VR is a gimmick

[Kassen]

^^ "30 games isn't much. It's just more than any console day-one launch lineup before it. Oh and I also don't count RTS games because I don't like them. Screw the great reviews and their strong praise of the game's intuitive use of VR. They all lies." I think someone just described every game lineup comparisons in a nutshell to the very letter.

 

[Rollins]

[QUOTE="Frozpot, post: 533029, member: 385"

[/QUOTE]

See, I'm expecting something more like this. You better believe it was the best 30 seconds of her life!

 

[Andy]

Not a gimmick. Not ready for prime time yet, though.

 

[Flynn]

Not a gimmick.

I disagree.

It can cause double-vision (health hazard), it's uncomfortable to wear for more than a few minutes, the control schemes aren't advanced enough to properly support it, visual fidelity isn't good enough to warrant it, only the hard-core gamers even care about it, and there's little-to-no chance it'll take any meaningful foothold culturally for decades.

It's a gimmick.

And yes, I agree, it's not ready for 'prime time', but it's debatable if it'll *ever* be 'ready for prime time', or if 'prime time' will ever even care about it.

 

[pravus]

Eh, you could argue the same for motion controls prior to Wii. There were tons of motion control gimmicks prior to Wii, but then when Wii made it explode, and both Sony/MS entered into the fray - it still didn't stick. It was a fad, and until/unless the tech makes more extremely large jumps - it's pretty gimmicky.



I completely disagree.

I think VR will see some success, since it's getting such a big push from the industry, but it's niche and probably will be for decades to come. It's expensive, it's uncomfortable, it has tons of limitation, it's not healthy, and ultimately the tech is early enough that - yes - it's a gimmick. It's a fun demo. It's a cool early peak at what may one day blossom into something more interesting... but ultimately, I'm completely with those who say VR is not the next big thing in gaming... it's the "motion gaming" of today.

Now, once it matures, and maybe even integrates with other compelling technologies, it may not be a gimmick... but right now, yeah - it's just a circus side-show that's worth a few bucks to see and experience, but not the daily bread-and-butter kind of entertainment traditional gaming is.

I don't think VR has to replace traditional gaming to be considered legitimate. I don't think anyone ever expected that.

 

[Flynn]

^^ "30 games isn't much. It's just more than any console day-one launch lineup before it. Oh and I also don't count RTS games because I don't like them. Screw the great reviews and their strong praise of the game's intuitive use of VR. They all lies." I think someone just described every game lineup comparisons in a nutshell to the very letter.

#1: You're wrong, 30 games is not more than any other console day-one launch before it:

Wii U[edit]
U.S. launch: November 18, 2012

• Assassin's Creed III
• Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition
• Ben 10: Omniverse
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• Chasing Aurora
• Darksiders II
• Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
• ESPN Sports Connection
• FIFA Soccer 13
• Funky Barn
• Game Party Champions
• Just Dance 4
• Little Inferno
• Madden NFL 13
• Mass Effect 3: Special Edition
• Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition
• Nano Assault Neo
• NBA 2K13
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
• Nintendo Land
• Rabbids Land
• Scribblenauts Unlimited
• Sing Party
• Skylanders: Giants
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tank! Tank! Tank!
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
• Transformers: Prime – The Game
• Trine 2: Director's Cut
• Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
• Wipeout 3
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
• ZombiU

#2: Even if you weren't wrong, it wouldn't matter. Even if 30 was the most of any platform launch, platform launches notoriously have a low volume of games. I never qualified my statement with, "for a launch, it's a low number", no - I simply stated the fact that 30 games isn't much. I have a Rasberry Pi with more than 30,000 games on it.

#3: Great reviews of a great game doesn't change the fact that it's a ported experience, not a new one. Defense grid is awesome. I've put more hours into it than nearly any other franchise this generation and last, but it wasn't built to be a VR experience, and the port shows that. The praise for it centers around how well they ADAPTED the experience so that it's not WORSE with VR, but it's not really a unique experience built from the ground up for VR. It's like when some AAA titles on 360 started using voice with Kinect - sure they supported it, but it wasn't really a transformative experience. It was a gimmick. Just like this.

- 30 games isn't much.
- VR is a gimmick with generations (plural) before it's anything more than a side show specter.

 

[Flynn]

I don't think VR has to replace traditional gaming to be considered legitimate. I don't think anyone ever expected that.

Did I imply otherwise?

 

[Plainview]

If VR is a gimmick, I can't imagine what Kinect would be considered?

