Virtual Reality For Gaming is Going to be a Fad – Michael Pachter

Managing Director of Equity Research at Wedbush Securities Michael Pachter is a man of many opinions, many based in analytic reasoning but controversial for some all the same. Pachter is most recently famous for saying that PlayStation Now was a joke. What are his thoughts on other current fads in gaming such as virtual reality, especially with technologies like Oculus Rift and PS4 VR Headset hogging headlines these days?

GamingBolt spoke to Pachter about the potential of VR gaming going forward and whether it would be a mainstay in the industry or fad away like 3D gaming.

“Yes, I think it’s going to be a fad. I think that no one solved the vesticular motion problem which is where you get disoriented because your eyes are seeing something that the rest of your body isn’t experiencing. I think it’s an interesting concept, don’t get me wrong, and I think Facebook is right, there is potential for it beyond gaming…

“I mean, gaming is a fun reason to buy something, especially a device like Oculus Rift, but the truth is that maybe virtual surgery, or something like Ender’s Game or actually doing anything that way, there’s huge potential beyond gaming, but nothing as far as gaming goes.”

Would this be similar to the Kinect which has a multitude of applications beyond gaming? “Right, and just like there aren’t very many compelling Kinect games, other than maybe sports or dancing, that anyone actually says amount to much, similarly I think there will be a few virtual reality games that will be compelling and great, but a hundred?

“I doubt it. It’s hard to develop for, people aren’t going to develop for it unless there’s a large install base, and it’s too much of a niche for a large install base to ever show up without software. So I’d say fad is the right term.

Now Facebook might turn it into something that every household has one of, because, you know, maybe you can shop in a virtual grocery store, so Amazon might use VR so you can subscribe to Amazon Fresh, and shop for your groceries by walking up and down the aisles and picking them out, I mean that kind of stuff makes sense to me.

“But, but I think that’s a much more practical application. And would I buy a VR headset for $10 so I could do something like that? Yes, I probably would. But would I pay $500 to do it? No, and I doubt many will. So, I don’t know what the applications are, but I think it’s a fad.”

It’ll certainly be interesting considering that Oculus Rift has been purchased by Facebook and Sony is making a serious push for VR on consoles with Morpheus. Do you agree with Pachter’s analysis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

This is just a snippet of our interview with Michael Pachter and we will have more soon.