Virtual necessity: can VR revitalise Japan’s ailing arcades?
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/jul/23/can-vr-revitalise-japans-ailing-arcades
VR may have lost the sofa war to home consoles – but the format once heralded as the future of gaming could yet revive the glory days of the past
One day, on my way past the outskirts of Kabukichō – Tokyo’s red-light district, infamously depicted in the Yakuza games – I spot a curious advertisement. At first glance, it looks like nothing out of the ordinary: a woman cheerfully donning a VR headset, with kanji lettering welcoming passersby to come in and try the technology for themselves. As my eyes wander to the logo in the corner, I realise that the poster is promoting Soft On Demand – one of Japan’s biggest porn, or “AV” (adult video), companies. I’m staring at a billboard for a virtual brothel.