The start of 2026 hasn’t felt all that great if you’re a big believer in VR. Meta, the de facto monarch of the space, given its popularity and, until recently, major support for the sector, decided to kick the year off with a round of layoffs, leading to the shutting down of some of VR’s most talented game studios and cancellation of some hotly anticipated titles like an Arkham Shadow sequel.
It’s not just Meta. An industry-wide slowdown has sent a wave through the VR community, which has seen third-party studios lay off staff, and Valve – seen as a possible prodigal savior of VR – has indicated that the Steam Frame might be impacted by the ongoing RAM crisis, i.e., don’t expect it to be cheap.
As things look bleak I’ve taken stock of my VR experiences over the past few months and realized that even if the VR’s ‘mainstream’ success is a thing of days gone by (at least for a while), it’s a great time to lean into what VR does best: the weird and wonderfully immersive thanks to accessories that put your Wii-era tennis racket to shame.
At the forefront of my mind is the half-an-arcade cabinet sitting in our office right now that I’ve been testing on and off for the past few months: the Arcade2TV-XR. The accessory is admittedly too large for my cramped apartment, but I wish I could find space for it at home because the arcade-like experience it delivers is a blast.
It boasts a full button and joystick setup for two players, on a suitably sturdy support base to withstand minor beating from a sore loser slamming their fists, but you won’t find a screen. This is where you’d rely on your TV, monitor, or VR headset display to watch the action of your game unfold for either single-player or one-on-one gaming endeavors.
It can even double as a pinball cabinet with the right software, with buttons on the side that act as flipper switches. As someone who has tried to lean on a virtual pinball machine or too after too long a VR session, it’s nice to finally have something I can lean on. It makes the immersive experience a whole tier better.
I’ve had a blast testing it out. While it isn’t the cheapest accessory out there – costing $499 / £499 / AU$717 (though it’s currently on sale for $399 / £399 / AU$573) – it’s worth remembering that even though it excels in VR, it can be used for flat gaming too. So it can elevate your PC and console’s fighting games and couch co-op gaming when you’re not looking to go solo in XR.
This versatility is also deployed by other excellent VR accessories I’ve tested – like the bHaptics vest and arm haptics – bringing exciting immersion-boosting tech to a wide range of gaming experiences while still focusing on VR.
I’d highly recommend picking up an Arcade2TV-XR if it ticks the boxes for what you’re after from a gaming accessory, and I hope other VR gear takes its lead. Find ways to appeal to a wide audience with flat gaming support, but focus on the weird and wonderful of VR, elevate the experiences we have to new heights and help us rebuild this space stronger than it was before.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
