Virtual reality (VR) was supposed to get less virtual and more real at E3 this year.
Before the gaming expo got going, experts and analysts said
they expected VR to feature heavily and for there to be demos of pioneering
games that made great use of the technology. Those demos would be essential,
they said, to convince people to buy what is likely to be an expensive chunk of
hardware.
But it did not turn out like that.
In fact, VR hardly featured at all during the big news
conferences. Sony talked about Project Morpheus for a couple of minutes during
a presentation that lasted an hour.
There were passing mentions in other press events but VR was
conspicuous by its absence. While it is true that some VR announcements came
just before E3 got under way, there was little from the big game publishers and
studios to show what they were planning.
"VR failed to stand out during the press
conferences," said Wesley Yin-Poole, deputy editor at Eurogamer. "I
put this down to the tech being a tough sell on a big screen. VR is better
understood when used, rather than seen."
The lack of mentions
seems odd given that E3 is all about previews and preparing expectations for
games many of which will be launched at the same time as those headsets are due
to get in to the shops.
The
one demo that did get people talking was Microsoft HoloLens system but that
does not have a release date yet and is still firmly experimental.
So,
where were those jaw-dropping videos that left people reaching for their
wallets?
On
the stands at E3, many firms were letting attendees try out demos and
"experiences" to get a flavour of what the technology can do. Sony
has 18 separate VR tasters on its booth and Microsoft's Halo Experience on its
stand gives people a virtual guided tour of a dropship from the game but even
these, said Mr Yin-Poole, do not convey its potential very well.
He
said: "VR is a tough sell, and I haven't seen a VR game on the show floor
that makes that issue all of a sudden go away."
"There
are impressive demos that clearly benefit from the ever-improving hardware, but
Oculus and Morpheus are still looking for their killer apps," he said.
