Quest is what has my attention right now. But. If PSVR2 is a thing and it hits a bunch of caveats - tracking, wireless, previous gen software support - I could have my head turned. Only prohibitive factor would be cost.
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Sooo.... Is it fair to say that VR didn't die?
- Thread starter afrodubs
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Quest is what has my attention right now. But. If PSVR2 is a thing and it hits a bunch of caveats - tracking, wireless, previous gen software support - I could have my head turned. Only prohibitive factor would be cost.
PSVR for me was the first time I had been genuinely wowed by gaming in a long time. It felt like something that was a truly next gen experience. Playing RE7 was terrifying in ways games had never been before, Wipeout Omega was gave such a rush that no other racing game has matched, Firewall with the Aim controller is hands down the best FPS game I have ever played in my life. Then you have things like Astro Bot, Beat Saber and more that are phenomenal experiences as well.
VR isn't a fad it's a genuine leap for gaming and yeah sure PSVR is rough around the edges but as a first outing for Sony it's a great first step and I can't wait to see what they bring with PSVR 2.0 on PS5.
VR isn't a fad it's a genuine leap for gaming and yeah sure PSVR is rough around the edges but as a first outing for Sony it's a great first step and I can't wait to see what they bring with PSVR 2.0 on PS5.
I see it kind of like how the first CD based consoles and first games on consoles with 3D graphics were also "add-ons " at the time during the 8 to 16bit generation, with Sega CD, the Super FX chip, PC Engine CD, etc.
Eventually, CD based consoles and 3D based consoles got fully dedicated hardware in the 32bit generation. I see the same thing happening as an offshoot for VR; there will likely still be "wirelessly tethered" experiences for high spec headsets with PC, but the vast majority of VR will probably be built around mobile chipsets in dedicated hardware like the Quest.
Nvidia's been talking for years how PCVR would benefit from having some of the processing chips being in the actual HMD. So it's not even like the hybrid method is "wasteful" for wireless tethered. That processing power, if properly planned for, can actually be used for productive purposes. Chipless HMDs don't seem like they have much of a future.
I haven't dabbled in VR at all but my sense is more that it's limping along, kept alive by VC money, in the hopes that it will eventually catch on when the technology becomes accessible enough. Personally I don't ever see it being more than a niche thing for gaming due to inherent restrictions.
VR still seeing new hardware and software is the meaningful line to me, here, and that's obviously going to be happening for a long time now. It's harder for me to picture everyone just... stopping, at this point.
That wouldn't be a realistic expectation considering it hasn't properly expanded outside of gaming yet and is still in it's pre-Apple II days or pre-SNES days. The amount of room left for growth is staggering and well beyond what you think.
I love VR, but I'm really dissapointed with the Vive / Steam VR and the lack of killer titles. It seems most of the good VR content is either on Oculus or Sony VR platforms. I know about Revive, but I shouldn't have to go around Steam VR in order to have good content to play.
Valve needs to really step their game up.
Valve needs to really step their game up.
I've worked in VR for 5 years! I can talk about this a little bit, although for obvious reasons I can't give hard numbers.
- HMD sales have always been pretty okay, but software sales have been reallyflat.
- A good analogy is that there's like one or two Avengers movies every year and then everything else is an indie film
- Big games you have heard of have not cleared 100k units. Some have not cleared 10k.
- PSVR is where a lot of devs are seeing the most sales. It's also, technically, the hardest to dev for.
- But Sony is really supportive!
- Early on the notion was that VR users would want 'videogames', clear analogs to what they already had.
- But a lot of the consumer research I've sat in on says that VR users- especially PSVR users- want 'VR', unique titles suited to the medium
- This means that if you're making a VR shooter your comp-set isn't other VR shooters, it's Call of Duty and Battlefield.
- Competeing in established genres is nearly impossible in the budget space
- But! Cash is drying up for smaller titles. It seems like this could create a situation where there's just not enough of the content users are asking for and the whole marketplace orbits around these few AAA VR titles.
- There's also a GLUT of really lousy titles on Steam. It's hurting VR's image, especially if you're on the fence and just click into Steam's VR tab.
The library has gotten substantially better lately. The AAAs are starting to hit now, so we're well past the tech demo phase.
I put 100 hours into skyrim vr, 35 into no mans sky...
The areas of improvement are obvious with VR. Ease of use, resolution, tracking, reducing motion sickness.
Right now, when I'm playing for Skyrim PSVR, it is still very much make believe. You got to roleplay it. And you got to roleplay it as someone with vision impairement. As a wizard who lost his glasses. But despite all the flaws, of which there are many, it is still an amazin experience.
The areas of improvement are obvious with VR. Ease of use, resolution, tracking, reducing motion sickness.
Right now, when I'm playing for Skyrim PSVR, it is still very much make believe. You got to roleplay it. And you got to roleplay it as someone with vision impairement. As a wizard who lost his glasses. But despite all the flaws, of which there are many, it is still an amazin experience.
VC money has basically left. Right now it's the true believers who are still funding things and the VC money will jump back in when quick bucks are to be made.
