It’s clear that virtual reality (VR) is causing a huge paradigm shift in humanity. The range of incredible applications is infinite, from entertainment, to training, to therapy.
But what scares you the most about VR?
I’m most worried about addiction. VR on the Oculus Rift is so realistic that it’s clear that it can become a replacement for real human interaction. There have already been controversial experiments in things like porn, that’s it’s hard (no pun intended) to see how this won’t cause, or worsen, addiction.
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Privacy is a big deal. Think about how much behaviour information can be extracted from your interactions with a VR application. Our behaviour is already being tracked and exploited in a million ways through our interactions with web services on Google, Facebook, etc. Imagine what people will learn about us when we all start using VR everyday. It could get embarrassing!
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I’ve been having some fun with my DK1, but for me, I get simulator sickness really easily. Apparently the new dev kits and prototypes are a lot better for this. I guess the thing that scares me, then, is that we spend all this money and time researching VR but never solve the sickness problem. I’d really hate to see VR die again like it did in the 90s.
Also on my mind is that the tech seems somewhat asocial. The screen covers your eyes, the headphones your ears. It’s such an isolating experience. You might be able to break it out at a party just due to the novelty factor, but it seems like a weird idea to go visit your friends, only to block them out with technology.
I agree entirely with @AlbertMorrison – I remember coming across this a few years back. It’s a bit long, but TL;DR: We’re already beyond addicted to our mobile devices, and VR is coming for us when we get to our desks.
For VR to blossom into the mainstream user, there has to be more discourse about it’s long-term pros and cons. Until then, I’ll try it once in a while. I still don’t own a VR device.
To further add to sdelgado comment, VR-related problems that will be caused by misuse of the technology, irresponsible developers, and dozens of other indirect issues. If VR can distract someone enough in a confined test area, imagine the perils of using VR outside the safety of room.
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No doubt. It’s a bit spooky to know that Wall-E is coming to life.
Just imagine how in-your-face advertising will be!