DIY VR: A Couple Hundred Dollars, Soldering, and Firmware Flashing
Momentum for alternate realities of every acronym was already in steady decline, and it only dwindled from there. The rate of development of new headsets has slowed, with many companies — Apple among them — scaling back or shelving their efforts.
DIY VR is a thing anyway: a couple hundred dollars in components plus many hours of your time buys a way into virtual reality, bundled with the highs and lows of soldering, firmware flashing and 3D printing. The writer who rode that rollercoaster calls it a decidedly niche movement.
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Big-company retreat hasn't meant a dead hobby: releases like the Steam Frame and the Pimax Dream Air are still happening, and many of the most interesting developments in the space are now happening on the enthusiast front.
Interesting, but that enthusiast front has a toll booth — a couple hundred dollars of components and a pile of soldering, firmware flashing and 3D printing. The verdict that it stays decidedly niche may reflect how much patience the route selects for, not merely how few people want VR.