Zuckerberg doesn't think consumers are going to go for wired VR

[wafflebrain]

This was said during an earnings call and obviously he's going to say something like this to investors, but I'm not sure he's totally wrong either wrt mass adoption. PSVR had decent sales numbers so it isn't a hard rule for success, but as someone that's been using wireless VR since the first Quest can't say I'm not disappointed PSVR2 doesn't have a wireless option. Once you lose that wire its just so freeing and you don't want to go back.

Zuckerberg: Consumers Aren't Going 'To Go For' Wired VR

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested in a earnings call with investors that consumers aren’t interested in VR headsets with wires. “Some other folks might try to ship something that they claim is higher quality but has a wire, and I just don’t think that consumers are going to

uploadvr.com

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested in a earnings call with investors that consumers aren't interested in VR headsets with wires.

"Some other folks might try to ship something that they claim is higher quality but has a wire, and I just don't think that consumers are going to want to go for that," Zuckerberg said during the call.

The call recapped Facebook's earnings performance during the first quarter of 2021 which saw the non-ad revenue at Facebook hit $732 million. During a question and answer portion of the call Zuckerberg offered some of his thoughts about the VR market.

"Having wires wrapped around you just really breaks the sense of presence and immersion," Zuckerberg said.

Click to shrink...

Discuss!

 

[defaltoption]

He's right its why I think Sony is fighting a losing battle having their vr tied to the ps console. Hopefully they make a revision or new version relatively quickly after PSVR2.

I will not buy another headset with a wire.

If Sony had a quest 2 with Astrobot and their other IP Facebook wouldn't have a chance in the gaming space.

 

[RockmanBN]

Yeah. I didn't like all the wires required to set up the PSVR. Rather have a wireless VR. But I ain't going down the path of Facebook VR.

 

[Einbroch]

Yep. Once you go wireless it's so hard to go back.

 

[Ishka]

He's not wrong.

There will be some market for a wired headset (especially if that's all PlayStation offers), but wireless is the future of VR.

 

[LewieP]

Feels to me like PSVR would be in with a much stronger chance with a wireless option. I don't think requiring a console is a massive barrier, but I think requiring a console with a wire connected to your headset is.

 

[FooF]

I have a Index but I vastly preferred my friends quest 2 when I tried it. Just no set up for it at all. Every time I want to use my index it's about 15 minutes of setting up before I can even use the thing

 

[DNAbro]

isn't that obvious? the goal/hope would be room scale wireless VR at a cheap price

 

[HiLife]

Tether-less is the only way I can enjoy VR. Especially for more active games (thrill of the fight)

 

[Becks']

Alyx with Quest 2 although a bit blurry was a much better experience than trying it through Link and being tethered.

 

[bsigg]

Well, yea. Wireless VR is far superior to being tethered. I stopped using my Vive because I was so annoyed by the cable.

 

[ToddBonzalez]

Pretty much. I think that VR needs to be as easy as picking up a controller for the masses to adopt it. So something light, wireless, and unobtrusive. More akin to to a pair of glasses than a headset in terms of form factor. Wired VR is just too much of a hassle for the mainstream.

 

[Wowzors]

He's not wrong but at the same time, the technology for wireless isn't quite where it needs to be. Same goes for self contained units like the quest 2, immersion is there but the drawback of graphic fidelity is a pretty major downside.

 

[Spork4000]

I hate the man, but he's right.

 

[Deleted member 11976]

Mainstream consumer VR absolutely has to be wireless but I still think the enthusiast and / or hardcore video game crowd(s) will want performance maximizations that will likely require wires for the next 5-10 years.

He's also no doubt thinking about the future where they can make it mass marketable so that FB can use it as another advertising vector so I'm not surprised.

 

[Lotus]

He's right, I'm not

 

[Darknight]

Yep, I think Sony is being shortsighted by making theirs wired. Sure it might be okay at launch but man that wire is going to look incredibly dated a year or two later. I think it already looks dated.

 

[echoshifting]

Yep, I'm not interested in buying another PSVR set until they make a wireless one. It is crazy how wire-intensive the setup is for PSVR 1.

