VR isn't a gimmick, but it's also not the future of gaming

[Splader]

Poll edit: added "near future" to the poll.

I own a VR set and I play it every once in a while (mostly when friends are over nowadays) and I really did enjoy my time with it. I don't think it's a gimmick or a fad and I don't think it's going to disappear.

That being said, I also don't think it's the future of gaming (unless we find a way to put our consciousness into a game, sao style, but is that even VR anymore?)
I think it's just another medium. I know this comparison will irk some, but I compare it more to mobile gaming than anything else. Another branch of gaming that can be used by a completely different audience.

Do I think VR is going to get bigger in the future? Of course I do. Do I think it's going to ever replace traditional gaming? No, I don't. Not at all.
What do you guys think?

I added a poll (though I don't know if it was a good idea), but don't worry about it too much. It's just to get a quick measure of what this forum thinks of the quesiton.
Edit: And my poll wording is stupid. Eventually is way too open ended, I should have said something like "near future".

 

[PixelatedDonut]

VR isn't just vr goggles like you said.

 

[Deleted member 8860]

Not the near future, no. But ten+ years from now when we have thin and light stand-alone AR glasses with all day battery life, sure.

 

[Splader]

VR isn't just vr goggles like you said.

Click to shrink...

What do you mean?

 

[Tappin Brews]

agree on both fronts. its truly a transformative thing, but it isnt a replacement - at least any time soon

 

[Letters]

Not any time soon, but some time in humanity's future it's going to be a super silly thing to even imagine playing a game in a screen.

 

[Splader]

Not the near future, no. But ten+ years from now when we have thin and light stand-alone AR glasses with all day battery life, sure.

Click to shrink...

Yeah my poll question is stupidly worded. "eventually" is way too open ended. Though I suppose that does mean it's just a different quesiton.

 

[Jaxar]

Does it need to be the 'future of gaming' though?

I see it as complimenting the way we play games now and giving us another option for immersion.

 

[Truant]

It's ridiculous to assume that VR eventually won't replace gaming on a television. It's gonna take some time, but it will happen.

 

[Dabanton]

I'd agree.

I love VR and think it has certain benefits but in terms of mainstream pull at the moment. I don't see it.

I will be interested in seeing where the tech goes though. As it still has tons of room for improvement.

 

[Spork4000]

Yeah, can't see VR becoming as mainstream as one of the big three consoles, It's cool though.

 

[Fisty]

Eventually, yeah. We could be talking a 100 years but yeah eventually it will overtake traditional flat gaming

 

[Deleted member 224]

If streaming takes off, VR will be an even harder sell than it is now.

I've messed around a lot with a Vive that a friend has. It's...ok. It gets really uncomfortable after extended use and it even starts to hurt your eyes a bit. To top it off, most of the AAA vr games I played (like Skyrim) are games I would much rather play sitting down on a tv once the "novelty" wears off.

 

[Splader]

Does it need to be the 'future of gaming' though?

I see it as complimenting the way we play games now and giving us another option for immersion.

Click to shrink...

This is exactly how I see it as well.
People thought couch co-op experiences were dead as well, but they refuse to completely go and hell they're still supported by many games.

Added "near future" to the poll. Sorry, screwed up the wording.

 

[Multiverse Moo]

It's ridiculous to assume that VR eventually won't replace gaming on a television. It's gonna take some time, but it will happen.

Click to shrink...

More ridiculous to think it will, no?

Its an option. Its amazing, sure, but not everyone in the future is suddenly going to want to be isolated in a headset.

Sharing the big screen and movies / TV / etc. being on phones will ensure that gaming will be most accessible on flat screens for a LONG time to come.

 

[Zeroth]

15 years ago, touch screen phone were a crazy idea. I'm sure with 10 years VR will become mainstream, specially with companies like Facebook backing it up.

 

[Bundy]

Well it won't "replace" traditional gaming. But it will co-exist with it.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Eventually VR will be the new reality. Enjoy your physical bodies while you can.

 

[funky]

Its not a gimmick. But I feel current VR seems like the very early stages of what it will probably eventually become.

Completely self contained AR is the future of VR. Or perhaps something different but that uses the inside out tracking we are seeing in VR now. to work with holograms or something nuts Either way Buying $500+ headsets to plug into a PC is gonna be a weird thing to look back on probably.

