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VR Is Too Expensive and Takes Up Too Much Room, Take-Two CEO Says

"I don't know what people could be thinking."

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Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has in the past voiced concerns about virtual reality, and now he's spoken up again to talk about the "impediments" in front of it.

Speaking today at the Cowen and Company Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Zelnick started by saying VR is simply too costly. He also said it's ridiculous to think the average home in America would dedicate an entire room to VR gaming.

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"It's way too expensive right now," he said to an audience of analysts and investors. "There is no market for a $2000 entertainment device that requires you to dedicate a room to the activity. I don't know what people could be thinking. Maybe some of the people in this room have a room to dedicate to an entertainment activity, but back here in the real world? That's not what we have in America."

"We have like $300 to spend on an entertainment device and we do not have a dedicated room. We have a room for a screen, a couch, and controllers," he added. "We don't have something where you stand in a big open space and hold two controllers with something on your head--and not crash into the coffee table. We don't have that."

Zelnick went on to say there are "any number of constraints" to virtual reality taking off. This isn't to say he's completely down on VR in general, however.

"I'm not unexcitied; I'm just saying it remains to be seen," he said. "There are impediments."

Back in 2014, Zelnick said VR devices like Oculus Rift are "anti-social." He said VR might appeal to core gamers, but may miss the much larger casual crowd.

"I think for a core gamer, it could be a wonderful experience; someone who really likes to be immersed," Zelnick said at the time. "But a lot of people who play video games, for example my kids, they play with their friends sitting next to them, so that technology is not going to appeal to them. So I think it's very much a core technology."

2016 is poised to be a big year for VR. The Rift and Vive headsets came out earlier this year, while Sony's PlayStation VR debuts in October. There are also rumors of a VR-ready Xbox One to possibly come in 2017.

What do you make of Zelnick's comments? Let us know in the comments below. Take-Two is the parent company of 2K and Rockstar Games.

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