VR Games - Is it a Scam?

Throughout the last few years, we've seen a plethora of news posts about how virtual reality was going to save the classic arcade. The idea goes that the VR gear is too expensive for home users, therefore it creates an chance for operators to pony up the big bucks to purchase it and then make their money back by charging per game to play with it. Even Nolan Bushnell, the inventor of Pong, is trying to hype the tech as the industry's savior.
"While many high-end headsets were released annually that may bring virtual-reality experiences to your living space, adoption of this technology remains in its first days to get a lot of reasons--it's still bulky, expensive, and there isn't all that much to do once you've got it on your face. More than two million cans were sent worldwide in 2016, according to a quote from market researcher Canalys, but this figure pales in comparison to the prevalence of, say, video game consoles (sales of their leading one, Sony's PS4, topped six million throughout the 2016 holiday season alone). Consumer virtual reality will likely catch on as prices come down and cans improve. Meanwhile, though, a variety of businesses are betting that customers could possibly be happy to cover a much smaller sum to try out the tech with their buddies at, say, an arcade, theme park, or even bowling alley."
It's tempting to dive into this snare, but from an operator's perspective VR is a terrible thing. Operators are being asked to pay top dollar for technology that is all but guaranteed to plummet in value over the very short term. Aside from purchasing a brand-new car and driving it a time, I can not think of a way that you could eliminate money faster between what you pay and what you'll have the ability to get down the road.
Another limitation for most operators is that while you might have the ability to supply a space for VR individuals to roam around in today, as fresh VR tech is unveiled, we are going to see the point expanded from 100 square feet into the whole world. Rather than viewing just the matches from your headset, you will see the true world with sport play overlayed. As the tech allows more real world areas to be explored, it's going to make a cramped arcade look fairly feeble in comparison.
VR is already heading for mass market acceptance, however it is demand is not being pushed by gamers who wish to pay big buck to play with video games, but like the BETAMAX that came before it, by individuals who want to watch porn in their homes.
Even if an operator can create a little bit of money for the next few decades, once VR achieves critical mass, then it will crush whatever earnings stream that operators are dreaming of. Do not believe me? Just check out what is happening in China.
A year later 22,000 of these have closed.
This is an incredible failure rate over this short time period and one which should function as a sharp warning to anyone contemplating investing in the VR games. Perhaps Dave and Busters can afford to take losses on the games longer than Chinese startup arcades, however I doubt that most North American operators will fare much better using the technology in their match rooms and will only end up in debt in the end of the day.
The problem basically boils down to consumers not being prepared to pay a premium for the encounter. Tech In Asia, describes the problem perfectly in their own article, on the Chinese VR boom and bust.

"Enterprising shop owners leaping into VR are finding it impossible to charge fees akin to cinemas or bowling alleys for a VR experience. One VR arcade proprietor told iHeima that he saw excited queues when charging US$1.50 for a 30-minute session, but everybody vanished as it rose to US$5. By that kind of revenue it's not possible to cover the rent."
Even if the game was sold out daily, at $1.50 per half hour they are just earning $30 a day. With retail rents in North America running $1 -- $2 a square foot, there is no way to make the math work, even if you assume that Americans will pay more to play the matches.
The actual world data streaming in from China should function as a canary in the quarter plantations of North America. Operators who invest large amounts of money on elaborate VR setups will probably find their small VR rooms being substituted by the whole world as a stage. Since the setups get cheaper, smaller and more portable, the virtual arcades will seem more expensive, bulky and https://www.helmamusements.com/ restricted.