 

[finalflame]

VR is the next platform in its fully featured form (10-15 years down the line), much like the smartphone was the last new platform.

 

[Trace]

VR will become mainstream, it won't "replace" traditional gaming though, at least on a decade or two timeframe. It'll just be another option.

 

[s_mirage]

I voted no. I believe that something like VR may one day become dominant, but not for a long time, and probably not VR experienced like it is now.

 

[Kinthey]

As long as we use TVs I don't see traditional gaming be replaced

 

[Kyra]

I feel like there will be a technology that offers comfortable immersion without the need for a HMD and that will become what is widely adopted. I just can't see something that is mounted to the persons face as being mainstream.

 

[MP!]

VR is the future in game and movie development but that's about it.

 

[WordsAndDreams]

I assume sometime in the future we will all be wearing AR/VR headsets and glasses much like we carry our phones around now. Even traditional '2D' gaming will eventually technically become AR once physical screens aren't really a thing anymore.

 

[Deleted member 6730]

I too would love a future where big tech straps a camera and motion sensors directly to my face.

 

[Niks]

short term? No
in 10 - 15 years?

For sure.

 

[pg2g]

It will replace it once we have a brain-machine interface.

 

[Splader]

I don't think VR gaming will replace traditional screen gaming, even 20 years into the future.
We used TVs in 2000 and we still use them now.
Smart phones haven't replaced laptops, let alone tvs (though I do watch more and more material on my phone.)
Hell, laptops haven't even completely replaced desktops.

 

[Kschreck]

Poll edit: added "near future" to the poll.

I own a VR set and I play it every once in a while (mostly when friends are over nowadays) and I really did enjoy my time with it. I don't think it's a gimmick or a fad and I don't think it's going to disappear.

That being said, I also don't think it's the future of gaming (unless we find a way to put our consciousness into a game, sao style, but is that even VR anymore?)
I think it's just another medium. I know this comparison will irk some, but I compare it more to mobile gaming than anything else. Another branch of gaming that can be used by a completely different audience.

Do I think VR is going to get bigger in the future? Of course I do. Do I think it's going to ever replace traditional gaming? No, I don't. Not at all.
What do you guys think?

I added a poll (though I don't know if it was a good idea), but don't worry about it too much. It's just to get a quick measure of what this forum thinks of the quesiton.
Edit: And my poll wording is stupid. Eventually is way too open ended, I should have said something like "near future". That being said, I guess the poll is now asking a different, but still relevant, question.

Click to shrink...

If you don't mind my asking, which VR sets/motion controllers have you tried?

 

[Taffy Lewis]

15 years ago, touch screen phone were a crazy idea. I'm sure with 10 years VR will become mainstream, specially with companies like Facebook backing it up.

Click to shrink...

15 years ago, touch screen phones were widely available and in use. I even had one myself! Just not mainstream.

But that has nothing to do with VR.

 

[Reinhard]

Near future of course not. But say 30 years from now, I think non VR gaming at home will be mostly dead, primarily relegated to on the go play.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

until vr allows you to essentially replicate SAO, i wont be wowed beyond belief. At the very least walking and movement from the comfort of sitting down/lying in bed.

 

[Maligna]

Ready Player One quality VR when? I hope it's earlier than the 2040's the book predicts.

 

[Splader]

If you don't mind my asking, which VR sets/motion controllers have you tried?

Click to shrink...

I've only tried 3. PSVR a few times at a friends place, a Vive (an older model I think) at a VR arcade, and I own a WMR headset. I haven't played enough single player VR titles as it's difficult for me to find time to isolate myself completely, but I absolutely loved Superhot and Beatsaber, and Sword and Sorcery freaked me out good when I played it.

 

[Yuntu]

That's a future I wouldn't wanna live in tbh. Like I'm interest in VR gaming, but for it to be the main thing would be ... yeah I don't want that lol

 

[the-pi-guy]

I think in 10-15 years VR will be convenient enough and high quality enough that it will be mainstream, but I don't imagine a future where every game is only VR.

But a lot of people might be playing flat screen games on virtual screens using VR headsets. I could see that being practical if the headsets become high quality and cheap.

 

[Kschreck]

I've only tried 3. PSVR a few times at a friends place, a Vive (an older model I think) at a VR arcade, and I own a WMR headset. I haven't played enough single player VR titles as it's difficult for me to find time to isolate myself completely, but I absolutely loved Superhot and Beatsaber, and Sword and Sorcery freaked me out good when I played it.

