Virtual reality has arrived, somewhat

In September, Oculus and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unveiled a new version of Gear VR virtual reality headset for $99. Before you start telling your friends that this is, finally, the year of VR, Nvidia has some humbling statistics that suggest it might not be as widespread as everyone is hoping.

“From 3D gaming to product design, to cinematic experiences and beyond, virtual reality promises to change the way we experience everyday things”, Nvidia said in a statement.

Nvidia, who is the largest maker of computer graphics chips points out that while VR headsets will be out this year, the problem lies in the fact that just 13 million PCs have the power to fuel a Virtual Reality (VR) experience.

Modern day virtual reality (VR) varies, but for the most part it involves a headset with a 360-degree virtual view, powered by a gaming computer and handheld controllers that enable the wearer to move around and interact with the digital world they see. That’s a lot of interest, but VR presents some issues, too. And while bungee jumping off a virtual dam could be a striking experience, it’s also the sort of thing you might try a few times, then set aside as you look for something else to do. Lucky’s Tale delivers on everything you want in a next-generation VR game – it’s thrilling, full of adventure, and incredibly fun to play.

GameWorks VR is aimed at games and applications developers, and includes a feature called VR SLI, which provides increased performance for VR applications where multiple GPUs can be assigned to a specific eye to dramatically accelerate stereo rendering. “You have to do that in less than 20 milliseconds from head rotation to what shows up on your display”. So far, only two headsets, Google’s Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR, are being offered to consumers.

Those ultra-high-end machines account for less than 1 percent of the 1.43 billion PCs expected to be in use globally in 2016, according to research firm Gartner. Early 2016 looks set to be a defining moment in the Virtual Reality entertainment landscape with at least three major players’ devices set to hit the market: Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and the HTC Vive.

IHS, however, has these figures nearly completely reversed.

In other words, it’s pretty clear that the future of virtual reality is a bit… unclear.