This is needless handwringing. Of course you take into consideration that you'll be wearing a visor and headphones before you play. But you're not completely deaf and dumb to the world. Most thinking adults would reserve the VR for after the kids go to bed, or if they have the house to themselves. Or you do it together as a family and take turns.
All this what-iffing is just absurd. I mean, what if something catches on fire while you're in the shower or taking a shit? What if your spouse falls down the stairs while you're out mowing the lawn? What if your dog chokes on a chew toy while you're at the store? As a parent/caretaker, you have to anticipate potentially dangerous situations, but you can't fret over every little thing that could possibly happen. You'd never get anything done.
I'm a 'thinking adult' (very condescending) and I played my VR after hours. Yes, you're actually COMPLETELY deaf and dumb to the world. Doing it together as a family is kind of tough as most games tend to be single player. My family, personally, simply had little interest in the multiplayer games offered. The most fun was watching someone play Holoball or Job Simulator, but that got very old after a few minutes. When half of the family can't interact because of sickness, and the other half just doesn't seem interested in the hassle of first putting on the headset, then adjusting focus, then getting in the best position to play -- the experience became a chore because *I* was the one who had to do setup for each person. When someone has glasses, new scenario. Big hair? new scenario. It was tedious. PSVR isn't as simple as 'take turns'.
I started leaving the VR unused for days, only slipping away like some kind of cheater at night to get in a few rounds after my wife and daughter goes to bed. Then things happen like a light night call, or my daughter wakes up crying because she has to go potty or has a nightmare or or whatever and you can't hear it.
After a while i just realized that it wasn't worth it. The game that I most looked forward to, Star Trek, would require not only total immersion, but actual time to dedicate to my team to coordinate, and now, apparently, only late at night.
This just wouldn't do. So despite my deep love for trek (the main reason i bought PSVR), I decided to let the system go. Ended up getting a switch....which actually solved most of my gametime family problems.
This 'what-iffing' isn't absurd, but actual real-world factors and considerations that I experienced, and I'm an actual VR defender.
To be honest, I'm not even sure who the target is for VR. If you're a family guy, it's probably unrealistic. I've talked to so many dads who would love to get into it, but I guess it depends on the age of your kid. If your kid is under 5, probably not a great idea.
So I also know gamers who are hardcore. Giant screen projector TVs, multiple systems, etc. Their argument? Why would i put that on when I have this? After experiencing gaming in personal home theaters, they have a point. Again, these are people who enjoyed VR and don't have issues against it. However, one friend with a particularly awesome setup who is a big VR fan, admitted that he'd just rather have a switch, too.
So yeah, if i was single, lived alone, no school, in my 20's, had lots of disposable income, had other friends that shared my passion for gaming and VR, and was into bleeding edge tech...sure. VR is awesome. I'd have VR parties.
But outside of that, getting people into VR has been a real bummer for me personally. You might get a few moments of WOW at the beginning, but overall, most friends of mine, longtime gamers, 30's-40's, were like, 'It's cool...but who is doing all that shit to play a game?"
Take that for what you will.
