Has VR established itself yet (is it going to die)?

[afrodubs]

Didn't want to make a new thread, I was going to bump this one. But fuck it I want to add a poll so here we are....

There were still a few detractors last time around, convinced that it's still about to die, or that it was a fad "like 3DTV" etc....

So what about now? Fair to say that it's established itself?

Given the games released since the last time I asked (including motherfucking Half Life!), and the tidbits of next gen news related to VR (PSVR2 for example), as well as the pandemic that has a lot of people spending a lot more time in doors. Are we there yet?

 

[Multiverse Moo]

What year is it? VR continues to grow, and has been around for decades commercially and in military use.

Most of the best VR solutions right now are constantly sold out.

 

[BeI]

I think it has a good chance to stick around this time. It could really use higher resolution displays though. Foveated rendering can't come soon enough.

 

[Kudo]

It's only going to get bigger. As far as I know Valve is still supply limited for Index (1000€ VR Headset) so yeah.

 

[Darkstorne]

HL: Alyx just proved its value to gaming. It's definitely here to stay.

It won't be mainstream until it's much more affordable, lightweight, and the hardware exists to allow AAA quality VR games to run smoothly at high framerates on consoles and console equivalent PCs. But it's here to stay.

I don't own a VR setup yet, but I still see its value in the future.

EDIT: Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour modes in VR would be a fantastic fit. The educational value there... Especially for truly next gen AC game quality visuals. VR has so much to offer.

 

[Kalentan]

While it will likely never "take over" it will continue to get more and mire popular. It's not going to go away.

 

[BigTnaples]

It's here to stay, and it will eventually be the primary device used for much of everything.

 

[Qikz]

It's here to stay and it's pretty incredible already. It feels amazing to use and im so glad I jumped in.

 

[Jazar]

It will stay niche for a while but it's not going away. It's getting very close to eliminating most of the drawbacks.

 

[Deleted member 45130]

Devices like the Oculus Quest are ensuring that VR isn't going anywhere.

 

[adj_noun]

I mean, for me it has a long way to go before I jump in, but I don't exactly see it vanishing

 

[Alien Bob]

It's carved its little niche. It's comfortable there and will grow a bit but until the tech changes radically it'll stay there

 

[In Amber Clad]

I think it's got enough of a foothold now to stick around.

I have a couple of headsets (though I haven't used my PSVR since getting a Rift S), and though I probably only use them once a week or so (honestly, it's just a bit more faff than I can be bothered with a lot of the time), when I do I have a great time.

Must get back to Alyx.

 

[Orioto]

It's not een a resolution problem. The day we have 2-3x times lighter sets and smaller, everyone will use them.

 

[Deleted member 27315]

It is growing slow and steady. I believe that we will see a big jump regarding growth with PSVR2.

It's here to stay and then it's going to take over the world.

 

[DrHercouet]

Yeah, it's here to stay. I agree, it wont take over, but it's a new way of playing video games, and chatting and hanging out. It's amazing, and it'll get more and more accessible by the years to come.

 

[Dozer]

VR has always been n a weird spot where the technology is here to have it be successful within the niche/hardcore, but it's *still* probably 5 years away from being a truly mass-market product. When you can make something with the quality of the Index, self-contained like the Quest, plus inside-out tracking and another leap in display comfortability, at the $400 price point or less, the sky's the limit.

It's definitely not going anywhere.

 

[HMD]

I love VR and everything VR, but I can't help but start to feel like it's not going mainstream anytime soon. We need an independent, untethered, affordable headset with PS5/XSX level of performance... that's at least 5 - 10 years away.

 

[Setsune]

They're in a better place now than they ever have before. Most manufacturers can't even make enough units to keep them on shelves (both due to manufacturing limitations and high demand), hence the scalper prices even for hardware that was on clearance a few months ago.

I'm pretty big into it. I think Quest basically nailed the sweetspot right now, It feels like the Nintendo DS of VR, if that makes sense.

I will admit there's a piece of the interaction puzzle missing. We've got hand tracking, but right now there's no good way to give tactile feedback to the player unless they're holding a controller, like the Valve Index. Once somebody figures out a market-ready solution, and everything non-hardcore switches to natural user interfaces in lighter headesets, that's going to be where it truly explodes.

