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Virtual Reality has emerged as a buzz phrase in the games industry lately with many new headsets announced and many developers looking to take advantage it.

If you’re thinking of getting on board, here are eight tips on making the most of the opportunity.

Getting in early is key

I’ve heard it said a few times that the big name publishers and developers won’t get in on virtual reality until the potential is proven. So, being early to the market with a game that inspires and gets people talking is going to make it much easier to have a success on your hands than when the market is suddenly saturated and clawing at the marketing budgets of the big players.



Compare how hard it is to get noticed on the mobile app stores today compared to five years ago when free-to-play was in its infancy. This is a similar time for VR.

VR won’t be for everyone

We don’t know how big VR is going to become, and many are sceptical. Chances are it’s not going to be the same size as the mobile/tablet or console market. Generally, needing to buy expensive, specialist equipment will make this something which will attract core gamers rather than casual gamers. A certain game or software product may inspire it becoming a must-have item (like Wii Sports did for the Wii console), but with so many different types of equipment available it is more likely to alienate the non-tech savvy.



Given Facebook’s ownership of Oculus Rift, we may see VR becoming more of a part of our everyday lives further down the line.

Get your head around the different offerings

As mentioned above, there are already many different devices available or planned for the virtual reality market. At the recent GDC conference a number of devices and peripheral controllers were announced.



The biggest player at the moment is Oculus Rift, which has been on the market for a while. At the more affordable end of the market is Google Cardboard, which turns your mobile device into a VR headset for use with a variety of apps and games.



Other devices include the Vuzix IWare and Razer’s OSVR headset. Peripheral controllers are also being developed to use with headsets when navigating and interacting with games.