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In Virtual Home Cinema: Getting Beyond the Hype, Screen Excellence founder and CEO Patrice Congard challenged the assertion that AR/VR (augmented/virtual reality) headsets will replace home theater and that “the whole market of home cinema was about to disappear.” The notion was reinforced when Apple touted the ability of its Vision Pro headset to “transform any room into your own personal theater.”

Inspired by Congard’s argument and the conclusion that “VR is simply incapable of replacing a real home cinema,” we asked S&V readers to weigh in by asking one simple question:

“Will VR headsets replace home theater as we know it?”

We offered three choices or votes: Yes / Maybe / No way.

No Way!
Not surprisingly — to us, anyway — almost two-thirds (63%) of survey participants chose “no way.” Chiming in on our Facebook page, Chuck Coverly explained his choice: “No. Not unless they get as small as regular sunglasses. They're uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.”

Jeff Shulte added: “No one will sit through movies with a headset/goggle stuck to their face.”

Brian Schilling put a finer point on his “no” vote: “Motion sickness, broken tables, and bruises from people trying to move around will prevent that. I have no desire to have my senses blocked from the outside world.”

But Elias Tsonos, gets the prize for posting the most thoughtful response on Facebook: “No and not for any of the reasons listed above. If you watch movies by yourself it might be okay but watching a movie with someone is as much about the movie as it is the peripheral experience of having others around you. Watching a movie is a social event that allows you to share the energy of those around you as you experience the movie. When something exciting happens, being able to visualize and experience the reaction of the others around you adds to the feeling and enjoyment of the movie.”

Maybe
A quarter of those who responded to the poll (26%) chose “maybe.” Giving the rationale behind his vote on Facebook, Michael Arthur wrote: “Like everything else in this "Hi-Tech" time of the 21st Century...will wait to see.”

On our Twitter page, CE Critic wrote: “It really depends on the implementation and resolution of the screen — it has real potential.”

On Facebook, Scott Godown added: “They [Apple] may have mentioned this in their presentation of the Vision Pro but this will only work if you can get rid of the background.”

Yes!
Finally, one in ten (11%) of poll respondents see AR/VR playing a key role in the future of home entertainment and voted “yes.”

Ken Baich offered up a compelling rationale for his vote on Facebook: “Eventually, yes, though I predict that it’ll be a VR ‘device’ and not necessarily a headset. Also, I expect that the degree to which the outside world is blocked will be user-variable. Even so, I don’t anticipate having it set on a regular basis to anything less than complete immersion, especially for watching films. If I’m watching a movie, I don’t care what’s around me and already sit in near complete darkness in my home theater. I’m not moving around and the risk of bumping into furniture is nil and irrelevant. All of that said, the upcoming Apple headset will be transformative and I’m looking forward to picking up two of them on Day 1.”

We thank everyone who took the time to register a vote. Here’s the full breakdown of the poll results:

• 64% (497 votes) – No way! Wearing a clunky headset will never replace the social experience of watching a movie in a real home theater.
  
• 26% (203 votes) – Maybe. I need to know what it’s like to watch a movie while donning a headset before passing judgement.
  
• 11% (83 votes) – Yes! AR/VR headsets make it possible to watch movies on a huge virtual screen no matter where you are.
  
• Total votes: 783