 

[MetalKhaos]

He's not entirely wrong. PSVR as much as I enjoy my time with it, is more of a chore setting up, especially as the v1 box doesn't have HDR passthrough, so you need to swap wires if you want HDR again.

PSVR2 at least seems to be going for a single wire, which I'd be is what the front-facing USB-C port is actually for, considering the charging cable for the controller uses the USB-A port instead. I am hoping that Sony comes up with some kind of wireless option as well. Was some talk about potentially offering that as a likely more expensive option, or device that you could just have on your person.

 

[Toriko]

He's right its why I think Sony is fighting a losing battle having their vr tied to the ps console. Hopefully they make a revision or new version relatively quickly after PSVR2.

I will not buy another headset with a wire.

If Sony had a quest 2 with Astrobot and their other IP Facebook wouldn't have a chance in the gaming space.

Click to shrink...

Well for one - Sony is one of the biggest VR players already even with the shitty PSVR wiring issues

and also I think Sony sees VR as an additive experience to all those already tied to the PS ecosystem and have a playstation. They dont seem to care about any one outside that ecosystem.

So for most playstation owners It is not going to be a factor imo since there is not a lot of choice but I could be totally wrong lol.

 

[skeezx]

i kept telling myself i'll go whole hog on wired VR once i get a bigger playing space. i finally got that with my new house but still the whole thing kinda sucks, you get home from work and just want to play games. first wold problems, i know but easy as it is it's a hassle

i'll roll with wired for console though. but i won't be getting a Rift 2 or whatever the new wired gen is

 

[RelaxItsJustMe]

I agree. Which is why I really hope Sony decides to go with wireless anyway because otherwise I'll just stick to my Quest 2 and just forego PSVR2 entirely.

They already lost their cheapest headset on the market spot. So I really do wonder what Sony's plan is considering a lot of their success in the VR market was just from being the cheapest headset. They definitely won't have the best headset nor will they have the cheapest now. Add on to that that it's likely to be wired and that leaves them in a tough spot.

 

[TheApatheticOne]

Like others, dont like him, but he's right. Before I even got a Quest 2, I had a PSVR and it was just so cumbersome. The passthrough didnt work right, so I only set that up if I was using the headset, then the camera and cords, then assigning controllers, among other things.

The Quest 2 is just sooo much better, and the number one thing is the conveniency and ease of use. There was many times I would want to play PSVR and wouldnt because I didnt feel like dragging it out and setting it up.

 

[pswii60]

Zuckerberg stating the obvious there.

 

[Baji Boxer]

Yup. Just like controllers went from wired to wireless. If you have hold or wear something, people generally don't want to be physically tethered to some piece of external hardware.

 

[Pankratous]

Maybe he has a point but ultimately I think people will go where the best games and experiences are. If PSVR2 is raking in high quality content that isn't available elsewhere, then people will buy PSVR2.

 

[Shemhazai]

Is there even a wireless solution for VR that isn't taking the Quest approach of just strapping the console to your face?

 

[Chessguy1]

its basically one of those QoL changes where once you experience you don't want to go back. (well you can of course, its just not as good anymore).

 

[cgpartlow]

After using my Quest 2 wireless with Steam VR and just stand alone I don't disagree. Wires suck, and the Quest 2 removes a lot of barriers from moment of putting on headset to playing.

 

[Sebastian Skopek]

Im starting to think about a VR set ONLY because theres a wireless opion.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

Hate Zuckerberg all you want, but he's probably the only tech CEO out there that actually gets VR completely at the magnitude of what it can offer down the road. Tim Cook certainly doesn't have that kind of foresight, or at least he doesn't show it.

 

[UraMallas]

For me, it's correct. It's one of my biggest hurdles to give it a shot.

 

[larryfox]

Wow surprised everyone here agrees with zuckerberg.

 

[inner-G]

Once I tried wireless desktop with my Quest 2, I returned the $70 link cable.

Playing untethered without sacrificing fidelity is where it's at.

