在今年拉斯維加斯的消費電子展（CES）上，當我徜徉在一排排迷宮似的電子屏幕中間時——它們中有全世界最寬的、最平的、最清晰的、最亮的、最新款的，我腦中唯一閃過的念頭就是，VR真容易讓人滿臉冒油。在這個龐大的科技展會上，我急切地想試玩一下最新的VR產品。雖說VR技術早就被吹得神乎其神了，那對于大多數人來說，它仍是一種新奇的玩意兒。不過我試玩了每臺VR頭盔之后，第一個感覺就是迫切地想用洗手液把臉好好洗洗。

不過，虛擬世界的內部景觀依然是令人驚嘆的。在一個演示片段里，我被三名渾身畫滿彩繪的柔術演員的驚人表演驚得目瞪口呆。當一只老虎從我身邊走過時，我把眼神望向左邊，才敢悄悄地喘口氣。然后，我戰戰兢兢地走過了一座橫跨白雪皚皚的峽谷的繩橋。之后我又坐在一張價值7000美元的震動椅里飛入了銀河。（親愛的讀者，我糟的這些罪都是為了你們吶！）在CES的展廳里，人們在VR體驗區里排起了長隊，而各種VR周邊設備也是花樣百出，十足就像一個大游樂場：有用來模擬虛擬船只的震動椅（能讓人暈船倒是不假）；有用來模擬開飛機的設備，能像《壯志凌云》里那樣做出各種機動和翻滾動作；有用來模擬太空飛船的設備，坐進去的人不一會兒就會尖叫連連。

我從人們摘下VR頭盔后頭暈目眩的表情上，就能看出哪些人是第一次體驗VR。不過如果沒有展會上的這些旋轉椅或震動椅之類的東東，VR的新鮮感迅速就會消退——尤其是當你注意到800美元的價簽的時候（這還不含配件）。便宜些的VR頭盔戴上幾分鐘就會覺得太重了。有些機型戴上后讓人覺得視線很難對焦。所有的VR設備都有個共同點——容易讓人出油。另外，除了一些制作極為精良的游戲，你在大多數游戲里都不能四處走動，甚至看不見自己的雙手。所以VR最有意思的部分，也就是所謂的360度視角，就只能靠你自己尷尬地原地扭動頭部了。

最糟糕的是，VR是一種與世隔絕的體驗。雖然看著別人第一次玩VR很有喜感（三星在假日季的一則Gear VR的廣告就著重描繪了這一點），但二手的VR體驗卻沒有任何樂趣可言。而且VR的這種頭盔與耳機結合的模式，也把“低頭族”（即沉浸在手機的世界里，忽略了真實世界中的同伴）這種現象上升到了一個新高度。

在最初的驚喜后，VR給人帶來的感覺就是不適和淡漠。這種經歷也與VR技術的商業軌跡暗合。在幾年的大肆宣傳后，Facebook的Oculus Rift和HTC的Vive于去年正式上市，卻相繼經歷了出貨延遲和訂單取消等問題。據收并購咨詢機構Digi-Capital公司統計，去年VR頭盔及軟件的銷售額比此前的預期低了29%，僅為27億美元。有鑒于此，Digi-Capital公司將2021年前VR市場的銷售額預期下調至25億美元。該公司認為，在同一時期，VR技術更為社交化的小兄弟——AR（比如目前極為火爆的捉妖游戲《Pokémon Go》）卻有可能產生830億美元的驚人收益。

眼下VR的火熱宣傳讓我不禁想起3D打印機的早期階段：“未來家家都會有一臺3D打印機！”話雖這樣說，但事實上，并非家家都需要3D打印機。對大數人來說，3D打印機仍是一臺昂貴的小眾產品。從價格和娛樂價值來看，VR的地位也跟3D打印機差不多。目前VR體驗最好的地方，就是拉斯維加斯的這座人頭攢動、嘈雜無比的會展中心——一個人人都想逃離的地方。如果你要來，記得帶上一瓶洗手液。（財富中文網）

作者：Erin Griffith

譯者：樸成奎

Virtual reality is greasy. That’s all I could think as I wandered through the vast labyrinth of digital screens—the widest, flattest, clearest, shiniest, newest models in the world—at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. At the sprawling technology trade show, I was eager to sample the latest in VR, a technology that’s been hyped for a generation but remains a novelty to most people. Each headset I tested left me with a distinct urge to rub hand sanitizer all over my face.

Still, the view from inside the virtual world is striking. In one demo I was transfixed by a trio of body-painted Cirque du Soleil contortionists five feet in front of me. I looked to my left and let out a tiny gasp as a tiger waltzed by. Later, I care fully traversed a (real) rope bridge over a (virtual) snowy overpass. I took in the Milky Way while reclining in a $7,000 full-body massage chair. (I endure these hardships for you, dear reader.) On the CES show floor, long lines formed around VR “experiences” that looked like carnival attractions: a virtual boat ride with nausea-inducing seats, a virtual plane ride with Top Gun–style twists and flips, a scream-inducing virtual spaceship ride.

I could tell which people were experiencing VR for the first time by their dazzled expression after they removed the goggles. But without the trade show’s spinning chairs or relaxing massages, the novelty of virtual reality quickly wears off—especially when you notice the $800 price tag (excluding accessories). Cheaper headsets feel heavy after a few minutes. Some models are difficult to focus. All of them feel greasy. With the exception of elaborate gaming setups, you’re unable to move around (you can’t even see your hands), so the fun part—taking in the 360-degree views—requires awkwardly swiveling your head.

Worst of all, VR is isolating. Beyond the delight of watching someone else’s first virtual reality experience (a moment Samsung promoted aggressively in a holiday ad campaign for its Gear VR headset), secondhand VR is no fun. The headset-headphones combination that virtual reality requires takes “phubbing”—-snubbing your real-world companions for the digital distractions of your phone—to a new level.

VR amounts to exhilaration followed by discomfort and apathy—an emotional journey that mirrors the technology’s trajectory as a business. After years of barely containable buzz, Facebook’s Oculus Rift (fb) and HTC’s Vive (htc) became available last year, only to suffer from shipping delays and order cancellations. VR headsets and software missed sales predictions by 29% last year, bringing in just $2.7 billion, according to Digi-Capital, an M&A advisory firm. As a result, Digi-Capital slashed its sales projections for the market to $25 billion by 2021. It estimated that VR’s more social cousin, augmented reality (e.g., Pokémon Go), would generate a whopping $83 billion by the same date.

The hype surrounding VR today reminds me of the early days of 3D printers: In the future, every home will have one! Except every home didn’t need one, and they remain an expensive curiosity to most. Based on price and entertainment value, VR is in the same spot. Right now virtual reality is best experienced in a crowded, noisy convention center in Las Vegas—a place anyone would be eager to escape. Just bring your own Purell.?