 

[Gobias-Ind]

It's going to stay around. I'll never understand how there can still be naysayers about its future when we know all these companies are throwing billions into it. Facebook is all-in with mark Zuckerberg saying out loud their goal is eleventy-billion users (maybe a misquote). I'm convinced Sony is in for another round. We know Apple has something in the works. There's heavy speculation that Google isn't done with VR yet.

Maybe it'll struggle to capture a big portion of the gaming market, but companies are going to keep banging around with the tech for all sorts of social, entertainment and business applications. We might as well have some games dammit.

Come join the party, Nintendo.

 

[Jag]

I played the coolest VR yet with the PSVR Iron Man demo yesterday. After a few minutes I was so sick that I couldn't do anything except try not to puke. VR is cool, but I don't think I can handle it long term.

 

[TheJackdog]

Gaming isn't shrinking. Its not gonna replace consoles or PCs, its gonna be an alternative.

Similar to mobile gaming, there is a market for it (obviously with mobile) and its growing.

Right now theres just space for a lot of people to play, no VR pun intended

 

[DarthBuzzard]

Objectively speaking, it's here to stay.

You can't have an industry like VR die when it has too much support across various industries and too many sub-communities formed around it. They will always keep it alive.

Expectations have been met and the industry has grown every year with no sign of stopping; investment is only increasing and the big issues are being solved in R&D.

I can only laugh at the people thinking it will fade into obscurity.

 

[Martylepiaf]

I still use my Quest a few times a week to play Beat Saber, it will be almost a year since I got it

 

[ClickyCal']

Never going away, but it will never take over and be the future of everything like some think. At least not for like 30+ years.

 

[Stike]

VR is awesome. My PSVR just doesn't get that much attention because of my limited time and due to the blurry resolution.

Next PSVR revision with PS5 hardware will be killer.

 

[Muu]

Post PS5/XSX I see nowhere but VR to truly advance the graphics/immersion. I do wonder how things will play out -- so many people are intent on holding on to the "status quo" per se of gaming, and requiring headsets or other equipment is going to make systems difficult if not outright impossible to sell the numbers needed. From everything I've seen in forums and such I feel that people would like change and advancement, but that unless it's gradual and more or less conforms to their existing norms they don't want it. VR's a gamechanger but it goes well beyond most people's comfort levels.

 

[dep9000]

Has vr seen the huge bumps that consoles have during the pandemic?

 

[Deleted member 54073]

Depends how much Playstation push it.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

Post PS5/XSX I see nowhere but VR to truly advance the graphics/immersion. I do wonder how things will play out -- so many people are intent on holding on to the "status quo" per se of gaming, and requiring headsets or other equipment is going to make systems difficult if not outright impossible to sell the numbers needed. From everything I've seen in forums and such I feel that people would like change and advancement, but that unless it's gradual and more or less conforms to their existing norms they don't want it. VR's a gamechanger but it goes well beyond most people's comfort levels.

Click to shrink...

People have always been forced into technology changes kicking and screaming.

People didn't want cars. They wanted horses.

People didn't want radio. They wanted real life people.

People didn't want TV. They wanted radio.

People didn't want PCs. They wanted something they perceived as useful.

People didn't want phones. They wanted to look normal.

The world is full of luddites, but they've never had the last say in how technology moves forward.

 

[Youngfossil]

Has vr seen the huge bumps that consoles have during the pandemic?

Click to shrink...

not really. PCVR has been sold out for a while

 

[DarthBuzzard]

Has vr seen the huge bumps that consoles have during the pandemic?

Click to shrink...

Analysis: 'Half-Life: Alyx' Adds Nearly 1 Million VR Users to Steam in Record Gain

The launch of Half-Life: Alyx saw nearly 1 million additional monthly-connected headsets over the prior month, a leap that nearly tripled the previous largest monthly gain. Each month Valve collects info from Steam users to determine some baseline statistics about what kind of hardware and...

www.roadtovr.com

 

[Zool]

I wanted a Jaguar VR helmet in 1995. We are now 25 years later and the biggest VR player on the market is like 10 million? The market grows, but it's not a fast growing market.

