Virtual Reality's Killer App?
A 'killer app' is an application on top of a platform which is so enticing and exciting that it causes people to buy the underlying platform just to play it. Some examples of Killer Apps include BBM on Blackberry, PUBG/Fortnite on the PC, and Pokemon go on iPhone. The commonality between each of these applications is that no one really seen them being as popular as they became. These applications were social phenomenons. So what makes me think that VRChat will be a social phenomenon?
What is VRChat?
VRChat is, as the name suggests, a chatting application in VR. You can walk around virtual 'worlds' (as referred to by the game) and talk with and interact with other players and the environment. If you've seen Ready Player One, VRChat is like a low-level version of the Oasis. The first time you step in, you are asked to create a character, you can literally be anything, a knight, an anime character, a Dragon Ball Z character! Once you've selected your character you can go to different places and meet new friends, I'll admit there is little to do in some worlds, but other worlds allow you to collect skins and play mini games!
Walking around in game and interacting with other users example
If VRChat is the Killer App for VR, Why Haven't I Heard of It?
Well, if you own one of the two major systems in VR, the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive (Thought I was going to include Microsoft MR? LOL). Then you will have likely heard of or tried VRChat, being that it's free and most VR games are paid. The issue with VRChat is that it's too restricted to 'computer people' for lack of a better term. Which is great, I consider myself to be one, too. However, a Killer App requires that everyone uses it, and requires the application to run on consumer facing tech that's as cheap or cheaper than the alternatives (Gaming consoles, for example.) VRChat might not be the killer app for VR, but it's premise , being that is an open world immersive VR game, could and will likely be the Killer App that will make VR mainstream.
The Biggest Roadblock
The biggest roadblock for all emerging technology has been and likely always will be, hardware constraints and getting hardware down to a reasonable price that entices consumers to actually buy units. If you put in perspective that VR has gone from a $90,000 price-per-unit cost to $200 price-per-unit (Oculus Go, Q2 2018). Once the VR space can be condensed down to a $200 unit, it will be inevitable that we will see mainstream adoption. It's like going from the telegraph to the iPhone, how many people had the former and how many people currently have the latter?
Oculus Go - Q2 2018
So, what now?
VRChat is great for those who have tried it. However, the number of consumers who have actually tried it is sparse. The hardware constraints are in my opinion the biggest factor that is holding VR back. Hopefully, the Oculus GO (A $200 wireless VR headset) will be what takes the VR platform mainstream!
Thanks for reading,
Brett