 

[Flynn]

If VR is a gimmick, I can't imagine what Kinect would be considered?

For motion controls, it never got passed gimmick.

For voice controls, it was pioneering... though I think the Echo is probably the best voice recognition/always on mic array in the business at this point.

For secure sign-in, it was a great idea, but didn't get refined enough to be fast/secure enough... but it was the laying of ground Microsoft needed to make safe/secure/near-instant sign-in on Windows 10 with your face a reality (which is very much NOT a gimmick).

 

[Plainview]

For motion controls, it never got passed gimmick.

For voice controls, it was pioneering... though I think the Echo is probably the best voice recognition/always on mic array in the business at this point.

For secure sign-in, it was a great idea, but didn't get refined enough to be fast/secure enough... but it was the laying of ground Microsoft needed to make safe/secure/near-instant sign-in on Windows 10 with your face a reality (which is very much NOT a gimmick).

Sub-gimmick for gaming and usable tool for everything else?

 

[Kassen]

Defense Grid 2reviews are just saying it's a port that's just "adadpted" to VR so it doesn't suck! No way is it an intuitive, well-designed VR experience!

"DG2 is one of the most robust and fully realized games in the Oculus Rift’s launch library."

The VR integrations in DG2 are so good that you almost forget this is a port of an existing tower defense game for PC. The battlegrounds are right at home in a VR setting and a sense of presence – that moment where your brain simply believes the false world with which it is being presented – is actually achieved more often than not. VR truly makes DG2 feel like the best tabletop gaming experience you’ve ever had without ever feeling shoehorned or gimmicky.

 

[WithGravy]

I need VR for.... I dunno.

 

[Kassen]

To put an end to the spread of non-information!

'Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition' Made Me A Believer
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/tower-defense-vr-defensegrid2-vredition,31425.html

Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition is a fantastic representation of VR taking a well worn genre and giving it some sparkle.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2016/03/review-defense-grid-2-enhanced-vr-edition/

The VR integrations in DG2 are so good that you almost forget this is a port of an existing tower defense game for PC.
http://uploadvr.com/defense-grid-2-review/

 

[pravus]

Did I imply otherwise?

Calling it a sideshow in comparison to traditional gaming certainly suggests that you don't think it has any legitimacy in comparison.

I am a bit drunk though and I am DEFINITELY walking to the fridge to get another beer as soon as I type this, but yeah, that's what I thought were implying. Too drunk? Wrong? Spot on? You tell me.

 

[Intellivision]

Problem with VR goggles is just that.

WHo wants to have a thing strapped to your head and stare at a mini-LCD screen two inches from their face for hours on end? Put your smartphone up to your face in horizontal position and see how long you can withstand that.

Not me.

 

[menace-uk-]

YOUR MOTHER IS A GIMMICK!

 

[WithGravy]

 

[Flynn]

Calling it a sideshow in comparison to traditional gaming certainly suggests that you don't think it has any legitimacy in comparison.

I am a bit drunk though and I am DEFINITELY walking to the fridge to get another beer as soon as I type this, but yeah, that's what I thought were implying. Too drunk? Wrong? Spot on? You tell me.

First off - Hahahhaa - this post is awesome. Love it, man!

Secondly, I didn't mean to imply in any way that I believed VR had to (or would, or could, or should) replace traditional gaming.

I don't think it will. At all... But I also don't think it has to in order to be successful. In order to be successful, it just needs to become a profitable space for gaming.

But profitable or not, I don't think VR will take off in any meaningful way in the main stream culture of video gamers. I think it will be a niche... Driven by a gimmick.

 

[Flynn]

Sub-gimmick for gaming and usable tool for everything else?

Nah, just gimmicky for motion controls, pioneering for always-on-voice commands, good use of facial recognition, and never living up to the potential it had...

 

[Flynn]

To put an end to the spread of non-information!

'Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition' Made Me A Believer
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/tower-defense-vr-defensegrid2-vredition,31425.html

Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition is a fantastic representation of VR taking a well worn genre and giving it some sparkle.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2016/03/review-defense-grid-2-enhanced-vr-edition/

The VR integrations in DG2 are so good that you almost forget this is a port of an existing tower defense game for PC.
http://uploadvr.com/defense-grid-2-review/

Proves my point.

 

[Frozpot]

Problem with VR goggles is just that.

WHo wants to have a thing strapped to your head and stare at a mini-LCD screen two inches from their face for hours on end? Put your smartphone up to your face in horizontal position and see how long you can withstand that.

