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The UK High Street is optimistic about the success of virtual reality headsets.

The new hardware from Oculus Rift/Facebook and Sony is expected to arrive at the back end of the year or early 2015. And leading buyers and store managers have told MCV that if the price is right, then these devices would fly off shelves.

Like most new technologies and platforms in gaming, if our wonderfully creative development community support and get behind it, and if the hardware is competitively priced, customers are more likely to feel reassured and we’re sure VR will be a great success at retail,” said Darren Cairns, marketing boss at Green Man Gaming.

Robert Lindsay MD of Game Centre added: Virtual reality could be the next big thing. With Microsoft and Sony both working on their own versions there’s obviously a push in that direction. Virtual reality has been touted for a number of years now and I suppose someone will have to get it right eventually.

There are still members of the industry skeptical over the potential for VR. And Dixons PC gaming category manager Simon Urquhart says that going hands on with the products will help win consumers over.

It’s great to see new and exciting gaming accessories and we will keep an eye on their development as they get closer to a retail release,” he said. We want to make sure interested customers get all the right information on VR devices so it meets expectations.

Dixons is a leader in new tech and we look forward to engaging new manufacturers prior to launch to see if we can bring their products to life. Allowing gamers to experience VR before buying will be the key to its success.

The Facebook acquisition of Oculus is a strong indication that VR may have more mainstream, non-gaming applications and this will should add to the market potential of any VR devices”