VR could be be 'poisoned' by bad experiences
A GPC 2016, Shenzhen, China: Virtual reality offers travellers the chance to ‘try before you buy’, but smartphone-based systems may be ruining it before it’s even begun
They promised us the world. Hotel rooms you can look around before you book, and destinations to explore from the comfort of your own home. But some think that the future of virtual reality travel could be under threat.
Changing lives
“VR applications are changing our lives,” said Paul Gray, Principal Analyst, IHS, talking to journalists at the Intercontinental Hotel in Shenzhen, China. “We’re doing our best to make people’s lives simple, convenient and interesting.”
‘Poisoned’ by smartphones
The first wave of VR is all about smartphone-based systems, but Gray fears that could be the emerging format’s downfall. “Initially it will be driven by smartphones, and it’s the the incredible power of smartphone graphics makes it possible,” he said. “But we have a concern that if you try those those smartphone VR headsets, the resolutions of those screens really are not good enough for a high quality VR experience … there’s a big risk that the VR market will be poisoned by poor experience on smartphone-based systems.”
IFA 2016 will take place from 2-7 September 2016 in Berlin