Virtual Reality is believed by many to be a ‘platform for tomorrow’ with huge potential. However, there are some who also believe that it is leading us into a dystopian future that is cut off from the real world.

When people doubted the future of VR, Mark Zuckerberg replied by saying that in the beginning people often tend to worry when new technology is introduced, however, if you could socially understand each other better using technology, then you will probably benefit from it in the long run.

Considering the huge number of debates going on over this, Virtual Reality is certainly one of the hottest topics for technology nowadays. Hence, we have put together the opinions of 13 VR experts.

1. 1. VR will live or die by the quality of the stories that it tells the audience

      Rob Morgan, Game Writer at gamestory.co.uk

      There will be a rise in narratives that will be fully VR-native. In VR story-telling is not just a quality issue but an immersion issue. VR players feel much more immersed in the games as compared to flat-screen players.

      Along with the huge potential in VR in the domains of medicine, engineering, education, etc, what seems most exciting is its potential in terms of art. VR has the ability to let you embody another person in a way media has never done before.

   2. Virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies are predicted to be a $150 billion market by 2020

      Michael D. Gallagher, President, CEO at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA)

      This could be the beginning of the widespread adoption of a very interesting and ground-breaking form of technology of the past two decades.

      Technologies such as VR and AR are bringing in millions of dollars of investments and are predicted to be a $150 billion market by 2020. Furthermore, such an immersive form of technology will completely change the way in which we consume media and entertainment. In fact, VR is now even used by NASA to train astronauts and share a walk on Mars.

   3. Use cases of VR that will change the world will essentially fall into three major sectors: health, communication, and education

      James Blaha, CEO and Founder of Vivid Vision

      The Use cases of VR will mainly fall under three primary categories, health, communication and education. VR will be a powerful tool in controlling the visual and auditory feedback to the brain. There will be numerous advancements in the sphere of healthcare and rehabilitation. There will also be a reduction in costs in the field of psychiatric care and pain management.

      For communication, VR will prove as an important tool to stimulate empathy, especially in the field of journalism. For education, VR can be used to teach complex concepts using audio-visual feedback in an immersive manner.

   4. Virtual Reality in 2019 is the story of humanity mastering its senses

      Foo Conner, Social Media Entrepreneur and CEO at Jekko

      VR has marked the beginning of humanity mastering its sense. Everything that we knew such as editing, scope, sound, etc has been redefined. And all of us are collectively working towards making elements of VR better.

      VR can not only enable you to hear or see places but live them in an immersive way with the combination of the two. Companies such as Harmon audio are working on making the audio as immersive and real as possible.

   5. VR evangelizers have done a nice job at putting VR into the limelight as a medium specializing in storytelling

      Devon Dolan, Associate at Cinetic Media

      Apart from the aesthetics, VR has done a great job in terms of bringing story-telling as a medium into the limelight.

      VR in the domains of entertainment and media has proven to add a lot of meaning and value in terms of creating a human connection that one would not have experienced before. VR consumption in a social setting with an emphasis on the domains of healthcare and education will pave methodologies that will end up being extremely positive for the world in the long run.

   6. The app that is going to make sure VR engagement on a daily basis is yet to come

      Kent Bye, Host of Voices of VR Podcast

      One of the things that is commonly said by a lot of people is that VR is going to be the big thing in the entertainment industry however, there is still a lot of time for that. That will only take place the day people start creating impressive VR programs that go beyond games. The culture is starting to shift from an informational age to an experiential age with a focus on visceral emotions rather than consuming vast amounts of data

      One of the most recent examples would be the social media app Snapchat that is actively using AR and VR to change the way the users experience their app.

      VR is going to experience numerous aspects of a person’s life and completely change the landscape of human experience. VR has the ability to fully explore the human spectrum of emotions and unlock dimensions of creativity and innovation within us.

1. VR has already been adopted by over 171 million people

   Matt Stompz Carrell, USAF combat veteran and co-host of podvr.com podcast

   VR has already been adopted over 1 million people across the world. The main draw of VR has been private, immersive entertainment however, there has also been an undercurrent of social VR experiences.