 

[StereoVSN]

Yeah, he isn't wrong. I have the OG release Rift and it was such a pain. Friend of mine got the new Index and it's still a pain.

Problem with Quest 2 is facebook, but longer term, yeah, got to have wireless. It doesn't have to be standalone, mind you.

 

[ghostcrew]

I think it's probably still a little early right now to say that customers won't go for wired but I'm also damn sure that the longer time goes on the more archaic that wired VR is going to feel.

Quest is absolutely killing it at the moment and a large part of that has to have been getting rid of the 'needs to be tethered to another expensive piece of kit' mindset.

Standalone Quest is an easy sell and then an optional wireless solution to attach wirelessly to a PC for higher fidelity stuff is great for core gamers who have the hardware.

Feels like the industry has to go that way. They're gonna be following Oculus's lead on this one for sure.

 

[Jencks]

I really really wish PSVR2 was wireless. Wired is putting me off from ever buying it

 

[Jaypah]

Sold my Vive when I got a Quest and tried wireless PCVR. Good riddance to wires, shit is a bummer. Sucks that PSVR2 is still going to have a wire. I'll probably still pick one up for their exclusives but it's going to suck some immersion out.

 

[Genesius]

He's right.

I'm not touching VR until it's a completely wireless headset that doesn't require a supercomputer and has haptic gloves as the "controller". So it'll be a few years, lol.

 

[Doc Kelso]

I think battery life will always be a bit of a bugbear when it comes to wireless insofar as VR is concerned. Right now it's not too much of an issue since most people approach VR as a short-term gaming session, but as (or if, I guess) different experiences begin cropping up en masse that have an emphasis on extended play, I can see it being annoying or outright putting people off.

Otherwise, he's not wrong. The ease-of-use for wireless is too good for people not concerned with lighthouse tracking to pass up.

 

[Neuromancer]

I love my PSVR, but give me wireless any day of the week. Playing on the Quest is so liberating, never having to worry about getting caught up and also being able to take it and play it anywhere.

 

[medyej]

He's right, the Quest is a night and day difference to tethered VR. As much as it sucks that it has to have it's own stripped down games due to the lower power, I'm glad Oculus has invested in things like Link and Air Link to keep allow PCVR games to still be played on it.

 

[Fiddle]

For now I'm "fine" with my Index being wired since its so much more comfy and fun than a Quest 2 because of the controllers etc. Also getting a much higher framerate and visual quality (no compression) is a worthy tradeoff I'm willing to live with.

But Valve better come out with a wireless addon. If they never do it I'll be so disappointed.

 

[Harusame]

One of the main reasons I bought the oculus quest was due to it being portable and wireless. Looking forward to more wireless VR options in the future.

 

[jman2050]

For once Zuckerburg is entirely correct.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Can't necessarily say he's wrong. I jumped on psvr but idk about 2 because I def had headcanon it would most def be wireless lol. I don't feel like the wire again

 

[Jhey Cyphre]

Unfortunately he is right. I got a pulley for my VR setup and though it can feel "wireless" at times, nothing really compares the Quest. This is such an enormous barrier I still can't believe nobody but HTC has released a wireless adapter.

 

[Deleted member 93805]

Chronically out-of-touch Zuckerberg deserves zero credit for this statement.

He's just parroting John Carmack since he's been working on wireless/streaming VR tech for a few years. This isn't really anything new.

 

[DeckardWintermute]

While not wrong, it doesn't make him a genius. When I was trying to get in to VR with PSVR the setup/wires etc pretty much stopped me from using it even when I wanted to. I own a Quest 2 now and I play VR games multiple times a week. I would even guess that even though I've only owned a quest 2 for about 2 months I've probably used it more than I ever used my PSVR after owning it for 2 years.

 

[Fiddle]

Unfortunately he is right. I got a pulley for my VR setup and though it can feel "wireless" at times, nothing really compares the Quest. This is such an enormous barrier I still can't believe nobody but HTC has released a wireless adapter.

Click to shrink...

Yeah it's really bizarre. Three years ago I had the TPCast wireless adapter for my Oculus Rift CV1 and it worked flawlessly. No idea why no one else is doing this.