HTC’s China Regional President of Vive, Alvin Wang Graylin, took to the stage at the Unity Vision Summit in Asia this week and made a series of bold predictions for where we’ll see VR in the next two years.

In a presentation this week in Beijing, Graylin, who has been closely involved with HTC’s ‘Vive X’ accelerator, made 10 predictions each for VR in 2017 and 2018. His ambitious forecast paints a scene of significant continued acceleration of VR in the next two years.

2017 Predictions

  • VR PGC grows to 10k+ titles
  • New dev tools/cameras enable UGC VR explosion
  • VR Ready PCs outsell standard PCs by Q4 2017
  • Mobile VR sales exceed 50 million units
  • VR becomes the new consumer status symbol
  • Education becomes major VR growth driver
  • VR ads begin to supplement dev income
  • VR developer shortage drives pay jump
  • Vertical industries adopt VR in big way
  • Someone will spend 30 days inside VR non-stop

2018 Predictions

  • Full-length VR block-buster movie driving mass awareness/desire
  • Real-estate developers begin to sell VR-ready micro-apartments
  • VR development becomes most popular class in colleges globally
  • First integrated selectable AR+VR product hits the market
  • AI enables life-like VR companions for the elderly and lonely
  • Employers begin offering work from home programs via VR
  • Celebrity life-streaming becomes new social phenomenon
  • All key retailers begin offering VR shopping models
  • VR social solutions get traction and exceedingly sticky
  • High-quality VR MMORPG releases and becomes instant hit

While these predictions are bold, as China Regional President of Vive, Graylin is arguably in one of the best positions to make such VR forecasts because of his time spent assessing startups in the space and as a key strategist for HTC’s own VR plans; one certainly might wonder if his prediction of 50 million mobile VR sales is based on what’s next for the company. While HTC hasn’t launched its own mobile headset, they are manufacturing the Pixel and Pixel XL, the first phones compatible with Google’s Daydream VR platform on Android. As a leading company in VR, and one of the world’s most prominent smartphone manufacturers, HTC is surely in a good position to consider launching their own mobile VR headset.

For some of these predictions, the writing is already on the wall. The Guinness World Record for longest time spent continuously in a VR headset has already been set at just over one day. Other unofficial records have been set at more than four days. It’s not unthinkable that someone would aim for 30 continuous days (though it might become one those records that goes from incredible to simply invoking the question of “why?”).

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As for “VR-ready micro-apartments,” this might sound further off, but it’s not uncommon to have particularly small apartments in China’s most densely populated urban centers, where the idea of a ‘VR addition’ as a selling point isn’t unrealistic for 2018. HTC has already partnered with Chinese hotels to offer in-room Vive setups.

Roadblocks

Predictions aside, Graylin also acknowledges a number of significant “roadblocks” still facing the fledgling VR industry:

  • New revenue models
  • Killer apps/content
  • More natural UI
  • Better displays
  • More AI integration
  • Low-power high-processing
  • Faster networks (LAN/WAN)
  • Battery technology
  • Denser storage

All of these roadblocks can also be seen as opportunities. While all are important, a “more natural UI” sticks out to me particularly because achieving it doesn’t require that we invent anything new, it simply requires considerate thought about the design of VR interactions to find a modality that really sticks. There’s a range of interesting approaches to VR interaction design already out there, but so far a dominant methodology hasn’t emerged. It’ll take a while yet before we figure out the equivalent of right-click, left-click, minimize, maximize, and more in VR.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Pietro Azzari

    for the oblivious like me UGC stands for User Generated Content whereas PGC is Professional Generated Content. Probably…

    • PrTesla

      Isn’t PGC Procedurally Generated Content ? (like No Man’s Sky, Minecraft or Rogue-Like levels) but of course “VR PGC grows to 10k+ titles” doesn’t make any sense if we’re talking about procedural generation.

      • Steve Biegun

        I suppose it depends on context in this case

  • Toffotin

    High-quality VR MMORPG in 2018 is a pretty tall order.
    Development of an average MMO takes 3-6 years, so it would need to already be in development. That is of course possible, actually I’m almost sure someone IS developing a VR MMO, but still, in 2018 and “High-quality” that becomes an instant hit? We’ll see, I hope he’s right.

    • cirby

      There are existing MMORPG properties that could be converted to VR, and they’d be much, much more popular in that format than in 2D. DC Universe Online, for example: it’s not very popular, but the relatively simple combat system and Unreal Engine 3 system would make it much easier to shift to VR on the Vive and Rift.

