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Different Ways That VR Can Become A Mainstay in Entertainment

February 25, 2021

While virtual reality used to be the stuff of science fiction, it has now entered the mainstream with affordable VR machines. Many people are using headsets to watch VR movies and play games. While sales have been steadily rising, VR technology has yet to have the impact which many people predicted it would have when the first headsets became available. 

So what does the future of VR technology hold? Will VR ever become as popular as computer games and televisions? Here are some different ways that VR can become a mainstay in the entertainment industry.

1. VR Tours

We all love to travel and a huge amount of money is spent every year on the tourist industry. With VR technology, however, you don’t have to save up all year waiting for a vacation, you can visit iconic places around the world from the comfort of your own home. Just imagine slipping on your headset and wandering the ruins of Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat without having to travel halfway around the world. 

These VR tours can also be produced without any of the normal crowds of tourists providing you with a VIP experience. As you can see in the chart below, interest in VR tours spiked dramatically at the start of 2020, coinciding with the Covid-19 travel bans. With heightened restrictions likely to be in place for years, VR tours could have a huge future, which can be seen below in the chart.

Image attribution.

2. Racing Car Sports

Driving games are some of the most popular video games available on the market but they don’t provide a realistic experience. For fans of Formula One, being able to experience a race just like Lewis Hamilton does is now a possibility with the development of VR racing car experiences. Now you can feel like you are inside the car on a famous race track like Monza, Monaco and the Nurburgring. This is possible with the help of immersive VR technology.

3. Movies 

VR can help elevate the way you experience movies. There are already some incredible 3D and 4D movies that take the audience to new levels of entertainment but they don’t provide a truly immersive experience. Imagine watching Avatar or Gravity but with a virtual reality headset transporting you right into the movie itself. Being able to get up close with the characters and live the adventure through the main protagonist’s eyes will be a whole new movie experience.

4. Music Concerts

There is no better way to see your favorite artist or band than at a live concert. The thrill of the crowd around you and the excitement of being so close to a famous artist can never be matched just watching a concert on TV, but a virtual reality concert can come close. Imagine being able to experience the madness of Glastonbury Festival or see Drake live at Madison Square Gardens without even leaving your house.

VR technology is still in its infancy but there are some potential applications of the technology which means it has a seriously bright future. The use of VR for virtual tours will enable people to travel the whole world from their living room while expanding the number of games, movies and music concerts available with the technology can give users an incredibly immersive experience. It seems certain that VR has a major role to play in the ever-changing world of entertainment.

About the author

Jamie Moses

Jamie Moses founded Artvoice in 1990

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