10 Features That Will Define Next-Gen Gaming
3. Wireless Virtual Reality Takes Off
Though virtual reality hasn't exploded with the might that some industry analysts initially expected, it has nevertheless been a solid, steady success for Sony in particular, who were estimated to hold 43% of the global VR market share by the end of 2018.
Microsoft meanwhile has shown little interest in VR and, sensibly, that is likely to continue, while Nintendo recently announced a VR-lite contraption for their Labo kit, yet that's probably the extent of their dabbling in the tech (for now, at least). As for Google, they'd be smart to keep their focus on Stadia.
A big barrier of entry for many consumers isn't just the cost or the space involved for VR, but the wires. Hooking up a VR headset can prove quite cumbersome, and it's not always easy to forget about the thick, immersion-breaking cables attached to the HMD during play.
Across PC platforms, however, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift already have offered up wireless solutions, and it's widely expected that the inevitable PSVR 2.0, likely to launch mid-way through the next generation, will be wireless (and a recent patent also supports this possibility).
Wireless VR will be a major game-changer for Sony in particular, and on a broader level could open the floodgates for a wider adoption across the industry.
Hell, perhaps it'll even convince Microsoft, who previously said they were waiting for some of VR's technical challenges, such as wires, to be solved, to join in on the game later in the generation.
There's virtually no chance the end of the next generation still has VR constrained by wires, so while wireless play presents a number of difficulties itself - namely power and charging - it seems plausible that these issues will be ironed out by the mid-way point of the generation (that is, around 2023-2024).
VR will surely continue to be a niche product, but wireless will change market perception of its viability considerably, especially for those with precious little free time and no desire to faff around with a spaghetti-like jumble of cables.