From new headsets to a VR bar — fantasy meets reality

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{"text":[[{"start":13.18,"text":"From out on the street, Otherworld looks like the headquarters of a futuristic cult. "},{"start":17.697,"text":"Nestled under a railway arch in Haggerston, east London, its unmarked entrance gives on to a neon-lit corridor flanked by circular white pods that resemble vertical sensory deprivation tanks. "},{"start":27.902,"text":"In fact, their function is the polar opposite — at this virtual reality bar, these sci-fi cabins are a gateway to total sensory overload, a high-spec showcase for the potential of VR gaming. "}],[{"start":40,"text":"An employee swaddled in layers of cushioned white fabric assembles my friends and me around a glowing table to introduce the games we can sample during our one-hour slot. "},{"start":48.504,"text":"We could explore Google Earth in VR, paint in 3D with Tilt Brush or shoot each other with laser guns while cackling maniacally. "},{"start":55.484,"text":"We opt for the latter. "},{"start":57.039,"text":"After a somewhat convoluted introduction to the system, during which a non-gamer in our group glances at me nervously, we go into our separate pods and don controllers, headphones and headsets. "},{"start":66.907,"text":"Our physical surroundings are tightly shut out. "}],[{"start":70.49,"text":"The next hour is a genuine hoot. "},{"start":72.94399999999999,"text":"Each game took a few minutes to learn, but before long we were deeply immersed in competitive dance-off Synth Riders, acrobatic sci-fi shooter Hyper Dash and zombie survival game Arizona Sunshine. "},{"start":83.41199999999999,"text":"Though physically separated, we were united as avatars in virtual space and could communicate through our headphones. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"<div class=\"pic no-copyright\"><picture><img src=\"https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https://d1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net/production/cea6b874-e3fe-4bde-a369-2116b8309ae1.jpg?source=ftchinese&fit=scale-down&width=1400\"></picture>A gamer tries out the Meta Oculus Quest 2 VR headset at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March</div>"}],[{"start":90.41999999999999,"text":"The experience of VR gaming benefits greatly from this kind of dedicated space. "},{"start":95.22399999999999,"text":"While Otherworld’s “4D effects” that simulate wind in your hair and sunshine on your face are gimmicky, it offers powerful hardware and a streamlined system for organising multiplayer games. "},{"start":104.85399999999998,"text":"Crucially, the simple fact of having space to wave your arms around (in-game, valiantly beating back zombies; in real life, flailing desperately) made a vital difference to how comfortable you feel being isolated from your surroundings. "},{"start":118.00899999999999,"text":"When I inevitably slammed my real body into the wall during a high-octane shootout, I found it mercifully padded. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"<blockquote class=\"n-content-pullquote\"><div class=\"n-content-pullquote__content\"><p>These technologies always seem on the cusp of hitting the mainstream but never quite arrive</p><footer class=\"n-content-pullquote__footer\"></footer></div></blockquote>"}],[{"start":124.53999999999999,"text":"I was surprised how much my group, of mixed gaming experience, enjoyed the evening, because after a couple of years’ testing VR games at home, I’ve yet to be convinced. "},{"start":134.069,"text":"While companies such as Meta, HTC and Snap invest heavily in augmented and virtual reality, arguing that increased immersion in digital space will be a key component of the metaverse, these technologies always seem on the cusp of hitting the mainstream but never quite arrive. "}],[{"start":148.45,"text":"The launch of Meta’s Quest 2 headset in 2020 did mark a significant step forward. "},{"start":153.56699999999998,"text":"Simpler to use and far cheaper than competitors, this model processed the game software in the headset, rather than on a computer or console, meaning it was unable to run sophisticated games — most look as if they’re two decades old. "},{"start":165.822,"text":"Still, the trade-off of quality for accessibility and affordability appears to be working: the Quest 2 is now the headset to beat, representing 78 per cent of all VR hardware sales in 2021. "},{"start":177.22699999999998,"text":"Yet even now, VR players still only account for 2 per cent of PC gamers on Steam. "},{"start":182.682,"text":"Why does uptake remain slow? "}],[{"start":185.73,"text":"It’s not that there aren’t any good VR games available; however, there aren’t many of them. "},{"start":190.922,"text":"You can dance along to Beat Saber or while away a few hours with ingenious puzzle-shooter Superhot. "},{"start":196.23899999999998,"text":"Most other offerings are basic, either because developers are stuck building for the feeble Quest 2 or because they don’t see the profit potential in ambitious development for the limited VR audience. "},{"start":205.90699999999998,"text":"There is just one VR masterpiece: Half-Life: Alyx, a continuation of Valve’s beloved shooter series which boasts stunning visuals, a robust narrative and dozens of small, thoughtful details that exploit the uniquely immersive potential of VR. "}],[{"start":220.32,"text":"Even with a great game to play, I find myself reluctant to get out my headset at home. "},{"start":225.474,"text":"They still feel bulky, can cause motion sickness, and I find it unnerving to be isolated from the physical surroundings of my small room, especially since my cat has a single-minded desire to trip me up whenever I play. "},{"start":237.117,"text":"The attempts to show the room around you using headset-mounted cameras still feel technologically primitive. "},{"start":242.59699999999998,"text":"While VR hardware is rapidly developing, this pace of evolution makes it hard to reason that now is the right moment to jump aboard — a far better model could be just around the corner. "}],[{"start":252.94,"text":"VR games still have a niche community of devoted supporters who believe in the technology’s future, as do many big companies: Sony has announced its new PSVR2 headset alongside a new VR Horizon game, Meta is teasing a new headset named Project Cambria, and even Apple has shown a demo of new VR hardware to investors. "},{"start":271.169,"text":"For home play, though, VR still has some growing pains ahead. "},{"start":275.424,"text":"Spaces such as Otherworld show the tech’s full potential — so, paradoxically, to experience the full flavour of the virtual world right now you might need to leave the house. "}],[{"start":284.65999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftacademy.cn/album/73459-1654603023.mp3"}

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From new headsets to a VR bar — fantasy meets reality

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