VR is a gimmick

Lucid Rifter said:
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.
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The only record VR has broken so far is the gap between pre-launch hype and post launch zero talk. According to Wiki, Oculus and HTC Vive launched two months ago. And already nobody talks about them.

However, there is a silver lining. With Oculus and Facebook, HTC and PSVR, there will be so much corporate push that due to sheer volume of marketing and number of models out there, it may succeed in getting it in the hands of millions even though personally, I think the game quality will be low and most people won't bother with strapping a VR goggle to their head in the long term.
 
Lucid Rifter said:
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."



You just glanced over the titles and drew the conclusion you were looking for. Look into things a bit more plz.
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Don't be so quick to judge. I read them thoroughly, and yes, they prove my point.

"a simple tower defense game could work well virtual reality."

That was the big take away of his article. "It could work". It's just a statement about it not being worse, and not being bad. Its good. But so what? Its good with a controller too, and yeah, the VR works, but it's still a gimmick.
 
It's funny that the two people who are most adamant about VR being a gimmick are the same two people known to be the biggest Xbox fans posting in the OCD. Could it be that the Xbox doesn't have any VR currently releasing hence their opinions? Who knows.

All I do know is I'm excited for the technology but I want to wait a little while for it to mature.
 
Lucid Rifter said:
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.



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.
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It's still early, but right now it's DOA. The last hope is maybe PSVR taking off. it doesn't have the power of Rift/Vive, but a standard PS gadget across 40 million users can potentially lead to a few million sales.... which is way more than Rift or Vive.

Or, due to Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg plugs Oculus big time and somehow millions of Facebook users all line up to buy it.

Unless something big kicks in, it's dead. How can I tell? Rift and Vive have been out for a few months each and where's all the articles, reviews, game reviews with VR mode etc.....? Basically, none.
 
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Intellivision said:
It's still early, but right now it's DOA. The last hope is maybe PSVR taking off. it doesn't have the power of Rift/Vive, but a standard PS gadget across 40 million users can potentially lead to a few million sales.... which is way more than Rift or Vive.

Or, due to Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg plugs Oculus big time and somehow millions of Facebook users all line up to buy it.

Unless something big kicks in, it's dead. How can I tell? Rift and Vive have been out for a few months each and where's all the articles, reviews, game reviews with VR mode etc.....? Basically, none.
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The Rift is sold out through until August. The demand is huge. I pre ordered on the 6th of January and I still haven't received it. They've had a deal with Bestbuy and Amazon to sell into retail since May and the minute any Rifts become available they're gone. When you can't get your hands on one for love nor money, I think it's a bit early to say VR is DOA.
Last I heard HTC stopped taking orders for the Vive in US because they can't keep up with demand. That doesn't strike me as a technology that's DOA. Is there hurdles to overcome? Sure. PC VR is incredibly pricey and requires substantial hardware to run, it's still lacking that killer app (although there are many games I can't wait to play) but I think when VR comes to consoles, that's when VR will be in the reach financially of a more mainstream audience.
 
I look at VR is the same way I look at 3D and motion controls, to ME it's a gimmick. None of that stuff is appealing to me. When I play video games I do it to lay in my comfy couch and to relax. Motion controls and VR don't fit that MO.
 
eVo7 said:
I look at VR is the same way I look at 3D and motion controls, to ME it's a gimmick. None of that stuff is appealing to me. When I play video games I do it to lay in my comfy couch and to relax. Motion controls and VR don't fit that MO.
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That's fair enough but the Rift is currently marketed as a seated experience. It ships with an Xbox pad, not motion controls. As I'm sure you know, Oculus will be releasing their Touch motion controls in H2 2016 but will be an add on, not mandatory. I myself am more interested in a seated VR experience although I will pick up the Touch controllers. I'm more interested in VR for how it can enhance the tradional gaming I love rather than jumping around my living room after work.
 
eVo7 said:
I look at VR is the same way I look at 3D and motion controls, to ME it's a gimmick. None of that stuff is appealing to me. When I play video games I do it to lay in my comfy couch and to relax. Motion controls and VR don't fit that MO.
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VR most definitely does.

I know Playstation VR seems to have a heavy motion control thing going on right now, but VR really is a seated experience. The quicker they move away from the motion control crap the better off PSVR will be.