 

[thiccraft]

I can see it this way: games like Animal Crossing, strategies, simulations will stay on PC for good.
But VR has great chance of expanding. Someday we'll reach a tipping point, a moment that not happened yet, that will finally convince people to use it. It will be maybe weird thing - like Beat Saber or some other easy game - or maybe significant price drop. But this can really happen.

 

[thomasmahler]

I wanted a Jaguar VR helmet in 1995. We are now 25 years later and the biggest VR player on the market is like 10 million? The market grows, but it's not a fast growing market.

Click to shrink...

Neither was the cellphone market until the late 90s hit and the Tech was ready to appeal to the mass market.

VR is here to stay. And it'll be glorious.

 

[Lobster Roll]

VR has a very strong footing right now, but I don't think it's as much of a guarantee as places like this forum would lead you to believe. It's install rate and growth is better than its ever been, but we also have no idea what it's ceiling will be. I personally don't think it's going away any time soon, but I also haven't seen anything outside of our bubble that would lead me to believe that it's "the future". It has its place in the gaming world, but I don't think it has the potential to become the main delivery method of games for at least another a decade or so. Even then, I'd call it a coin flip. Strapping a device to the face is a larger barrier than enthusiasts will admit exists for the average Joe.

 

[1-D_FE]

Analysis: 'Half-Life: Alyx' Adds Nearly 1 Million VR Users to Steam in Record Gain

The launch of Half-Life: Alyx saw nearly 1 million additional monthly-connected headsets over the prior month, a leap that nearly tripled the previous largest monthly gain. Each month Valve collects info from Steam users to determine some baseline statistics about what kind of hardware and...

www.roadtovr.com

Click to shrink...

Facebook recently had an interview where they admitted they completely underestimated the demand they were going to have last holiday season (Quest). Obviously the virus then prevented supplies from being addressed. But they claim they're producing a lot now. Which I tend to believe. They're coming in stock a lot. They don't last very long, but stock is constantly being refreshed. So I believe they have upped their production line. Think they'll sell as many as they can make this year.

 

[wafflebrain]

Well I know VR doesn't need these kinds of threads every week to keep it going :P

Unless something catastrophic happens there's no way it's going anywhere. Oculus, Valve, and Sony are too invested in it at this point. Also the forthcoming Valve/HP/MS headset is more proof of wide industry interest. Shits here to stay period.

Can't wait to see what is going to get produced for PSVR2.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

I wanted a Jaguar VR helmet in 1995. We are now 25 years later and the biggest VR player on the market is like 10 million? The market grows, but it's not a fast growing market.

Click to shrink...

It's not like the market has existed for 25 years. It had a couple of years where you could buy headsets in the 90s and then nothing until the latter half of the 2010s.

Even the Jaguar VR helmet never released in the end.

Technology platforms take a long time to grow; PCs took a decade to reach 10 million units. If we count every year that VR has existed on the consumer market, including the 90s, it's been 7 years.

 

[Stike]

Analysis: 'Half-Life: Alyx' Adds Nearly 1 Million VR Users to Steam in Record Gain

The launch of Half-Life: Alyx saw nearly 1 million additional monthly-connected headsets over the prior month, a leap that nearly tripled the previous largest monthly gain. Each month Valve collects info from Steam users to determine some baseline statistics about what kind of hardware and...

www.roadtovr.com

Click to shrink...

Alyx shows: SOFTWARE SELLS HARDWARE.

Studios should put some serious (full length) games on VR, not glorified demos or bonus levels, and this shit will take off.
But they have to invest first.

 

[DarthBuzzard]

VR has a very strong footing right now, but I don't think it's as much of a guarantee as places like this forum would lead you to believe. It's install rate and growth is better than its ever been, but we also have no idea what it's ceiling will be. I personally don't think it's going away any time soon, but I also haven't seen anything outside of our bubble that would lead me to believe that it's "the future". It has its place in the gaming world, but I don't think it has the potential to become the main delivery method of games for at least another a decade or so. Even then, I'd call it a coin flip. Strapping a device to the face is a larger barrier than enthusiasts will admit exists for the average Joe.