      One of the interesting things about VR and game development is how much the production process is going to be streamlined by working in VR. Just placing items correctly in an environment is insanely easier. Once you’re developing in VR, the next, easy step is to sell the game that way, too.

      • Get Schwifty!

        I would very much like to see some attempts at this for existing games, if nothing else putting you “in the VR view” for many would be a welcome change. Gang Beasts did this, and it definitely adds to the play factor. I would kill for a VR version of Kerbal Space Program, particularly if you could build/design things by “touch”.

        Interesting to hear about the object placement in development, never really thought about that but it makes perfect sense.

        • felixcox

          There is a Doom 3 mod that is excellent, and has become quite popular among Vive users. Unfortunately, not too many games have released their source code, which is apparently what made it such a good candidate for modding. But it certainly shows a viable model for others to follow. Not every game, of course, but some games.

      • SimonH

        The other thing is there are literalky thiusands of ready built assets for all the existing games… props, environments, sounds, stories. Yes they need a new UI to get menus and controllers to work but thats much simpler than creating everything from Scratch. Theres dozens of games that could flip into VR. I think the delay is big devs waiting to see wht locomotion methods stick.

        • Master E

          I despise the teleporting and snap motion.

          If developers render things well and have sharp graphics it won’t matter if you’re moving with a controller, wand or perhaps an analog on a wand.

          I’d rather move fluidly with a controller than teleport or snap move in VR any day until they figure out something really good. I’d love to see traditional games converted into VR i.e. What Vorpx does with oculus.

    • Master E

      I think a big problem currently is very few companies have the technical expertise and or money to invest in rendering images at 1080p and 120fps let alone the 3-6 years it would take a AAA company to make such a game with no guarantee on return of investment.

      Why I think companies will have to look for other means to get the money and have the time to really develop more than these “experiences” we keep seeing.

      The hardware doesn’t seem to be quite there yet either to appeal to the masses as an investment.

  • wheeler

    I don’t see AI creating “lifelike companions” for a very, very long time–at least for something that seems lifelike for more than 10 minutes (which is kind of necessary for a “companion”).

    Also, “price” should have been the number one entry on the roadblocks list but it was conspicuously absent.

    • Get Schwifty!

      Yeah that was a bit much… along with the “VR Blockbuster movie” ;) I’d expect first maybe a VR-version of Siri/Cortana to appear, which is little more than a revised anthropomorphic interface.

      Hard to have a VR blockbuster movie given the time to plan and produce and have enough headsets even for public use available. Still, I think it’s the right idea for helping establish VR in the mainstream. We have GOT to get beyond this perception of 3d videos and simple games that unfortunately mobile VR is making people associate with the capabilities.

      • sirlance

        Ready player one is set to release in theaters in 2018…

    • Gerald Terveen

      “lifelike” does not equal human like … all it takes is to create something humans can bond with. look at Japan and the Sony robodog (that now is quite old) … people got really upset when Sony stopped support for them.

      I do not know what kind of companion it will be – but I imagine a highly advanced form of tamagotchi chould very well become a hit!

    • SimonH

      Talking Tom VR would be ok for a lot of people ;)

  • VRgameDevGirl

    What about wireless and ergonomics?? Also, my hopes are high. After playing Arizona Sunshine co-op with my hubby (I was on vive he was on rift) That wasn’t even a AAA title, but yet it was amazing and the best VR game to date. So I can’t wait to see what’s next.especially a AAA title.

    • Get Schwifty!

      Yeah you’d think wireless would be up there…. perhaps their research is showing it’s “not quite there” yet….?

      Hey, you’re supposed to be MAKING games not playing them ;)

      • VRgameDevGirl

        Haha. Yeah, it was cosuming my life. Now ill just be inside VR letting that consume me, but, ill be with my hubby this way!! LOL nah I can only play a bit at a time. Otherwise I feel hungover. LOL

    • Bob

      “What about wireless and ergonomics?? ”

      These things are pretty much a no-brainer in consumer technologies therefore they are not mentioned. Same goes for screen resolution.

      • sirlance

        It’s already made…..

        • VRgameDevGirl

          Well, not 100%. Not in the US. I would love to see if it works.

      • VRgameDevGirl

        Oh, ok. Thats great! Thanks for clearing that up.

  • Whisperer

    “Celebrity life-streaming becomes new social phenomenon”

    The adult contents will lead the way for this and it will be as soon as next year. The only missing piece right now is the ability to track various body parts, which should be achievable when custom light house sensors go on sale next year.

