[This essay from TheGamer argues that the entertaining presence experiences provided by virtual reality will be most popular and practical in an updated version of gaming arcades (sadly, a particularly compelling and fun multi-player VR attraction, Dreamscape, just closed its flagship location in Los Angeles after six years). See the original TheGamer story for three more images, and visit the website of the mentioned Two Bit Circus arcade for more information about that venue. –Matthew]
The Future Of Virtual Reality Is Co-operative Experiences
Virtual reality shouldn’t be targeting regular consumers, it should look to revive arcade gaming
By Ben Sledge
March 9, 2024
I don’t use my VR headset that much. I’ve got the original Oculus Quest, back from when it was still called that. It’s the supposedly ‘portable’ version of Meta’s VR device without so many cables. You still need to plug it in to charge if you’re playing for more than a few hours, but it can largely run basic VR games without a more powerful computer or console. That’s the draw.
However, I don’t have much space in my terraced house. I’ve nowhere big enough to really run around or explore, nowhere that I don’t trip over my daughter’s Lego or Little Mermaid toys. Plus, the Quest doesn’t support many new releases any more. I occasionally pop it on for an hour of Beat Saber, but other than that, it’s not much use to me.
I know I could upgrade. But the gains seem marginal with my personal space so tight. Sure, I could play Asgard’s Wrath 2 for 70 hours, but where? Am I taking the headset into the garden? I don’t even know if I’ll get an internet connection out there. And then you wonder what the neighbours will think.
So who is VR for? It’s not for the average person, that’s for sure. You need spare cash and a house with lots of space, both of which are an immense luxury in this day and age. For the best experiences, you also need a high-end PC or PlayStation 5. Not everyone has access to those. VR is for the minority of gamers, the richest, those with the most space. Or so I thought until I played a co-op game at an arcade in Los Angeles.
Arcades in the UK are dying. It was happening well before the pandemic, but COVID certainly didn’t help. Kids just don’t go and put their spare change into archaic machines any more. I remember hours spent at the bowling alley popping extra credits into Time Crisis, failing a little bit later in the game with each coin I inserted.
I’m not sure if people are just tightening their belts or if consoles are just more affordable these days, but kids seem to prefer staying home for their gaming. They don’t have LAN parties, they have online multiplayer. It’s the natural evolution of things since the internet exploded, but kids have mobile phones in their pockets from startlingly young ages nowadays. Why would you trek to an arcade, find some coins (who uses cash any more?), and play an ancient shooter when you can stream Starfield directly to your iPhone?
Arcades need a reinvention, and today’s children need something they can’t put in their pocket. The answer is VR. Virtual reality offers some of the most exciting, immersive experiences I’ve ever seen. Vader Immortal is one of my favourite Star Wars games, despite the fact that you can’t die and the Stormtroopers miss all their shots. It’s more experience than game, but I’ve never felt more like a Jedi.
Two Bit Circus in Los Angeles has a host of virtual reality rigs, set up with different games for 2-4 players. My colleague Eric Switzer and I opted for The Raft, a rail shooter where we took control of a raft slowly making its way through a haunted swamp. Terrifying creatures poured at us from every angle, jumping from the water and swooping above our heads. We manned assault rifles, shotguns, and gun emplacements to fend them off, each automatically taking a side of the large room to ourselves.
The raft caught fire on multiple occasions, and we scrambled for fire extinguishers to contain the blaze. Panicked shouts echoed off the arena’s walls as we called out warnings and instructions to one another. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a multiplayer game in ages.
The game was simple. It’s a rail shooter with glowing monsters and basic weapons. But it was fun. This is what VR should be, instead of stumbling over your sofa or tripping into your expensive telly. VR needs dedicated spaces that front the cost of four sets of hardware so you can play a level at a time. Sure, it’s an expensive version of putting a quarter into an arcade machine, but it might just be the best possible future for VR.