Vision Quest

THE WORLD OF VIRTUAL REALITY HAS LONG FAILED TO CONSIDER WOMEN WHEN LAUNCHING NEW PRODUCTS, UNTIL NOW, THANKS TO A GROUP OF FEMALE BOSSES ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

- Alyson Krueger

The phrase “virtual reality” elicits images of Matrix like worlds composed of lines of code, clunky headsets with prohibitively expensive price tags, and hoodie-clad men gaming or watching porn. No wonder a 2017 Nielsen report found that only 31 percent of women, compared with 69 percent of men, planned to purchase a VR device in the future.

So how can VR companies win over women? Hire them. At Oculus, the virtual-reality arm of Facebook, a group of women from both the software and hardware sides spent more than a year working to build a new headset that appeals to both genders. The result is the Oculus Go, which launched in early May to reviews claiming that the affordably priced product—it costs $199—would make VR mainstream. As key decision makers, the women shook up the status quo by rethinking the physical headset (it’s cordless, lined with the same fabric found in bra straps, and a dove gray rather than Oculus’s signature stark black) and the social experience. (The Venues and Spaces apps allow users to hang out, cheer on sports teams, or watch movies with friends who are physically in different locations.)