  • MW

    Yeah…. Right… Maybe at first we should have screens for hmd’s that could pretend reality,not ‘reality’ from pixelated games for 90’s… and then we will afford ourselves to fantasize

    • felixcox

      Sounds like you haven’t played around much with the vive/rift. The experience is so much greater than the sum of its parts, even though some of the parts (like the low-res displays) suck.

      • MW

        For me res.is a dealbreaker. I will not play games or watch movies on screen where everythin looks worse than on traditional screen. I have gear vr and rift. And i’m gamer.

        • felixcox

          Like I said, sounds like you haven’t played much (any) with the vive/rift!

          • MW

            I dont know what you mean by’much’ but my last game on rif was Eagle Flight. And graphic was very anoying (same with fov)… I think that bad res.(and insufficient hardware in general) is the reason why we don’t have any serious game for VR yet. Just casual titles.

          • victor

            Warthunder and ELite Dangerous are not casual title. They are fully complex games. ,as is assetto cars, iracing etc…

            I do agree with you on FOV and rez and can’t wait till those get better, but , in the meantime I am having such a blast being inside games and not simply playing from the outside.

        • victor

          I have a rift too and as much as the resolution and the FOV is annoying and pisses me off, I still can’t play games without VR anymore. I tried going back to 46″ very high res 2D screen and lasted a whole 5minutes before going back to VR and stayed there since. Immersion and experience desire is way stronger than simply playing game/looking in a flat 2D window.

          • MW

            Well,people are different. Everyone whom i put my rift on the head says-nice idea,bad picture. Of course you fill illusion for a momemt. But for ex.ability to read or see details from distance is crucial for real (aaa) gamer. And for now I preffer traditional screen bacause its just better-I mean I can see everything clearly. Same thing with movies.

          • victor

            Sure exactly everyone is different.
            Personnally I prefer to be IN a game experiencing it fully TODAY and some prefer to wait until the technology becomes perfect and in the meantime just PLAY a game from the outside.
            Must admit I was dissappointed too in the first couple of minutes (being used ultra hd flatscreens), but after that I got more and more absorbed by immersion that I was able to let go of fov and res issues….to the point I simply cannot go back!
            I now NEED to be INSIDE a game, always!

        • Cody Moore

          That’s crazy to say. Resolution doesn’t even matter when you get into some these amazing games that are out now. The vive is incredible. Clearly anyone who owns a vive and a pc to run it would be classified as a gamer such as yourself. I have to say its so hard to play traditional games anymore now after playing the vive. Everyone I had demo’d it too have never mentioned it having a ‘bad’ picture either, each person was just super impressed by it all.

  • Nick Zuccarello

    I am wondering why VR motion sickness wasn’t mentioned as a major roadblock. I am really hopefully that this is one of the first major problems to be solved. Teleportation is not a very intuitive method for new users to get around , at least from what I have observed.

    • sirlance

      Not everyone suffers from it……

      • Nick Zuccarello

        Yes, I personally don’t have many issues with motion sickness, but I have witnessed others who are very susceptible to it. Personally me as developer I would like to push movement quite a bit. Again for me I am used to it, but a new user anything beyond moderate movement can cause issues.

    • Master E

      I’ve noticed when a program is made really well and smooth, sharp, etc… It seems to limit sickness for most people.

      I’m lucky in that maybe 1% of everything I’ve tried in VR bothered me. It was easily pointing to a shabby job by developers as well or poor graphics.

      What happens is that your body’s senses don’t match up what they are perceiving with what your brain expects… Your body interprets this as you being poisoned and decides to purge that poison hence you being sick and nauseated.

      For a lot of people the program’s just need to be well made and they need a few minutes to acclimate your propriception. The public should be educated on this more and they shouldn’t allow shitty VR experiences because it will be bad for the industry

  • sirlance

    2018 blockbuster movie…..yes we already know “ready player one” comes out in 2018

  • Andrew Jakobs

    To be honest, I don’t have any interest in seeing a full movie in VR.. Was hoping he would drop a hint on new hardware though..

    • benz145

      I believe he meant a full movie ABOUT VR, not in VR.

      • Andrew Jakobs

        No he really meant a movie IN VR..

    • I would rather be inside the film rather than watching it through a box. We each have our own wants though :)

      • Andrew Jakobs

        But then it isn’t a movie, it’s more a like a game..

