GAME: VR needs us to succeed

If virtual reality is going to change the world of video games, then it will need the High Street.

That’s according to UK retailer GAME, which is wary but hopeful about the new technology from PlayStation, Oculus, HTC and Samsung.

CEO Martyn Gibbs tells MCV that in order for VR to reach its potential, it will have to get into the hands of consumers.

My view on virtual reality is that we have all tried them, and they are fantastic experiences,” he says.

Whether they are going to drive huge consumer engagement is yet to be seen, because we haven’t got a major one out on the market at the moment, so it is an incredibly difficult one to judge.

But we are seeing that gamers’ appetite for knowing and understanding a lot more about VR is definitely there. As for our position, for virtual reality to succeed, GAME will need to play a significant part in that. We need to allow people to be trialling the products in an environment that they are comfortable with.

VR is not something that we have any big numbers in our budgets for, but we are excited about it. If you look at the market forecasts for VR, they are substantial. If it gets to even half of those numbers, that will still be good news for the whole sector.”