The media bad mouthed 3D – falsely referring to eyeglasses as “goggles” – contributing to the stunted market for consumer 3D TV. This CNET story reads like those old stories – just change “3D” to”VR”:

Virtual reality promises to be a mega-trend that upends how we use computers and just plain get along. So why’s it such a snooze at the world’s biggest tech expo?

Source: Virtually boring: VR really disappoints at CES this year – CNET

Yep, it’s 2017 and VR is just a snooze, practically dead, isn’t it?

Reminder – 3D was launched into a market in the midst of a near global economic depression. People who had just upgraded their old TVs to new HDTVs were asked to upgrade to more expensive 3D TVs. That was a non-starter. Second, there was very limited 3D content available. A limited selection of 3D BluRays – plus one or two 3D TV networks available only to a few. With little to watch, there was little reason to upgrade one’s HDTV to a new 3D HDTV.

News reporters, many of whom admitted they did not like 3D movies, invented their own explanation – they proclaimed consumers did not like “3D goggles”, referring to eyeglasses. The same reporters who wrote that then later wrote enthusiastically about Virtual Reality – never mind that VR elevates the “goggles” to literal helmets.

Now some reporters seem to be turning against VR because VR is not already in every home and being used for every possible application. The technology just isn’t roll out fast enough!

VR has something going for it that 3D TV did not – Google Cardboard-style viewers. Low cost, simple viewers that use existing smart phones enable consumers to enjoy VR 360 and VR 3D videos and games – at low cost! No large investment is required – no need to purchase an expensive 3D TV and upgrade your DVD player to 3D BluRay.

Second, content is delivered as gaming applications – no cable TV or satellite network support needed, as was needed for 3D. Users can watch VR 360 and VR 3D videos hosted on Youtube, Facebook and other online sites.

To summarize, VR has going for it:

• Inexpensive ways to begin using VR today!
• Access to free and inexpensive VR content, readily available!
• Can also be used to watch 3D video – as a bonus feature – at no additional cost