3 Game-Changing VR Features: 2020 Edition

What comes to mind when you hear of the term Virtual Reality (VR)? I am guessing its the image of gamers wearing the Head Mounted Display (HMD) set and playing games “in another world”. 

While that in itself is a technological breakthrough, VR technology offers so many more benefits outside of the gaming industry. However, these features outside of gaming do not get as much recognition from the general public.

Today, I want to share with you 3 groundbreaking features of VR technology that I am personally looking forward to in the year 2020. 

Jumping out of an airplane. Swinging your sword at medieval guards. Gameplay scenes that were initially limited to TV and computer screens are right now in your entire field of vision.  

This changes the entire gaming landscape, as VR gamification is not limited to Role-Playing-Games (RPGs) and is open to other genres of games, such as horror games, sports games, and puzzle games. 

While VR games were considered “prototypes” in the past due to its low resolution and high cost, costs have dropped significantly. A decent VR headset costs between $200-$400 nowadays and VR-ready computers can go as low as $550. You can build your own VR computer or order parts separately and get them assembled at a shop. 

Furthermore, the resolution and gameplay experience has significantly improved over the years, making it commercially viable to launch games to be played on the VR. 

I am personally looking forward to more gamers transitioning to VR gameplay and for VR visual novels to take off in the year 2020. However, VR gameplay is not all that the technology has to offer. 

Arguably no other technology has provided a more realistic simulation of real-life than VR technology. This high level of simulation has been brought over to training in various vocations without much costs incurred. 

For example, pilots are now able to simulate in-flight scenarios and train for the appropriate responses in emergency cases. This provides a controlled and safe training environment for the pilots to be better prepared for more kinds of scenarios. 

VR training extends beyond “life and death” vocations such as flying a plane or conducting surgery. It even includes training employees in supermarkets. Walmart, for example, has included VR in training their employees. 

Andy Trainor, senior director of Walmart U.S academies had this to say about VR training

VR allows Walmart employees to experience handling new technology or new products that have yet to be introduced to stores, giving employees the confidence they need before a new product is introduced. 

For VR training to go to the next level, training has to include older workers who are less tech-savvy. This may be for retraining or training for a new job scope. 

Lastly, one benefit of VR technology I am bullish on is the interconnectivity aspect of it. No longer are foreign home buyers required to travel to another country for home viewing. 

Potential buyers can tap on VR technology to view the entire layout of a new home and walk through it. 

This extends to meetings between employees of different countries as well. Employees can now sit-in on meetings from the comfort of their home without flying to another country, saving time while sacrificing little in terms of the closeness required for communication. 

Also, travel agencies are now able to let potential customers experience tourist destinations before deciding on a holiday destination. Selling an experience no longer requires words, with VR technology. 

Talks of VR technology and its possibilities have been around for a long time. In the year 2020 and this new decade, we will see even more widespread adoption of this technology in industries outside of the gaming sector. If prices can be reduced even further without compromising on quality, owning a VR headset may be as common as owning a smartphone.