Hello fellow SteamGifters,

I'd like to ask all of you to please fill out my quick form. I'm currently doing a school project in which we have to set up our own business. But to start a business we first need to find out if there is a market for our product or service.

Our Business concept is for a Virtual Reality Center. A Virtual Reality Center is a kind of Game Hall that has several Virtual Reality systems. It is mostly focused on Virtual Reality games for PC and Console. You can go there by yourself or with your friends and play the games that are available.

We came up with this concept because we all like to play games but none of us have a Virtual Reality system. And as College student we also don't have to money to afford one. A place nearby that we can visit from time to time would be amazing in our eyes. And save us the money of buying a system on our own.

The questionnaire is only 6 questions. So if you could please check it out here it would mean a lot to us! Survey
If you have anymore questions about Virtual Reality centers and all the possibilities feel free to contact me here or add me on steam. If you have tips to improve our survey feel free to tell me and I will be happy to provide them.

I'm currently at my university and don't have my spare steam keys here. When I get home I will be adding some awesome giveaways to thank you all.

Thank you in advance,
Ectra

EDIT 1: The small train has arrived. Please enter here. TRAIN
EDIT 2: If anyone is interested in the results, I might put them up when I'm done with the survey. 76 Responds up until now. Thank you all very much for that!!!

7 years ago*

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Do you like virtual reality games?

View Results
Yes
No
Some
Don't know
Wait.. A poll and a survey!?!? GET ME OUTTA HERE

but none of us have a Virtual Reality system

same. so "Don't know" wins on poll 4 me. intend to buy the machine capable of running it tomorrow though, but still unsure on when i'll get a VR headset itself. Β―\_(ツ)_/Β―

7 years ago
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A friend of mine was able to play some Virtual Reality games at an event and he said it was amazing. It made me curious and seeing some games on youtube (especially some indie games) made me curious about Virtual Reality Games.

But thank you for doing the poll, and many more thanks if you filled out the form! If you have any questions feel free to ask.

7 years ago
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ahh yeah, filled it out just now xD. i assumed it was geared to those that had played on VR before, but now i see it wasn't.. good simple survey though.

7 years ago
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Thank you very much!

7 years ago
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Just did the survey, and liked that it wasn't extensive.

7 years ago
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Thank you! I tried to make it as short as possible, I don't want to take too much of your valuable time and don't want it to become a stupid thing to fill. Because that would give less responses at add to the chance of people entering a false answer.

7 years ago
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Done.
May buy VR when the price has come down a lot and if I don't get motion sickness etc.
At the moment it's far too expensive just to buy and try out.
Edit: I meant that could have been an answer too. Not just yes or no.

7 years ago*
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Indeed, especially for middle class people or students the pricing is currently too high. That is why we were also thinking of adding a service where people are able to buy the systems after they have been used for a certain amount of time. That way it would also be cheaper for customers to buy their own systems. The only downside to this is that we would lose that customer probably.

But thank you very much for filling in the form! Gibs will be added later today.

7 years ago
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Coincidentally I was discussing this very thing with my cousin a couple of days ago. Her and her husband had acquired a few VR Headsets and were using one over the xmas period but in the end they sold all of them as they felt they just did not use it much.

They had started to only really use it when friends were round. She felt the technology currently was also too restrictive to own in a house as you really need a dedicated room to use it in with full motion tracking of your body and to actually move around and interact with it. I know there are better more elaborate set-ups you can do with VR Headsets but currently that is very expensive and needs a large amount of dedicated space.

I mentioned that I was sure there were VR Centres that you could go too and this seemed like a good thing to do as currently the technology is more befitting of this usage. A one-off experience you can go too, akin to something like Laser Tag, Arcades. I even suggested it may be a good idea to change currently disused Arcades around the Country (I live in the UK) to VR Centres. We thought it could be a good potentially untapped market, but I was sure something like this probably existed.

When I got home and looked into it, I found it was indeed all ready a thing:

http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/sneak-peek-uk-s-first-virtual-reality-centre-opens-in-lincoln/story-29470620-detail/story.html

So to answer your assignment, I think it would indeed be a good business to run right now. How long it would actually be profitable for before the technology and games available for VR meant people just used it in their homes though is unknown to me - just like how now people don't go to arcades to play video games much any more. Depends just how how we as a society treat VR once it becomes more mainstream and affordable for everyone.

Good luck with your assignment. I answered "don't know" as unfortunately I did not get the chance to try out my cousins vr headset before her husband sold it :(

7 years ago
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I couldn't explain it better. The things you mentioned are all things we considered, I didn't put it in the thread above because it would make the thread longer and that would result in people not reading it. It currently already exists indeed and there is already a business like this in my country (The Netherlands).

You can still enter the survey if you don't have a VR system. It's a short Google form of 6 questions that would only take a minute to answer. Survey I didn't know if you filled it in or not from your post.

Thank you very much for your feedback and I'm happy to see people are already considering things like this.

7 years ago
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I did indeed answer the nice short survey, and I elaborated a bit on my responses there. "other" option was used a lot. hehe

Yeah I think it would be a really interesting business to set up right now whilst it is some ways off being not only an affordable technology for the consumer but also something that does not take up a large dedicated space in a house/appartment. I am curious to see how VR Technology progresses over the years and just how fast it is until it becomes mainstream and then ultimately something more akin to a chip in your head that just turns your brain from Reality to Virtual Reality Mode. haha

7 years ago
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Indeed, there are many possibilities. There also already companies making Virtual paintball like programs. (https://thevoid.com/) is even making their own VIrtual Reality headset for their programs. And in my country (The Netherlands) some people even tried to combine Samsung VR with indoor skydiving. That felt like they were actually skydiving but in reality they were hovering above a big fan. (someone else kept them in place tho so that they dont hurt themselves. But in the future they could maybe make the skydiving from Steep (Uplay) into a virtual reality game with indoor skydiving. Just something to think about.

