Best Buy poised to be virtual reality's first mainstream test

New York

BEST Buy Co chief executive officer Hubert Joly was sold on virtual reality (VR) after he was almost eaten by a shark in an experience he called "mind-boggling". Now, he's betting the masses will be enthralled with the technology too.

In what's seen as the first mainstream test of VR products, Best Buy began rolling out demonstrations for Facebook Inc's Oculus Rift headsets in May and will have them in 500 stores for the holiday-shopping season.