"It's not just about trying new tech or testing a product before purchase. It's a place to hang out and celebrate technology. We'll serve drinks, have music on, and give you an amazing VR experience, what's not to love?"
Space saver
Ignoring the imperfect VR setup of the launch party, trying VR in the space should be more comfortable. The space is still wide open and music will still play, but the addition of VR assistants to help you with the headset and ensure everyone is comfortable should go a long way to easing people in.
One of the biggest barriers to entry when it comes to the world of virtual reality is getting people to try it. The price on the high-end virtual reality set-ups is borderline outrageous. Still, thousands for your virtual holodeck doesn't feel like that much of a stretch once you've played it. As a result, one of the biggest motivators to getting people to pick up a headset is getting them into a space where they can experience the technology.
As a result, spaces that evangelise for virtual reality are essential to the industry's growth right now, and key if the virtual reality industry ever wants to break out of the public perception that it's a niche product.
Cohen claims that Virtually Reality will have "Professional staff, equally as passionate for VR as us" and will be supplier agnostic, meaning they'll give customers an unbiased opinion on the different options available. Cohen describes the space's role as not just a shop but a place to "showcase and curate" VR experiences.
"I believe spaces like this are essential," said Cohen "up until now we have seen a lot of marketing, ads and some video on new VR technology. The ability to understand how this technology works can only be achieved once you have tried it. Spaces like ours will therefore be needed to help propel VR into the mainstream."
While I have some reservations about Virtually Reality, there's no denying that for the virtual reality industry, this space in Camden Lock represents progress, something sorely needed as virtual reality strikes out towards the mass audience.
- The best VR headsets 2016 are on this list. No, really, they are.
