Only 43% Virtual Reality-Focused Blog Readers "Extremely Interested" in Virtual Reality - 41% Neutral or Uninterested

Here's the results of New World Notes' survey of readers, asking how personally interested they are in becoming an active user of VR:

Of the 140 readers who responded, only 43% said they were "extremely" interested. This is significant, because after all, New World Notes was founded covering Second Life, the leading platform in virtual reality's 2nd big wave ten years ago. You would think this makes NWN the ideal top target for VR consumers, but in fact, not even a slight majority are passionate fans. How is it possible that a readership that's extremely interested in Second Life isn't also extremely interested in VR (for the most part), with the majority saying they are just "somewhat" interested, or taking a neutral "wait-and-see" attitude?

And yes, I know the data can be read to say that 56% of NWN's readership is "extremely" or "somewhat" interested in VR, but here's the thing:

If New World Notes were a general tech blog or even a 3D gaming blog, I'd be more likely to read the data that way. But you'd expect a blog that mainly focuses on a VR platform would register extreme interest in more like the 70-80% range.

What's this mean for the future of VR?

I'd say if even much of virtual reality's endemic audience is still on the fence, the general public is definitely on the VR fence. (If they even know the fence exists at all.)

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VR survey

Comments

[Estelle Pienaar]

My guess would be that most NWN readers are primarily in virtual worlds and only secondary in virtual reality. (I expect a gradual shift in the future because your coverage on your VR is great). The two things are not the same. VR can be one of several means to enter and experience a virtual world. A virtual world is one of the many possible content formats for VR. If the common ground between the two were to be 43% in the end, that would be more than I am guessing now.

[Estelle Pienaar]

* are primarily interested in virtual worlds

[Estelle Pienaar]

Damn, shouldn't post comments from my phone. Too many stupid errors, sorry!

[Tamar Luminos]

Personally, I consider VR to be things like Oculus Rift and other peripherals you have to wear to simulate "virtual reality". I don't consider Second Life to be virtual reality, it's just a game. I enjoy SL, but I am not interested at all in VR and that's why I voted the way I did.

[melponeme_k]

I think Second Life was, is and will be the only virtual world (virtually no holds barred) for the majority of our lifetime. The techies got what they wanted a real Snow Crash/Ready Player One. But then they discovered that the people using the platform were opinionated and had ideas about what they wanted from the world as in more governance less wild west.

So now the techs are set upon creating anything that is unlike SL as they can build. That is why they will fail.

As far as goggles go? I voted wait and see because I want to see what the new VRs will give their users. But all hints point to me becoming a spectator, dribbling while wearing a very unbecoming head piece. Nope, I'd rather be in SL, doing my own thing.

[sirhc deSantis]

You did ask 'personally' as opposed to 'intellectually' with the meaning 'willing to shell out for' (or maybe I just took it that way) so I answered with that in mind. From a technical only point of view, it has a lot of appeal. Spending on soon to be dust gathering hardware (even cardboard would mean having to scrounge up a phone) not so much.

[Beska]

When both the Wii nunchuk and the Microsoft Kinect did not catch on why would this thing get traction?

You think people will sit in their house with 350 Dollar cellphone boxes strapped to their face.

ROFLOL

Microsoft Xbox
Oculus Dorkbox
Oculus Nerdbox

[Orca Flotta]

Like Tamar wrote there is a huge difference between virtual worlds and virtual reality.
One can join and enjoy and get engrossed, invested and immersed in a VW, without being the slightest bit interested in all that technical hocus pocus.
VR otoh is absolutely focussed on technological crap instead of content.

This trend is clearly visible since years already. Most SL residents are using sub-par hardware and are interested in pixel humping and other social experiences, while only a loud minority shows real interest in stupid Oculus things that cause them to trip on their cats.

[Beska]

pixel humping, they should put that in the dictionary.

Pixel humping: The act of making babies in 3D space.