Location-based VR is hot — but is it right for you?

In 2018 virtual reality hit the trough of disillusionment. Home use hadn’t proven itself in terms of payback for most of the developers despite a few well-received releases like Beat Saber. But this wasn’t a bad thing — dumb money stopped being invested in the industry. The VR market seen its niches stabilize: VR training in the enterprise sector, and location-based arcades in entertainment.

The location-based entertainment (LBE) market has been the main source of money for VR game developers in the last few years. Unity CEO John Riccitiello warned developers that they need to focus on surviving — and home use isn’t a good plan for that. Oculus Quest promising to make VR more casual, and we’ll see if that succeeds — but LBE is about actually going somewhere with friends. We want that, right?