Conclusion

 

Deciding if Virtual Reality has a place in the technology world is not easy. Forecasting next year’s technology, let alone several years ahead, is almost impossible. The fact that big players such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google are expanding their involvement into Virtual Reality implies it could have a bright future.

 

Education seems a perfect environment in which to develop the use of VR. Exploring the body, looking at historical events and learning new skills all come alive in the virtual world. This has been shown to increase students’ engagement and allow them to take in more information. Virtual Reality is currently not widely used in schools due to its cost implications. I believe the future is bright for VR in education as its limited use so far has displayed many benefits.

 

The sporting world is already using Virtual Reality to its advantage. Technologies such as Hawk Eye and Goal Line Technology have revolutionised the way sport is officiated and these should be developed further. However, I have doubts about using VR to spectate. You will not have the same experience sitting at home watching a football match in VR headset as you would from actually being there. It would be popular at first due to it being something new and different, but the novelty would soon wear off.

 

Retail seem to be delving deeper into VR than ever before. The use of virtual shelves seems to be the best idea so far as it allows people to save time and effort. Many hours are spent travelling to and from work – using this time to shop virtually would help save time and make the journey more fun. The virtual elements of buying clothes and furniture also help reduce time spent looking for items – so is obviously a benefit. However, Liam Downes (EMEA digital marketing manager, The Body Shop) warns “Success on the high street will rest with how agile we are in coping with change” (Still, 2015). I believe that despite this, VR does have a future in retail as companies are continuing to invest in the technology, so they must see a future for it.

 

Overall, I believe the three areas covered could play a major part in Virtual Reality becoming more mainstream. People are hungry for new technologies that make daily tasks easier and more fun. VR certainly has the fun element with its immersive nature. However, I think Virtual Reality is more for one off experiences to shock and wow audiences, rather than a must have technology to use during daily tasks. The cost of this technology is still very high so it may not appeal to retailers or customers as they will not want to spend so much on a technology that still hasn’t been proven to be beneficial. If large companies continue to invest in newer and better ways to bring VR to the masses, then there is a possibility that it could be the technology of the future.