    • JJ Guerrilla

      Then you are underestimating the porn industry. (Assuming one of the those “full movies” you are referring too wouldn’t be porn) ;) The dirty little secret about technology, is that pornography is the undercurrent that can make or break it. Remember Betamax vs. VHS.. mmhmm.. Betamax didn’t want porn, VHS allowed it. Remember BlueRay vs HD DVD?.. uh huh… the industry embraced Blueray and the tech took off.

      • Andrew Jakobs

        uhh, bluray vs HD-DVD had nothing to do with porn (and more with PS3). and the VHS vs Betamax being won because of porn is a pure myth, not a fact (price and length of recording where the real reasons)..

  • Master E

    I know it’s easier said than done, but hopefully developers can continue to strive for better rendering techniques & development tools. Hardware manufactures can strive for better battery power, wireless technology, ergonomics, and display technology.

    We can see both the quality of software go up, while the demand of hardware go down. They can meet somewhere in the middle and perhaps we will have 4K VR/AR glasses that resemble sunglasses running programs wirelessly off of our phones.

    I think the tech is already there for most of this to happen. With all the money I see being invested into various companies for VR I can only hope it happens in the next ten years.

  • Dynastius

    I really wish people in the VR industry would not make such bold claims. It’s bad enough when analysts do it, but worse when someone in the industry does it because when claims are made like this and they don’t come to pass, then you get all these backlash articles about how VR is just a fad and is going to be a big failure and look it’s not growing as fast as they said, etc.

    Those kinds of articles then can affect the actual growth in a negative way because consumers become less likely to spend money on hardware they think VR will fail.

  • OgreTactics

    – “VR PGC grows to 10k+ titles” – there’s barelly a thousand VR or compatible VR app now on Steam, 90% being amateur or indie “GC”. So it’s going to grow 10 folds?
    – “New dev tools/cameras enable UGC VR explosion” New dev what exactly? What UGC exactly?
    – “VR Ready PCs outsell standard PCs by Q4 2017” there is barely an estimated 20 millions VR-ready PC, as in middle-high end GPU equiped PC out there and they don’t even account for 10% of the PC sold each year. This guy doesn’t know shit about what is talking about.
    -“Mobile VR sales exceed 50 million units” these are the “predictions” for VR sales in 2016, because of course they pulled that completely unrealistic and false projection this year: http://www.statista.com/statistics/458037/virtual-reality-headsets-unit-sales-worldwide/ yup they predicted 3.6 millions for the Oculus, it sold 140.000, the Vive at 2.1m, did 150.000, the GearVR at 5m, well this one is the closest at 2.2m. And it’s going to increase 25 folds?
    -“VR becomes the new consumer status symbol” yup, because “magic”, it’s not like consumer symbol is actually the problem or rather the syndrome telling us what’s wrong with VR.
    -“Education becomes major VR growth driver” No it doesn’t. I partly work in a notorious tech school, and nobody is yet developing for VR although I’m trying to change that
    -“VR ads begin to supplement dev income” and exactly to whom would these ads convert?
    -“VR developer shortage drives pay jump” great! less VR developers for the demand. It’s not like there’s currently only 5 (just 5) agencies doing VR in the major capital cities I’m in right now, only one of them being ad/creative oriented…
    -“Vertical industries adopt VR in big way” oh like they all adopted AR glasses?
    -“Someone will spend 30 days inside VR non-stop” that one I can believe, although given how non-ready VR headsets are, it’s actually impossible yet.

    I’d like a sip of that completely disconnected from really tech-bourgeois kool-aid this guy drinks.

    His “predictions” doesn’t map anywhere near reality, this is hysterical.

    Are they really going to push this false-numbers PR in 2017 too?…fine I’ll go along if this “New dev tools/cameras enable UGC VR explosion” happens the way it should.

    • Akeydel

      oh man, oh buddy,
      sometimes it’s okay to be skeptical of expert opinions.
      and it’s totally great to counter hype with a more pessimistic future view.
      I can even overlook how you counter unsourced stats with more unsourced stats, argue speculation with speculation, misrepresent claims, and yet STILL expect to be taken seriously.

      But when you start upvoting your own comments to stroke your massive ego, ooh man then i gotta say something.

      • OgreTactics

        Your reply is worthless because unsubstantiated.

        Let’s talk real: is it better to push for what one believes to be realistic future view which you might call pessimistic but then you’ll have to counter it with arguments which you didn’t, or have optimistic (therefor unrealistic to any measures) statistics?

