Having gone to a VR gaming business (the kind where you book a time slot, not an open arcade) I wasn't impressed. The hardware isn't really rugged enough for that kind of commercial use, so it was clear they were struggling to keep the gear in decent condition.

But besides that, the limited time nature of the setup meant that the game options needed to be significantly dumbed down so that anyone could pick it up in a few minutes. And there isn't enough of a demand to create any interesting experiences, most of what was on offer was neutered VR games I'd already tried on my personal VR setup.

COVID killed The Void, that was the one company that was building high end VR-arcades. Everything else so far looks quite lackluster, just using just regular consumer VR headsets and uninteresting mini-games. VR arcades are also expensive and with $300 headsets around, you might as well just buy one yourself instead of wasting money at the arcade.

It makes a bit of sense for that, and there are HMDs built for that purpose that are... eh... less gross? I guess?

But mostly it's a secondary device. A toy you keep on the side and pop out for parties or when something reignites the novelty.

VR is Guitar Hero. Does that make sense? I think that makes sense.