I do think one thing that is crippling the VR push is we don;t really have the mainstream power for it yet. Consoles are not powerful enough, and the PC power has a huge cost still associated with it.
 
menace-uk- said:
I do think one thing that is crippling the VR push is we don;t really have the mainstream power for it yet. Consoles are not powerful enough, and the PC power has a huge cost still associated with it.
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Agreed. I'm also not a fan of all the cabling accociated with VR, it it were wireless it would be a lot better. I think once the VR tech matures and power to run it becomes cheap enough it'll catch on more.
 
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Two Pennys Worth said:
The Rift is sold out through until August. The demand is huge. I pre ordered on the 6th of January and I still haven't received it. They've had a deal with Bestbuy and Amazon to sell into retail since May and the minute any Rifts become available they're gone. When you can't get your hands on one for love nor money, I think it's a bit early to say VR is DOA.
Last I heard HTC stopped taking orders for the Vive in US because they can't keep up with demand. That doesn't strike me as a technology that's DOA. Is there hurdles to overcome? Sure. PC VR is incredibly pricey and requires substantial hardware to run, it's still lacking that killer app (although there are many games I can't wait to play) but I think when VR comes to consoles, that's when VR will be in the reach financially of a more mainstream audience.
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True both have sold/out really well, it's just that there is no buzz anymore. Months leading up to launch there was noise everywhere for VR (about all players) and now that they've shipped it's just crickets, that includes PSVR, which should still be on blast especially as it's ramping up to launch (unfortunately I think PS4 Neo has hijacked PSVR's trumpet).

Moreover where are all the VR evangelicals, all these early adopters who frothed at the mouth should be espousing the experiences of VR, however they too are silent.
 
BDaddyK said:
Agreed. I'm also not a fan of all the cabling accociated with VR, it it were wireless it would be a lot better. I think once the VR tech matures and power to run it becomes cheap enough it'll catch on more.
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Yeah I agree. I could picture using it in a study, but I sure as hell wouldn't be happy having all those cables in my lounge.
 
IdleHands said:
It's funny that the two people who are most adamant about VR being a gimmick are the same two people known to be the biggest Xbox fans posting in the OCD. Could it be that the Xbox doesn't have any VR currently releasing hence their opinions? Who knows.

All I do know is I'm excited for the technology but I want to wait a little while for it to mature.
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Must be directed to me since I created the thread. It's a gimmick IMO, be it on PS or Xbox or PC. I own all three, so I could get it either way.
 
Two Pennys Worth said:
That's fair enough but the Rift is currently marketed as a seated experience. It ships with an Xbox pad, not motion controls. As I'm sure you know, Oculus will be releasing their Touch motion controls in H2 2016 but will be an add on, not mandatory. I myself am more interested in a seated VR experience although I will pick up the Touch controllers. I'm more interested in VR for how it can enhance the tradional gaming I love rather than jumping around my living room after work.
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If I cared about VR I would rather do it the right way with Vive, standing up, with motion controls. I know that sorta contradicts what I said, but....using a Xbox controller is not very realistic.....
 
VR is a gimmick. Life is also a gimmick. It's what you make of it. Maybe VR will be big down the road. Only time will tell. If it was cheaper i would give it a try but until then i'm all set.
 
Two Pennys Worth said:
That's fair enough but the Rift is currently marketed as a seated experience. It ships with an Xbox pad, not motion controls. As I'm sure you know, Oculus will be releasing their Touch motion controls in H2 2016 but will be an add on, not mandatory. I myself am more interested in a seated VR experience although I will pick up the Touch controllers. I'm more interested in VR for how it can enhance the tradional gaming I love rather than jumping around my living room after work.
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The difference in seated and standing/moving controls will lead to vastly difference control methods. So it's up to devs to adjust controls.

For example, someone seated can turn their head/body 90 degrees left and right. If you want to see behind you (180), you can't do it. So they would have to ensure your controller can also turn you.

But for someone standing, they can literally spin around how they want covering a 360 perspective.

Do any of these VR goggles have retina scan?

I ask that because if it doesn't, then in order to see stuff you always have to turn your head. In real life, most of the time you don't move your head a lot often for seeing stuff in front of you. Instead, you probably move your head a bit, but your eyes also move.

