can have a profound impact on how humans view the world we live in.
Another example is StanfordsBecoming Homeless.
It becomes apparent that being homeless is a living nightmare from which there is no respite.
This might not be afunway to use the technology, but its an important one.
Entertainment beyond games
Believe it or not, there are other forms of entertainment beyondFinal FantasyandFortnite.
And itsSTXSurrealimprint has already proven theres an audience for high-quality Hollywood VR content.
And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
No matter how you look at it, VR is just getting started.
Sure, VR gaming isnt quite there yet.
But virtual reality technology is here.
Its certainly not dead, dying, or over-hyped.