Virtual Reality really fascinates me and there are so many possibilities in the near future and endless possibilities in the future.

7 years ago
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loved the gender question, other... ^^

7 years ago
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The answer was suggested when making the question and in todays world it is almost necessary to have it to no offend anyone. Even though you always will :P

Thank you for filling the form!

7 years ago
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np,

am reading what kind of "genders" are out there 0.0 some weird stuff

7 years ago
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I don't know much about it. But I have seen some weird "genders" come along.

7 years ago
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Good luck with your project, I just did the survey.

Saw one of those in a shopping center close to my house the other day. Only 1 computer and 2 vr sets. They had games like fruit ninja for 4€. They will probably make some money from the novelty but eventually I don't think it will last very long.

7 years ago
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Currently there are many VR games developed by indie developers and that are the kind of games that we would like to offer. Thank you for your feedback and for filling out the form!

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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Pricing is the main issue for most, That is why a VR centre could be usefull because you can make use of multiple systems so that you can play with your friends. and you dont have to pay the full price for a one time use.

7 years ago
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Reservation, I know, wayy too late

7 years ago
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like they say, better late then never

7 years ago
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Indeed. The train has arrived, so don't forget to enter! :)

7 years ago
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Filled it.

I currently use my Cardboard headset with Vridge as a poor man's way of playing Steam VR games. I can't wait to get my NOLO VR controllers to improve the experience.

View attached image.
7 years ago
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Thank you for filling it in!

The way you experience VR is very cool and I didn't know about that. Vridge in combination with those controllers can be an awesome experience because you have the power of a PC backing it up. In theory and from my perspective that is awesome and a great first step to make into VR!

7 years ago
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My friends created a gaming lab, which basically is like an internet center but for games, 10 pcs, you can play Overwatch, lol, cs go, dota2, starcraft 2, and pretty much what you want, provided you have your own game (download is quite quick there, nice connection)

They are actually pretty successful, they have been there for over a year, 4 friends working there, money for all of them, but also work for all of them, as one of them is a graphics artist, other 2 pc technicians, and the other one, well, he casts. They even created their own youtube channel recently to make pc parts reviews.

If it worked for them, that reality center should work for you, though it might be expensive to set up, but once it does, it should take off relatively quickly.

7 years ago
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Seeing as it is a school project for now, there are no plans of actually doing it. We need to make plan for it. But if the responses are great we could speak to potential investors and maybe in a few years make it actually work.

7 years ago
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Bump! Completing the survey!

7 years ago
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Bump for filled :P

7 years ago
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I like the idea as a gamer. It will be profitable if it attracts gamers who don't feel like buying VR devices by themselves.
But for most people out there, VR is still an unfamiliar idea. (Article about it) I guess this project will focus on early adopters at least for now.

7 years ago
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Yes that is definitely true. That is why it is important to get people to know about it that live nearby the location. This can be done with deals, or in combination with for instance restaurants. First people play some VR games and then go to a nearby Restaurant. This can be combined for a cheaper price. Just an example of how to broaden your visibility.

7 years ago
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Filled it. The idea reminds me of the Otherland Saga by Tad Williams.Good luck with your project and thanks for the train!

7 years ago
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bump for filled:)

7 years ago
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BUMP

7 years ago
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Survey completed. Bump!

7 years ago
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filled it out. Have a bump!

7 years ago
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Filled the survey, entered one car of the train. Thanks! :)

7 years ago
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Bump

7 years ago
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done and done

7 years ago
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Survey done, may check out the train later.

I could definitely see VR Centers being popular for the next 10-20 years -- or however long it takes VR systems to pervade our everyday lives. Just like arcades were popular at the beginning of the "video game era".

Of course, nowadays it's hard to find arcades anymore, because video games are everywhere and we don't need arcades anymore. (Places like Dave & Buster's are still somewhat popular because the games offered are generally different than games available on mobile phone, console or PC).

Someday VR systems will be everywhere as well...but until then, I think it's a really good idea.

7 years ago
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Thank you very much! Indeed, it's a shame Game Halls aren't what they used to be, but VR might just light up that darkness.

7 years ago
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I could see these working out in places like Japan🎌 and KoreaπŸ‡°πŸ‡· where there already is a huge culture of going out and playing with your friends in bangs/arcades. I honestly think it's different from normal gaming arcades because to really 'get' into those VR games you need a huuuuge amount of space which isn't feasible for most of us just renting a room or living in a dorm. The faux-VR games you play sitting down or in a limited area might become cheap or common, but I don't feel true-VR systems ever will.
Where are you guys planning to do this by the way? πŸ‘€

7 years ago
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Thank you for your feedback it means a lot to us! For now it's all just a theory and we don't plan on doing anything yet. But seeing as we live in the Netherlands, we would most likely choose to do it here. But thinking as you mentioned Japan that could be a real adventure and a great target market. But we would need to learn a lot about their culture.

7 years ago
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Bump and thanks (filled in your survey)

7 years ago
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7 years ago
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