alt Hacker NewsThese apps already exist in VR. There's even a few of them on the Meta Quest line of headsets which are also standalone. The issue is that most people, who are older than Gen Alpha, flat out refuse to use VR for various reasons so they're not going to be aware of any of this. It's just dismissed.
I think you deeply underestimate the value of good advertising and the charisma of the ones doing it - especially when they're sharing their story more than trying to sell you something.