        It depends if you believe that lying can push for positive and optimistic projections of VR and so somehow convince more people of buying and using VR, or if you believe that the truth is such that these won’t actually not only reduce the window frame of momentum before which people will be fed-up with the false promise of VR, but also and this is my point, actually divert industrials and brands from realising their shortcoming in their product conception and offer, which is in any case an assured way to see the VR market effort collapse for this cycle, until another 10-15 years if a new iteration comes up.

  • wowgivemeabreak

    I hope his predictions come true since I want VR to live up to the amazing society/world changing potential it has but the realist in me says this guy is dreaming with a lot of these.

    • I think we are all fortunate to see this technology in our time and know it has huge potential. I would rather work / play from inside my digital world than sit outside it looking in through a (in a real world sense) small 27″ rectangle in front of me. This ball is rolling fast now. Massive cash investments are happening in VR as others with the same foresight can see where this road is heading.

  • crim3

    My main prediction, as a random guy from internet :), is that major names in industry will reshape hardware and software (including OS) to achieve a smooth pipe between user input and ouput without any other hardware or software component allowed to disrupt it. Backward compability may be kept only through emulation.
    If it doesn’t happen, VR will always feel like a patch on a system not meant for such strict requirements on real-time interactions, and a smooth experience will always be achieved by brute force like it is now.

    • Ultimately VR will replace monitors / TV’s and all other video displays that you are outside of.
      The leading OS’s (Linux, macOS, Windows) will be looking at how they can leverage that and I think you are right. It needs to be a new operating system, or at least a set of new UI elements written from the ground up to cater for infinite display space, 360 display space and a display that is not just x,y but also z. Keyboard and mouse should be secondary inputs too but a standard has yet to arrive for AR/VR interaction. Hand wands seems to be it for the moment though.

      Once one of the big 3 provide the tools for this then business software will have a solid place to grow, not just games.

      Even Unity3D/Unreal as game engines have taken a foresightful step into this area so it could even be one of the little guys that becomes the new VR-OS of the future.

      • burzum

        While I’m a huge fan of VR I don’t think it will replace classic IT work places any time soon. I can’t think of programming in VR, nor writing a longer text, email or browsing a website in VR all day. Maybe with AR glasses so that I can see and *feel* my keyboard. But the resolution of the AR glasses would have to become really large and the glasses to be very light. Right now not the size nor the resolution of the AR hardware is acceptable for that. Also the price is very high, you can get ~4-5 regular desktops for one of the MS AR devices. VR works great for industrial / medical / research when doing design and visualisation but not regular work, AR is – in the very long run maybe – better suited for that use case.

        • OgreTactics

          Yet he’s right. As soon as FOV/Res, untethering and external interaction are good enough, the thing is there would be no point in using a physical screen. As for keyboard, this is not really a factor, because again that critical external-tracking component is what can enable you to not only use any keyboard even unplugged by tracking the accessory landscape and your interaction with keys, but also means you can customised and super-impose different touches, and then even use any other surface or accessories, as well as you hand for generating, resizing, moving any screen or windows.

          • burzum

            Try typing 8h in the air or on a hard surface and interacting with other people in your company while wearing a HMD… It’s simply totally not convenient. AR glasses with proper resolution could work but clearly not VR because it isolates you from your real environment, which is not what you want in all use cases and these are most of the every days jobs.

          • OgreTactics

            What I was saying is that you wouldn’t even have to plug or charge a keyboard, since a proper environment tracking device would track and map the keyboard, but also enable you way more like doing basic hand-gesture which is 10x more efficient than any mouse or joystick would be.

            Also the fact that you don’t a screen since you can summon an infinity of them as you choose.

            As for AR glasses, I’m sorry to say that it won’t exist until 10-15 years in the future. What you are seing now like the Meta2 or HoloLens are experimental prototype PR. VR if coupled with the right external-tracking tool and also as you mention, the right design for it not to be obtrusive and quickly/easily put-on or away, is already a 10x more efficient to work.

          • burzum

            “What I was saying is that you wouldn’t even have to plug or charge a keyboard, since a proper environment tracking device would track and map the keyboard” <- So you're talking about AR, not VR. And what about my point of interaction with my real environment, which is usually most of the time required in almost all jobs? Like I said, AR with 4k or higher might be nice if the tech fits into the frame of normal glasses, which won't happen that soon. Well, let's see, the future will proof me right. :P

          • OgreTactics

            You have the common misconception that AR and VR are different things, understandably since the bullshit tech PR around the different technologies has been oriented that way.