Click to shrink...

Strapping a pair of something akin to sunglasses is such a low barrier that I'd argue it's even less difficult than turning on a TV. With said sunglasses, you could carry them with you anywhere you go and use them in any context.

Heck, even just lying in bed at the perfect angle would be a nice way to consume content. You can't really do that with a TV unless you have it in the ideal position for your bed, but you still have to face that one direction and can't be a fidget.

 

[Deleted member 8468]

It's hard to compare to something like 3DTV, which was an addon for flat screen content, and could largely be retrofitted into older flat content.

But VR is an entirely different interface, with entirely different experiences and games built from the ground up. Sure there are ways to play flat content in a big window inside a HMD, but there's no tangible benefit. In that way, VR has more hurdles than a 3DTV, but also offers far more benefits to the user.

VR still has strides to make and problems to solve. We just finally got our game that wrapped all of the larger VR communities ideas together cohesively into a great game with HL Alyx, and got a slick bit of editing tools from it as well. On the other hand we still have newer games like Boneworks that are crazy impressive with world interactivity, but are pushing the limits of what people can handle from having their ingame body moved and jostled.

It's a growing space, the Quest sold like gangbusters so the audience is there. It's a matter of removing hurdles like the wire, in game locomotion, and interface/controls. Not only is it doing better than ever commercially, VR has tons of opportunity. It's absolutely here to stay.

 

[nekkid]

It'll stick around but I can't see it exploding in the short-mid term.

 

[1-D_FE]

It's hard to compare to something like 3DTV, which was an addon for flat screen content, and could largely be retrofitted into older flat content.

But VR is an entirely different interface, with entirely different experiences and games built from the ground up. Sure there are ways to play flat content in a big window inside a HMD, but there's no tangible benefit. In that way, VR has more hurdles than a 3DTV, but also offers far more benefits to the user.

VR still has strides to make and problems to solve. We just finally got our game that wrapped all of the larger VR communities ideas together cohesively into a great game with HL Alyx, and got a slick bit of editing tools from it as well. On the other hand we still have newer games like Boneworks that are crazy impressive with world interactivity, but are pushing the limits of what people can handle from having their ingame body moved and jostled.

It's a growing space, the Quest sold like gangbusters so the audience is there. It's a matter of removing hurdles like the wire, in game locomotion, and interface/controls. Not only is it doing better than ever commercially, VR has tons of opportunity. It's absolutely here to stay.

Click to shrink...

Wait till the Quest revision comes and we have uncompromised hand tracking. If the Quest is hot right now, the revision is going to be absolute fire.

 

[SharpX68K]

VR is here to stay and it will only get better.

VR will never replace conventional flat screen gaming, it's only another way of gaming.

 

[digitalrelic]

I think that two things have become clear:

1. It's here to stay.
2. It will always be a niche product

I think of it similarly to 4K UHD discs on the movie side of things. They've proven to be profitable, a lot of content is coming out for them, and they're not going anywhere any time soon, but at the same time they probably have a maximum market penetration of about 15%.

 

[Wariobenotware]

VR will never go away just like motion controls will never go away. The door is open now and it won't close. It won't replace traditional gaming but it will always exist.

 

[Plasma]

I feel like we have this thread every month.

 

[Deleted member 31092]

It's here to stay as a niche product

 

[DarthBuzzard]

I think that two things have become clear:

1. It's here to stay.
2. It will always be a niche product

I think of it similarly to 4K UHD discs on the movie side of things. They've proven to be profitable, a lot of content is coming out for them, and they're not going anywhere any time soon, but at the same time they probably have a maximum market penetration of about 15%.

Click to shrink...

It's here to stay as a niche product

Click to shrink...

No.

This is a bad assessment. The reasons you think it will be a niche product can be mitigated.

4K is also going to get more popular as 1080p gets inevitably phased out of most TVs you see in stores, giving more incentive to buy and manufacture 4K discs.