It's hilarious to see what the first "laptops" looked like. This is essentially where we're at. There's going to be time where the tech is light (ie nothing like what we have today) and you'll be able to project a massive screen into your environment that blows away the quality of any TV you can buy. Owning a television will be as pointless as owning a __________ (fill in one of the many things made obsolete by smartphones).
My perception is VR is really different from many of those expressed in this thread, even like, my perception of how VR was treated. My perception of it was me being kinda cautiously pessimistic about the future of VR or how significant it's impact would be, and then feeling like I would be shouted down about that or that my pessimism was a minority opinion... and I feel kind of vindicated there. But I think my perception of that is different from a lot of other peoples, where it seems like the pessimism of VR was the prevailing opinion. To me, VR seems closer to dying than to thriving, at least in the public consciousness. I feel like VR was everywhere 5 years ago, and now it's just kind of not a big thing anymore or that noone really talks about it or that it doesn't capture the public imagination like it did half a decade ago.
I'm someone who was always a little pessimistic on VR, and it's interesting how my perception of VR is so different from a lot of other people's perception who might be optimistic about it. It's probably like how I'm optimistic on stuff like videogame streaming, and so my perception of it is clouded from my optimism (e.g., I Feel like the overwhelming opinion here is negative about game streaming... and it probably isn't).
I still haven't been able to play any "real games" in VR, and I probably never will because of my lifestyle (I could never justify spending the amount of money on a proper VR rig and my wife would literally murder me if she ever walked in on me wearing a VR helmet playing a game... from a cost, committment, anti-social point of view). I'm impressed by the "cheap" part of VR, the ones that leverage phone technology, etc., but I've still never been able to truly experience the right way to play a VR game with the best equipment. If the VR tech of today was a thing when I was 23 or 24, I'd be all over it, but in my mid 30s where my life is now, it's a lot harder for me to experience it properly, which has probably clouded by pessimism over the platform's impact/future (and also why I'm into other tech like game streaming).
I'm someone who was always a little pessimistic on VR, and it's interesting how my perception of VR is so different from a lot of other people's perception who might be optimistic about it. It's probably like how I'm optimistic on stuff like videogame streaming, and so my perception of it is clouded from my optimism (e.g., I Feel like the overwhelming opinion here is negative about game streaming... and it probably isn't).
I still haven't been able to play any "real games" in VR, and I probably never will because of my lifestyle (I could never justify spending the amount of money on a proper VR rig and my wife would literally murder me if she ever walked in on me wearing a VR helmet playing a game... from a cost, committment, anti-social point of view). I'm impressed by the "cheap" part of VR, the ones that leverage phone technology, etc., but I've still never been able to truly experience the right way to play a VR game with the best equipment. If the VR tech of today was a thing when I was 23 or 24, I'd be all over it, but in my mid 30s where my life is now, it's a lot harder for me to experience it properly, which has probably clouded by pessimism over the platform's impact/future (and also why I'm into other tech like game streaming).
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The restrictions you're thinking of can be largely solved, so wouldn't affect long-term adoption.
I really hope I can get into VR next gen, I couldn't this time due to the price but maybe in a few years...even more if Sony does makes an updated PSVR
idk I think the restrictions of having to wear the thing that totally occludes the outside world and limited living space aren't going anywhere with VR.
The reason why you feel VR was everywhere 5 years ago and not nearly as much today is because of hype. Overhype specifically, that was engineered by the media and not by the VR industry itself. This always happens, for all technologies. As a result, the first PCs lost their hype, and too did the first smartphones. The gartner hype cycle describes this, and it's a very normal process for technologies, so it's not like VR is in a uniquely bad position here.
As per usual, the media is to blame. The hype can definitely catch up again as the years go by, which is what happened to now successful tech. For example, the iPhone reignited the smartphone industry.
There's a fix for the first issue:
And the second issue isn't really a deal breaker anyway, because many of VR's usecases can be utilized while seated, including many games. As a result, standing or moving around isn't required to use a lot of VR. If people do want to engage in that, then they only need a small bit of space as is, something around 1x1m. People love to overestimate how much space you need, but in reality it's nothing much.
Without wanting to turn this into too much of a porn discussion, that's definitely not the case anymore. Even in VR on a regular PS4 the videos they're making these days are really good. It's very difficult to go back to regular stuff because like, why would you want to?
I almost dread to think how good it looks on a high-end setup. My initial comment was maybe a little throwaway, but I actually do believe that access to this stuff can only help VR thrive and it's certainly not going to hurt its chances of sticking around.
Yeah, I'd agree the space issue is overblown. Did you have enough space to play Wii Sports (like a LOT of people seemed to)? Then assuming you weren't just barely hitting walls doing that, or just playing by flicking your wrists, you probably have enough space to play most VR games.
People also never seem to talk about how VR gives you extra imaginary space to work with as well. You can be a tiny apartment or room and suddenly be in an open field, or have barely any room for one monitor but can have 10 in VR.
It is by no means dead. I recently picked up an original HTC Vive and spent all weekend plugged in. I met up with a friend I hadn't spoken to in years and played Minecraft; I dueled swords and shields against waves of enemies, and explored alien worlds in No Man's Sky. The whole experience was amazing and I can't wait to go back, tbh.