            But there’s none, they’re continuum: First, ANY visual interfacing device should preserve the base see-through capability of a user on his environment rather than occlude it, which is why VR headset without inside-out camera tracking doesn’t make sense, and then it’s a matter of visual interaction. If you add a few object mapped in your environment is “AR”, add more and change your walls or landscapes and you’re in between, completely fill it with a virtual environment and it’s “VR”, but both are a continuum of the “virtual”.

            Secondly, VR works as is, even on a cheap smartphone and now compatible laptop, and gives you minimum respectable FOV of 100° and 2K resolution wether it’s the Gear, the Vive, the Oculus…but the fact that they are misconceived because they were too lazy (read greedy) to iterate on Palmer Luckey’s initial idea from which it hasn’t evolved toward a fully operational Virtual Headset the way it makes sense in one hand, and in the other that experimental gadgets like HoloLens, Meta2 or Luma were advertised as “AR headset” made people think that they are two separate things.

            Except that, even in serious industries, AR headsets/glasses are marketing vaporwares that are unusable simply because the technology is nowhere near operational. Instead and following what I said about the continuity of AR to VR which I call the “Virtual”, VR headsets are unfinished products that will hopefully soon evolve into actual “Virtual” headsets (with AR/VR capabilities) that will stick around for 10-15 years before the light-field glasses technology can match the conjectural expectations, at which point we will switch to “Virtual” glasses with the same capabilities but different form-factor.

            So I don’t disagree with your point, but I think that you are (rightfully) not seing current VR headset as a fully operational and proficient tool or even visual interface for not just consumers, but also creatives, researchers, professionals or just casual users, but that’s because they are not the “Virtual Headsets” that they’re supposed to be to make sense as consumer devices yet. Kind of like if you compare iPhones to Palms…

          • burzum

            They *are* different for a purpose. I think you’re wrong. ;) If you disagree I’m fine with that, everyone has an opinion. But you won’t get the immersive VR experience with glasses that are open on all sides. No need to continue this discussion we just disagree and the future will proof one of us right.

            And I think you’re wrong with your last paragraph as well, there are many people who already like the creative tools that allow you to sculpt and paint in VR.

          • OgreTactics

            It’s fine to disagree, but please argue on the point you mentioned against mine. I really don’t see how you can not imagine full FOV glasses replaces for headset once they’re evolved enough in 10-15 years. As for people who “like” the gadget to sculpt, this does not make a market or a generally usable device in any way.

    • OgreTactics

      That’s very important indeed, the idea of “streamlining code” and not just for VR.

  • The Sifter

    VR is pushing “teleport movement” in it walking sims and FPS games. If an application does not offer a “smooth move/rotation” option with thumbsticks(motion controls or game pad), then my money will not be teleporting anywhere but in my pocket!!

    • JJ Guerrilla

      I am with you on this one. Although it may be due to “motion sickness” hysteria, at least offer options for both.

      • JustNiz

        You may be “lucky” enough to not get motion sickness, but by discounting the many people that do as hysterical you’re just being a complete tool.

    • JustNiz

      Totally disagree. I wouldn’t buy a game if it didn’t support teleport. If you have a reasonably sized playarea you simply dont need thumbstick movement at all, you just walk there. You only use teleport to make large jumps, which is far more convenient than having to thumbstick over. Besides, I am like many others in finding thumbstick movement quickly causes bad motion sickness.

  • JJ Guerrilla

    “High-quality VR MMORPG releases and becomes instant hit” This is an understatement. And I can not believe that Blizzard doesn’t lead on this one. Perfect opportunity for WoW 2.0, but, in my opinion, their laid back attitude is letting someone else come along and steal their lunch. Absolute perfect opportunity for Blizzard to design a MMORPG VR game from the ground up. Would love to see it.

  • DougP

    Predictions 2017+ …
    1st DEATH inside of VR, either:
    1) playing a horror experience
    2) playing a porn experience
    Hopefully not a combination title. ;)

  • “AI enables life-like VR companions for the elderly and lonely”. Ironically, Microsoft had been on the bleeding edge of virtual companions back when they were developing their MS Agent technology. Does anyone remember Merlin, Genie, Peedy, or the robot? They were going strong, until they got obsessed with Clippy and derailed the train. Had they offered people a better explanation on how to change the agent character, they could have had it down and been the premier go to company on how to perfect it. Now they are the poster child for what not to do.

  • Colliflower

    This is very blatant PR-talk. I hope everyone takes this with a grain of salt. But it sure would be nice.

  • REP

    All i care is a better display, i don’t care about other crap.