by Comic Natalie is a manga/anime news site, but articles about “VR (Virtual Reality)” have been increasingly published in recent years by introducing collaborative content with anime works. VR content that makes full use of the latest technology can have various charms, such as a unique experience that makes you feel like you are in the world of animation and an original story that can only be experienced here. However, for those unfamiliar with games and gadgets, it may seem that the hurdles are high, and they may be shunned.
So this time, we asked Keiro, a web writer who loves anime and is familiar with VR culture, to contribute a column on the theme of “Introduction to VR for Anime Fans.” The first part explains the appeal and current status of VR. In the second part, we plan to deliver VR content that we would like to recommend to anime fans and choose a VR device to play it.
Introduction
Have you seen or read “Sword Art Online”?
An online RPG played on a full-dive VR machine and a story that unfolds in various virtual worlds. I’m sure many people have wanted to interact with attractive characters who wish to have an adventure, like the main character, Kirito.
As of 2021, unfortunately, the full dive type VR machine that appears in “SAO” has not been realized. However, on the other hand, the dreams of “I want to explore the world of VR” and “I want to interact with attractive characters” are partially coming true.
In 2020, popular animations such as “Yurucamp ” and “Mr. Takagi, who is good at teasing,” were made into VR games one after another, and high-performance and inexpensive VR devices also appeared. In addition, the number of users has increased rapidly due to stay home life, and VR content is in the midst of expansion. Many people may be interested in the entry of popular titles and the success of VTuber events.
Therefore, this time, I will tell you the charm and current situation of the VR world that I want anime fans to experience in two parts.
VR is hot right now!
As I mentioned at the beginning, the VR industry is in the midst of excitement. Over the last few years, we’ve had more opportunities to see and hear about VR-related news and content, and it’s not uncommon now for related words and hashtags such as “#VR sleep,” “#virtual market,” and “VRChat Plus” to enter the Twitter trend. ..
From a business perspective, the VR market is steadily expanding. Especially last year, due to the increase in demand for virtual events due to the coronavirus, the government and famous IPs entered the VR industry one after another. Let’s take a look at the current state of VR content, taking the events of 2020 as an example.
In addition to making popular titles into VR games, virtual events are also thriving!
2020 was a year in which VR was widely recognized by people other than core gamers and existing users. Due to the difficulty of holding actual events due to the corona, virtual events are held in virtual space. Popular titles of anime and games are also expanding into VR one after another.
For example, the virtual SNS cluster opened “Pokemon Virtual Fest” last summer. You can play this event in the virtual space “Pokemon Theme Park,” where you could enjoy attractions with your friends and watch Pikachu’s dance show. The cluster also collaborates with other titles such as “SAO Alicization WoU” and “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.”
While virtual events are thriving, popular titles can’t be missed as VR games.
In 2019, titles such as “Wolf and Spice VR,” “Re: Life in a Different World with Zero VR,” and in 2020, “Mr. Takagi VR, who is good at teasing” and “Little Witch Academia VR, Wish for Broom Stars” will be released. Among them, many works have been done into games by collecting more funds than expected by crowdfunding, and it can be seen that the attention from fans is excellent.
High-quality and inexpensive VR headsets are also available!
Another epoch-making event in the VR industry in 2020 is the release of “Oculus Quest 2”.
Oculus Quest 2 is a VR headset developed by a Facebook subsidiary. While many VR devices require a connection to a high-performance gaming PC, the Oculus Quest 2 is a “standalone” with a built-in computer, so there is no need to connect to a PC. After purchasing the product, turning on the power, and setting it up, you can immediately jump into the world of VR.