How well is it doing?
I know people that has invested in VR but don't know a single person that still use their VR headsets, the excitement was there initially but I honestly don't hear people talk about it's existence anymore outside of the net. The VR demo sets in electronics stores are also either always empty or packed away now. NMS is the biggest properly VR supported game I've heard about this year.
So from my perspective as someone who just sat on the fence as an observer it seems like it's dying rather than growing.
I know people that has invested in VR but don't know a single person that still use their VR headsets, the excitement was there initially but I honestly don't hear people talk about it's existence anymore outside of the net. The VR demo sets in electronics stores are also either always empty or packed away now. NMS is the biggest properly VR supported game I've heard about this year.
So from my perspective as someone who just sat on the fence as an observer it seems like it's dying rather than growing.
The Virtual Boy was not VR. It was just portable stereoscopic 3D.
It was basically a game system that used this as a monitor:
The active userbase is increasing, software sales are increasing, 2019 had the most headset launches in years, the first AAAs made-for-VR are releasing and are at GOTY-contender level already, and big franchises are starting to make VR exclusive AAA games, and 2019 also finally launched the standalone category of headsets which is where the main future of VR hardware lies.
Overall it's in an upwards trend. The media doesn't cover VR much right now which explains why you think as you do, but they will be forced to when some of the bigger IPs start hitting like Half Life.
OP
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I've heard this before on here and I've gotta ask, really?
My missus is fine, and my kids love it. If I choose to spend an hour or so in the corner with a headset on she'll watch some soaps or Netflix. We can still talk to eachother as I tend to not wear headphones unless I want exclusion, and if I need to look at her or something it only takes a second to lift the headset.
We're all different so my situation may differ from yours, but I can't get my head around it tbh...
But laserdisc wasn't niche in that it just lost to DVD. The idea was a success in a long run, just not that particular format.
It's a lot like putting on headphones when your significant other is in the room. It can be seen as inconsiderate in case the other person wants to get your attention or spend time with you.
Of course every couple has different dynamics on this. But I kind of know not to use VR when my fiancé is around. It's sort of an unspoken thing. Our time together is limited so I prefer to be doing stuff with her when I can anyway.
I mean, and I come from a "Laserdisc family" in Italy, the maximum penetration it had was 10% in Japan, but it was a format who had a proud niche for almost two decades. I know for a fact the oldest LD in my home was a 1985-ish Indiana Jones and the last was Titanic.
It didn't "lost" to DVD, they have nothing in common technologically.
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Nah she shouldn't really literally murder me :D
But, yeah, I think there's an extra level of disconnectedness that comes when wearing a VR headset and headphones, it increases the level of immersion for sure, but also increases the amount that you're disconnected from the immediately world around you. It's there to degrees with anything, of course, but I think VR is one of the highest degrees of being disconnected from your immediate surroundings. It's something that wouldn't fly in our house, but I'm not really into it either so it's not a big deal. For what it's worth, PC gaming is a little similar for that for me too.
I'm not knocking it, I think VR is cool and that level of immersion is what makes it so much better or more engrossing, but it's also the thing that makes it pretty hard to do anything else while playing VR games. I think it's different from watching Netflix or soap operas, and for sure, some people can get very engrossed in anything and be disconnected, but if I walked in while my wife was watching the House Wives, I can wait till a commercial or w/e to interrupt and talk to her because I can tell that the show is coming up on commercial, but if she had headphones in and was watching it on VR< it'd be tougher to do that, so an interruption would be more jarring.
I think it's a plus and a negative of the format. A plus because it's much more engrossing and immersive, but the flipside to that is that it's more anti-social to the people you're around. It's something that would be fine for me when I was younger, single / living alone, fewer responsibilities, but not now. We've got an infant/toddler now...... so now she probably would murder me :D
Oh...so It's just like the regular flat screen gamers as well, just hyped for the AAA big releases and shit on anything AA or less.
Yep, the industry's fucked.
Hope everyone will continue to be happy with their homogenized, (soon-to-be) heavily monetized AAA VR games with lootboxes in the future as well.
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VR could actually be less disconnecting than a pair of headphones.
Firstly, many VR headsets solve the headphone disconnect issue by building speakers into the sides of the HMD or by having off-ear headphones like the Valve Index - so you'd be able to hear the real world.
Secondly, you can utilize mixed reality reconstruction in near-future HMDs to use a virtual world as a template for overlaying real world objects and people into. This gif demonstrates it well, but will of course be of much higher fidelity as time goes on.
With those two in mind, you can see and hear real world people while still being in VR. In addition, you can play asymmetrical games or party games and engage everyone around you directly into the experience. There's also the option of having a headset for each of you to share the same virtual space whether you are physically together or at a distance.
That doesn't mean VR is the best option for you now considering it's still in it's early stages, but there's no real reason why it shouldn't be viable for you and your family as it develops more.
OP
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Agree with a lot of what you're saying there. Might have felt differently if I was in your situation. I'm not tho 😋😉