Mainstream VR is still a ways off, says Boss Key co-founder Cliff Bleszinski

- Boss Key Productions co-founder Cliff Bleszinski argues that it’s still too early to go all-in on the platform. 

Mainstream virtual reality has potential, but Boss Key Productions co-founder and Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski says that it still has quite a long way to go before he’s willing to make a game for the technology. 

Bleszinski explained his reasoning in an interview with GameSpot, in short saying that he’s had some great VR experiences and has his own ideas for the platform, but ultimately virtual reality still has some hurdles to overcome before he’s willing to dive into VR development. 

"VR is very near and dear to me. I have a few ideas I'd love to play with, but again the friction point is getting VR installed,” said Bleszinski. He explained that a small install base, "clunky" hardware, and high development costs are ultimately holding the platform back. 

All of this contributes into his biggest complaint about the current state of VR: there are too many "gimmicky" experiences and not enough "real games."

"There's a lot of shovelware on VR right now," Bleszinski told GameSpot. "No actual real games, and part of that is this catch 22 of a lot of the proper platform-holders of VR finding funding. You can't make a really deep, great game arguably in VR for like a million bucks. So you've gotta really pony it up."

For more from Bleszinski on the topic of virtual reality, including stories about his first experience with the Oculus Touch and Ubisoft’s Eagle Flight, take a look at the full interview over on GameSpot.