One of the most compelling aspects of VR is its unmatched (as of now!) ability to create truly immersive environments. This high level of immersion is achieved by engaging multiple senses—visual, auditory, and haptic. Unlike traditional media formats, which typically rely on one or two senses, VR envelops users, drawing them into a virtual world that feels incredibly real. 

When we look at visual immersion, VR pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. By providing a 360-degree view, VR tricks our brain into believing we are in a different environment. This is markedly different from watching a film or playing a traditional video game, where we are aware of our real-world surroundings. Indeed, the promos for Apple’s new Vision Pro device aim to leverage on exactly this – providing a completely different movie-watching experience, not just having another screen option.
The auditory component of VR furthers this sense of immersion. Spatial audio technology allows sound to come from different directions and distances, replicating the way we hear sounds in real life. This makes the VR experience much more convincing and immersive. Moreover, the incorporation of haptic feedback is revolutionizing the way we interact with virtual environments. By providing tactile sensations, users can “touch” and “feel” in the virtual world, bringing a new dimension of realism to VR.

These sensory experiences all contribute to what is known as ‘presence’ – a psychological state in which virtual (mediated) experiences are felt as if they are real. This unique ability of VR has profound implications for fields like storytelling, gaming, and cinema.

In gaming, for example, VR is pushing the boundaries of immersive entertainment. Games like Beat Saber and Half-Life: Alyx place players directly into the game environment, letting them interact with the virtual world in a way traditional gaming never could. In cinema and storytelling, VR allows creators to place viewers directly inside the narrative, transforming the viewer from a passive observer to an active participant. Films like Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s CARNE y ARENA, which uses VR to put viewers in the shoes of refugees, exemplify the unique storytelling potential of VR.

Of course, all this is related to entertainment, but the true business potential of VR might be in other industries as we will see below. Maybe gaming is just the use case needed to popularize the technology (and indeed, get it to manufacturing critical mass so that overall prices come down, which will lead to further use cases).