This is entirely dependent on the game. Elite Dangerous, for example, I can play for days on end, and have. Did a weekend experiment were I lived in Elite. That was kind of… odd; to wake up in a cockpit in space. Yea… fun times. Other games, such as HL2, I could only play for 5 minutes at the most.
Tell me, how is playing in VR and playing online with friends any different? I can’t see them, they can’t see me anyways, so this is a non-existent issue, especially for PC players. For multi-player console where you have friends over and you party while gaming, well… VR isn’t really for that, as VR is intended to port you to a different place. No more pretend that you’re in that game, now you are. However, I have seen a game being pushed where it is a socializing living room type of game. One person is in VR, and the other people are either throwing stuff at you, or providing intel for you (see the bomb diffusing game for PSVR).
Now, you were half-way correct in a huge downside for VR and being cut-off from the world, and that is, if you’re taking care of someone / parent. But… as a caregiver, you should have a bit more common sense than to completely cut yourself out of the loop on that one.
Corrent. Some games / movies / experiences / etc… lend themselves towards VR, while others do not. Games that require ALOT of information processing for example currently do not lend themselves towards VR, but that is due to a screen tech issue. Once the DPI increases substantially, then even information processing in VR will be more rewarding. Why have 3 screens, or 6 screens, or a wall of screens (in a NOC for example)… when you can have as many screens as you could possibly want, for a small percentage of a fraction of the cost.
Stop… just stop right there. You cannot compare a 3D screen to a VR headset. That is like comparing a motorcycle to a mountain bike, just because there is one rider and 2 wheels. Do me a favor, go to a Best Buy, or find a Samsung rep (the ones that go from store to store) and get a demonstration of the GearVR. If the store doesn’t have one, then ask the sales guys to contact the Samsung rep for an appointment. It’s easy to do, and every Samsung rep is being issued a GearVR (from what I’ve been told), so you can get a demo quite easily if you truly wanted it.