I wasn't very convinced by this article, and it took me until the end to get to the punchline, it's written by a founder of "a startup that is bringing back the arcade as a platform and marketplace for virtual reality innovation."
My main issues:
* The author talks a lot about arcades as a social environment - this is absolutely true, but when people are strapped into HMDs in 15'x15' rooms, I just don't see how those same dynamics come into play. Sure you could have displays of what people are experiencing, but it's not the same kind of visceral or fluid experience that the best arcades have. You can't drop in on a game, or even see multiple players interacting in a physical space - ironically (or fittingly) you'd have better social interactions virtually
* Yep, VR is expensive. It takes a fair amount of gear that will be obsolete in a year or two, and the author's argument that good VR requires 1:1 motion and a large amount of floorspace (individual 15'x15' rooms, conservatively) and it doesn't sound like a very palatable (or profitable) business venture to me.
I could see some aweomse social experiences like The Void that use VR HMDs for shared mix-reality use (cavernous warehouses w/ redirected walking, practical effects, etc), but that's pretty far from the author's suggestion of putting regular consumer VR arcades up (I can also see existing PC bangs/KTV/room-based Internet cafes in Asia transitioning to VR if there is demand assuming that multiple people/headsets can interact in a shared space (otherwise the economics still doesn't make sense), but IMO VR arcades that just house regular VR experiences seem DOA.
Your comments are not representative of someone that read the article.
Arcades as a social environment was not stressed in the article. On top of that, 15' x 15' rooms were never mentioned in the article. That is currently the dimensions that the Vive allows for. There is nothing that says that virtual interactions could not also happen within an arcade.
Again what is with the 15' x 15' rooms?
Never once does it suggest that arcades should use consumer grade tech and in fact that is the complete opposite of what the article says.
I think you have a vision of what a VR arcade is and that influenced your thought process. Most of the points that you argue are of your own construction.
Sorry, I must have been reading a different article. Good luck with your non-social environment VR venture.
"People were comfortable playing at home but they would come out to arcades to see the latest improvements in the video game industry. Arcades became a location where people could meet other people with a shared interest in gaming. Socializing was at the core of arcades."
"but with families and casual players looking for the kind of face-to-face social gaming experience hard to find on this side of the Pacific."
"A contributing factor to the success of Japan’s arcades is the social experience of watching people play games that are very talented and learning from them."
"A lot of people will not be able to devote much space in their apartments for entertainment anymore and instead they will start to look for entertainment locations to gather socially, as we saw happened in Japan."
"Specifically within the gaming industry, Twitch has created an opportunity for people to communicate and come together over a shared interest in games. This is a deeply human need that we possess to socialize and group."
"The current gaming industry in North America is purely a home market but this is limiting the possible games and experiences that are available and limiting the socialization of a community."
"the arcade will provide the gaming community a place to socialize in person in a way it has never been able to before."
My main issues:
* The author talks a lot about arcades as a social environment - this is absolutely true, but when people are strapped into HMDs in 15'x15' rooms, I just don't see how those same dynamics come into play. Sure you could have displays of what people are experiencing, but it's not the same kind of visceral or fluid experience that the best arcades have. You can't drop in on a game, or even see multiple players interacting in a physical space - ironically (or fittingly) you'd have better social interactions virtually
* Yep, VR is expensive. It takes a fair amount of gear that will be obsolete in a year or two, and the author's argument that good VR requires 1:1 motion and a large amount of floorspace (individual 15'x15' rooms, conservatively) and it doesn't sound like a very palatable (or profitable) business venture to me.
I could see some aweomse social experiences like The Void that use VR HMDs for shared mix-reality use (cavernous warehouses w/ redirected walking, practical effects, etc), but that's pretty far from the author's suggestion of putting regular consumer VR arcades up (I can also see existing PC bangs/KTV/room-based Internet cafes in Asia transitioning to VR if there is demand assuming that multiple people/headsets can interact in a shared space (otherwise the economics still doesn't make sense), but IMO VR arcades that just house regular VR experiences seem DOA.