With a standard controller set up, a gamer's head basically focuses straight ahead (with little movement) while moving their eyes to see the edges of the screen. To see more, they press the analog sticks to pan the screen.
 
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For me, the gimmick is that it's so closed, as an experience. At least for gaming, the PS VR broadcasts what you are doing. It still lacks a camera on the unit, so you can't see objects or other people on the room. That is the problem I see with current VR. I'd still like to see some AR blending with the current tech. I know the current Hololens is not VR compatible, but there needs to be a happy medium somewhere for me for it to elevate to where I think it's viable. Doesn't Vive have camera(s) on the visor? I think that may be where it needs to go, for the time being.
 
Intellivision said:
The difference in seated and standing/moving controls will lead to vastly difference control methods. So it's up to devs to adjust controls.

For example, someone seated can turn their head/body 90 degrees left and right. If you want to see behind you (180), you can't do it. So they would have to ensure your controller can also turn you.

But for someone standing, they can literally spin around how they want covering a 360 perspective.

Do any of these VR goggles have retina scan?

I ask that because if it doesn't, then in order to see stuff you always have to turn your head. In real life, most of the time you don't move your head a lot often for seeing stuff in front of you. Instead, you probably move your head a bit, but your eyes also move.

With a standard controller set up, a gamer's head basically focuses straight ahead (with little movement) while moving their eyes to see the edges of the screen. To see more, they press the analog sticks to pan the screen.
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You can look completely behind you on the Rifteven in a seat. The headset has tracking on the rear as waell as front. I've seen lots of videos of users playing Warthunder seated but turning and looking completely behind them. Even with one camera the Rift headset is capable of 360 roomscale tracking. Once Touch releases which ships with a second camera there will be no problems with 360 controller tracking either.

Rift one camera roomscale tracking (with camera just plonked on desk and not positioned high up and facing down)


Early Oculus Touch Roomscale tracking
 
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My coworked got the Occulus. He said its really cool but is disappointed in the number of games available for it and the fact that those games cost $50+ but aren't really worth it.
 
Two Pennys Worth said:
There are currently 95 games available to buy and play now for the Rift at various price points from a couple of dollars up to $50. Only a handful are $50 like Cryteks Climb, Elite Dangerous Horizons edition, Project Cars Game of the Year edition. Most of which can be bought and played on Steam for much cheaper.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_Oculus_Rift_support
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From reddit:


Games
We have now hit 100 released Rift games!

Pricing

  • The average price of a released Rift game is $19.99
  • 31% of games are less than $10
  • 9% of games are higher than $30
  • The highest price is Elite Dangerous: Deluxe Edition at $59.99, followed by a three-way tie between Chronos, The Climb, and Project CARS at $49.99
Stores

  • 52% of released games are sold through the store
  • 35% of released games are only on Steam
  • 2% of released games are only on wearvr
  • 11% of released games are sold through the developer's website
Locomotion

  • 25% of released games use no/natural locomotion
  • 29% of released games use a cockpit for locomotion
  • 46% of released games use artificial locomotion to varying degrees
Input

  • 91% of released games utilise the gamepad
  • 10% of released games utilise the Oculus Remote (40% of natural locomotion games)
  • 19% of released games allow the use of mouse & keyboard instead
  • 7% of released games allow use of a flight stick, and 9% useallow use of a steering wheel
Touch

  • There are ~41 known upcoming Touch games
  • 13 will support seated gameplay (6 of which are seated only)
  • 33 will support standing gameplay (19 of which are standing only)
  • 9 will support walking around gameplay (2 of which are walking only)
Touch information is obviously subject to massive change, and may be wrong.

Non-Gaming
There are ~30 non-gaming VR apps.

  • There are 6 released social platforms (2 of which are cross-compatible with Gear VR)
  • There are 5 released VR short films, all of which are free
  • There are ~15 released full fledged experiences
  • There are ~6 utilities ranging from Virtual Desktop to a VR music visualiser
And there are countless concepts!
 
VR won't be the big boom I think some people in this thread believe it will.

It has its place as a niche/expensive toy which can be a ton of fun, but that's really it. It won't ever grab mainstream gaming culture... At least, not inthe foreseeable future.
 
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