VR’s killer app is wish fulfillment — for me, that’s Wipeout

Last week, I told the story of how experiencing archery using a virtual reality headset made me a VR believer. Admittedly, I’m a classic early adopter: I owned a Sega Genesis well before Sonic the Hedgehog, picked up a Nintendo GameCube the day of release (in Japan!), and switched to the first-generation iPhone on day one. When I see real potential in a new platform, that’s often enough for me to justify a purchase.

Normal people don’t work like that. Before they buy a new device, they expect the hardware price to be right, and more than just a couple “pretty good” pieces of software to use with it. History shows that mainstream buyers wait for a “killer” app — something that really shows off the hardware — if not several, so assuming the hardware’s price is reasonable, the new platform’s sales will spike when that killer app arrives.