Passers-by take Facebook up on its offer to test drive a virtual reality headset at Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall on Nov. 1, 2016.
Le e Mitchell knew there wasn’t really an asteroid drifting past him, just a few feet to the right. But he couldn’t help stretching out a hand to touch it.
“It just seemed so real,” said a slightly awestruck Mitchell, 25, of Chicago. “It’s like going to a part of the world you’ve never seen.”
Mitchell, who works at Woodfield Mall, was one of the passers-by who took Facebook up on its offer to test drive a virtual reality headset at the Schaumburg mall on Tuesday.
Companies developing the technology and electronics retailers are hoping plenty of headsets will be placed under Christmas trees this year. But getting virtual technology to take off still relies on old-fashioned real-world demonstrations.
People who haven’t experienced it — particularly nongamers — often don’t understand how they would use it or why they would want it. That’s a big hurdle, and a reason sellers are going out of their way to convince consumers to give the headsets a try in the months leading up to the holidays.
“Virtual reality is incredibly immersive and provides an incredible sense of presence, which can be hard for people to imagine without a demo,” said Andrea Schubert, communications manager with virtual reality technology maker Oculus.
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Source: Chicago Tribune