Click to shrink...

Pretty good lineup. I might jump into the Valve Index next week. :)

 

[Splader]

Pretty good lineup. I might jump into the Valve Index next week. :)

Click to shrink...

I feel like such a vr casual when I mention only those games lol. Like VR has a loooot more titles that I need to try.

 

[TaterTots]

The question isn't if, it's when. It will not take over traditional gaming in the immediate future, but the technology keeps improving. People will be doing Ready Player One shit when we're all dead.

My first experience with VR actually happened today and I'm completely sold on it. It's definitely not a gimmick. It's really immersive and having something right in front of your eyeballs you can interact with was mind boggling. It's difficult to put into words. It's not comparable to Kinect or standard motion controls. It's something people should try for themselves. My fiance who doesn't like video games was like a damn child with that thing on. Put a smile on my face.

 

[SilverArrow20XX]

It's gonna become much bigger, but it'll never replace TV gaming.
Full immersion is nice, but people will also always want to be able to play games without losing awareness of their surrounding or wearing a head set.

 

[Orayn]

This is what I've been saying for a while, VR is a whole new category of video games that will grow and evolve in its own way. Much like mobile, there will be parts of it that cross over with traditional couch/desk gaming and parts that are wholly unique to it.

I don't know how big it will ultimately become. More, cheaper untethered solutions like Oculus Go/Quest will probably help things along.

 

[Kschreck]

I feel like such a vr casual when I mention only those games lol. Like VR has a loooot more titles that I need to try.

Click to shrink...

Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks, Lone Echo and a bunch of others have me excited.

 

[ChoklitCow]

I bought a PSVR at launch because I took the gamble that Sony would help support decent games even though the HMD was of a lower quality. Said I wouldn't upgrade until there was a decent enough quality increase. I probably have less than 48-hours on it over quite a few different games. I've used the original Vive as well as a second gen Oculus on a few occasions, mainly to test them out. I had fun, but it never fits my drop and play gaming playstyle. Both for setup and physical exhaustion. While many of my friends play just fine, I know I still get motion sick and never really get full-on VR legs. I'm willing to bet a large portion of folks will be in the same boat as VR gets more mainstream.

That being said, I may or may not have just bought an Index today. Mainly for some collaborative games with friends. Do I think I'll drastically be playing more VR than I currently am? Nope. But between Boneworks and Alyx I had enough of a reason to step into a higher quality world. It won't replace my traditional games or even mobile games, but it will be a nice vacation spot in my gaming ecosystem.

 

[Haint]

Not the near future, no. But ten+ years from now when we have thin and light stand-alone AR glasses with all day battery life, sure.

Click to shrink...

With the way things have been going, try 20 or 30 years. It has taken nearly a decade (over 7 years) and billions upon billions of dollars to go from the single 768p LCD 90-100 FOV Oculus DK1 to a single 1440p LCD 90-100 FOV Oculus Rift S (complete with a $100 price increase).

 

[pavaloo]

Does it need to be the 'future of gaming' though?

I see it as complimenting the way we play games now and giving us another option for immersion.

Click to shrink...

right? this all or nothing mentality feels misguided

 

[Trace]

With the way things have been going, try 20 or 30 years. It has taken nearly a decade (over 7 years) and billions upon billions of dollars to go from the single 768p LCD 90-100 FOV Oculus DK1 to a single 1440p LCD 90-100 FOV Oculus Rift S (complete with a $100 price increase).

Click to shrink...

Uhh... You do realize the Rift S is nowhere near the quality of something like the Index right? And that controllers especially are night and day difference in such a short span of time? DK1 doesn't hold a candle to even the Odyssey+ and it's currently selling for like $229.

 

[Splader]

right? this all or nothing mentality feels misguided

Click to shrink...

But that's exactly the point I'm trying to make. That VR doesn't need to be nor will it be the future of gaming (imo). That it has a solid place alongside traditional gaming without replacing it.

 

[dodo]

It's not "the" future, but it is likely "a" future. It is not in direct competition with screens, but its foothold seems like it's at least going to stick around for a while and iterate in its own way, and pretty rapidly too.

I could see VR being similar to handheld in the next decade or so. Another branch of gaming, not a replacement for anything.

 

[elyetis]

Voted no only because : "in the near future".