Not me.

The lenses make it a world different than holding a phone to your face

 

[OfficialSono]

I need VR for.... I dunno.

Gimmick or no gimmick, flop or not lets just hope your stance is the stance consumers take because I have 6 PSVR on pre-order that I hope will make me some $$$.

 

[Rollins]

I want to try it, but I don't want to buy it.

 

[Intellivision]

The lenses make it a world different than holding a phone to your face

I don't think it would make much difference how good the screen is. Because no matter what you still have a bright screen shining 2 inches from your face.

Put any electronic screen close to your eyeballs and it will make your eyes go nuts.

Also, what about people who are far sighted and can't see things clearly when they are close to your face?

 

[Kassen]

The lenses make it a world different than holding a phone to your face

Yeah, it's leagues different. I got the Google Cardboard just for more, and the shadow of that alone could never be compared to just holding your phone to your face.

 

[Lucid Rifter]

Eh, you could argue the same for motion controls prior to Wii. There were tons of motion control gimmicks prior to Wii, but then when Wii made it explode, and both Sony/MS entered into the fray - it still didn't stick. It was a fad, and until/unless the tech makes more extremely large jumps - it's pretty gimmicky.

You're looking at it too narrowly then. Wii controls are just a small contribution to VR. Cell phones are doing just fine even though their display tech is being used for VR. Now, VR is even pushing those display boundaries for 4k images with high refresh rates. Optic technologies are being more researched (HERE). AMD just announced a 480 GPU for $200 to be VR ready for the next 3-4 years. Coincidence that the next consoles are now boasting 5-6 t-flops console upgrade for 4k + VR capabilities with AMD as a supplier? Hmm?

Tech evolves but it has plateaued recently. 360/ps3 leap to xb1/ps4 really is pretty minimal when looking at console cycle history. Have you tried the Vive or consumer rift? If not, you really should not be spouting off like this. It's like never being in a car but complaining auto engines are too cost prohibitive and primitive for transportation.

I completely disagree.

I think VR will see some success, since it's getting such a big push from the industry, but it's niche and probably will be for decades to come. It's expensive, it's uncomfortable, it has tons of limitation, it's not healthy, and ultimately the tech is early enough that - yes - it's a gimmick. It's a fun demo. It's a cool early peak at what may one day blossom into something more interesting... but ultimately, I'm completely with those who say VR is not the next big thing in gaming... it's the "motion gaming" of today.

Now, once it matures, and maybe even integrates with other compelling technologies, it may not be a gimmick... but right now, yeah - it's just a circus side-show that's worth a few bucks to see and experience, but not the daily bread-and-butter kind of entertainment traditional gaming is.

Expensive and cumbersome are really the only 2 points you bring up (not healthy? lol). Those are merely tech obstacles though. It will take time but I already mentioned breakthroughs that are happening now. We are already hurdling obstacles and pushing the tech industry to do so. Even if you don't like VR (like some board game players don't like video games), I don't see why there has to be so much hostility. Though, this industry is known for it's flame wars.

Oculus broke a kickstarter record. VR started as a push by the consumer. 3D was force fed from companies, but VR is a passion project for a lot of devs out there. This has been 100% homegrown.

 

[Lucid Rifter]

30 games isn't much, and a game like "Defense Grid", which is a stellar game, has no meaningful benefit being in VR, so that kind of a game barely counts.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/tower-defense-vr-defensegrid2-vredition,31425.html

"The demo lasted for 30 minutes, but I wished I could have played longer. Each level was amazingly detailed, and I spent the first few minutes just admiring the presentation. When the aliens started to invade, I was focused on putting up turrets, and each animation of a turret rising from the ground was amazing. Each battle was exciting, and it was a joy to watch all of the action unfold in VR.

The entire thing reminded me of the various scenes of holographic projections of battles that we see in some science fiction movies. However, those special effects are no longer constrained to the magic of science fiction. It’s here with Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition, and it’s made me believe that a simple tower defense game could work well virtual reality."

Proves my point.

You just glanced over the titles and drew the conclusion you were looking for. Look into things a bit more plz.

 

[Lucid Rifter]

 

[Tommygun.]

Who's paying you rifter

 

[Kassen]

You just glanced over the titles and drew the conclusion you were looking for. Look into things a bit more plz.

Yeah, he barely even glanced over the titles themselves. He doesn't seem to put any effort into arguing his case. To come to that kind of conclusion he from reading "the VR integration is so good you forget it was ever a port." It's very telling.