Shooters

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In and out of VR, game developers are always trying new things in first-person shooters. Mouse and keyboard may always beat a controller, but we've seen some interesting excursions into other control styles over the years. Time Crisis popularised 3D light gun shooters, the Nintendo Wii made motion controllers mainstream and Sony briefly tried to make stereoscopic 3D the next big thing with games like Killzone 3. But more than any of those innovations, shooters in VR feel genuinely revelatory.

VR's 360 degree vision and motion controls are a perfect fit for the genre. In the last five years, the VR FPS field has covered everything from realistic military shooters, zombie apocalypses and robot uprisings to rhythm shooters. The theme totally changes the feel of a game in VR, and aiming feels so different than it does on a monitor. It can be challenging if there's no HUD, but it's hard to overstate just how immersive these games can be. Landing that perfect shot is incredibly satisfying.

Virtual travel

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Let's face it—none of us are taking vacation anytime soon. Until this pandemic subsides, we're (mostly) restricted to our homes. Even in better times, there are plenty of reasons someone might not be able to hop on a plane and fly around the world. VR headsets help bring these locations to us. Virtual travel videos have taken off in a big way these last few years. One minute we could be visiting Paris, and in the next we're arriving in London. Maybe I'll tour New York in the evening.

Some virtual tours can be experienced via YouTube, and there are also dedicated apps to facilitate this. Wander on Oculus Quest is a great example, using data from Google Maps to take us anywhere across the planet. National Geographic Explore VR is another, showcasing the natural beauty of Antarctica and Machu Picchu. Documentaries are now filming to accommodate VR too, offering an educational aspect for the technology.