   Healthcare and education will be highly benefited with VR technologies. VR can be used to provide numerous kinds of physical therapy. Education with VR can be extremely engaging for all students. It could provide the kind of education that would not have been possible with a traditional textbook or video. Hence, this is a way to give students their own Magic School Bus education.

2. Consumers will finally get a glance of the extraordinary promise of VR as a medium

   Nonny de la Pena, Founder of Emblematic Group, also known as the ‘Godmother of Virtual Reality’

   With the Oculus Rift entering the VR market, a massive explosion of innovation has been kicked off which will further unlock the full potential of this technology.

   Steam introduced Vive, it’s gaming headset, followed by PlayStation and so on. One of the most appealing things about VR is the ability to provide a sensation of “being there” and creating a visceral connection to the events displayed to the viewer.

   It generates a feeling of empathy as the body feels like it is actually present there. It can be used to emulate real-life incidents such as Syrian bombings or cases of domestic violence in order to make people sensitive to such happenings.

3. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are a few good examples of real-world VR apps engaging viewers into empathetic moments that are primarily news-driven

   Richard Broo, Founder and CEO at Wemersive

   VR is predicted to increase the uptake by media outlets and become more common among different forms of media. Users will soon turn to VR in order to consume media and also use it on a daily basis.

   VR will completely change the traditional methods of Journalism and Documentary Storytelling. Numerous outlets such as the NY Times and Wall Street Journal are real-world applications of VR. VR can be used by users to take action for social good.

4. VR will not supplant traditional education methods but it will augment them similar to how the internet did

   Will Mason, the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at UploadVR

   Widespread consumption as a daily activity is yet to happen. In order for it to make it to homes, there needs to be a more compelling reason.

   The two biggest reasons for VR to become a ground-breaking piece of technology will lie in the domain of socializing and education. VR now enables people to have a visceral way to interact with information and learn new things.

   For social, the key lies in three words, Non-Verbal Communication. Considering that 92% of our communication is non-verbal, VR will prove to be extremely beneficial. VR allows users to have face-to-face communication. AR and VR are believed by many to be the logical evolution of global communications.

5. VR brings a completely new way to experience, interact, and play with your friends, and we are only getting started

   Todd Hooper, CEO at VREAL

   Content creators are now past the novelty of VR and are figuring out what is fun and entertaining in it. VR brings in a new manner of experiencing and interacting with your friends and it is still only the beginning. VR has completely redefined what social interaction means and the way games are designed and created by studios.

6. VR is like the first iPhone – a small number of people are extremely excited about it, however, it’s full potential has not been unleashed yet

   Jesse Joudrey, Chief Executive Officer at VR Chat

   There are a small number of users who are reaping the benefits of VR however, it still has not reached its full potential. There is a need for more innovation before VR can be fully successful. Since VR was first used by games, people felt that gaming would be the biggest segment in VR. However, the most important space for VR is social. With VR Chat you can have a more immersive form of communication with people.

7. Virtual Reality is not a new technology, but accessibility to both devices as well as tools sets the year 2019 apart

   Liv Erickson, Virtual and Augmented Reality Developer and Evangelist at Microsoft. Also the Creator and host of Just A/VR Show

   What has made VR extremely popular and successful is how accessible both devices, as well as tools, are for a creator. There are VR options for different price points, making it accessible for different kinds of audiences. For instance, you could either spend $2000 dollars for a Vive or a Rift on a desktop or spend $10 for a cardboard headset.

   For developers and content creators, there are multiple tools available widely. You can even buy VR apps for your smartphone.

   Even though VR is in its nascent stages, it is already changing the way people interact with technology. In domains such as healthcare, we are starting to see the benefits of VR using simulations.

   in spheres such as education, VR is making a significant distance. And this is only the beginning. In a couple of years, we might see things that we have not even thought of.

Conclusion

Virtual Reality (VR) has gained a reputation for itself, the technology is making a huge move and in upcoming years, it will deliver an innovative experiences in many areas of life. The businesses will tap into opportunities it presents, So prepare yourself for a future where VR will be a part of daily life.

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