Virtual Reality offers an intensive, immersive and impressive experience that, once tried, people cannot get enough of.

It is particularly good at engaging and involving autistic players. The immersive nature of VR allows them to interact with their environment on their own terms, at their own pace. It allows them to take control of their interactions with the world around them in a way that can be difficult in the real world.

The technology, however, has been slow to take hold. Cost, a limited choice of games, and the need to tether to an expensive computer have limited its appeal. Until now.

2020 has been a breakthrough year with the release of Oculus’s Quest. Around a million of the latest Quest 2 headsets have been sold since their launch in October 2020. The new headset stands alone, with no need to tether to a computer through cumbersome cables. The graphics are detailed and smooth, it is simple to use and very much cheaper than existing hardware. It has also prompted the release of a wide range of exciting games, with new ones being released every month.

The potential of this new technology is accessible to a wider audience than ever before. For autistic people, it opens up all manner of new possibilities.