What is your opinion on VR?

  • I love VR and want to see more games built around VR and more games include VR modes

    Votes: 620 38.8%
  • I like VR but don't feel like it is at a point where I want to invest in it

    Votes: 325 20.3%
  • I'm generally indifferent to VR

    Votes: 221 13.8%
  • I have invested in VR but have so far found it lacking/underwhelming

    Votes: 141 8.8%
  • I don't like VR and have no interest in it

    Votes: 162 10.1%
  • I strongly dislike VR and wish developers wouldn't spend resources on VR only games or VR modes

    Votes: 83 5.2%
  • Other (leave a comment)

    Votes: 48 3.0%

  • Total voters
    1,600

oni-link

tag reference no one gets
Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,175
UK
So VR headsets have been on the market for a few years now, and with the new Half Life game being VR only, I was wondering what do we on Era think of VR as of late 2019

Personally, I think it's interesting and offers unique experiences, but on the whole it's still a little too expensive to gain mass mainstream adoption

Once the cost goes down, and the number of games with VR modes rises, I think it has a better chance at mass appeal. That said, I think it's going to end up being closer to a niche product for enthusiasts than the main way we consume entertainment media

What do you think, Era?
 

Rosebud

Two Pieces
Member
Apr 16, 2018
44,502
I think it's awesome but I'm waiting some time before buying one. Maybe PSVR 2
 

Puru

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,178
Ill get one down the line but i'll wait for the technology to improve. That should also leave the time for more games of the caliber of alyx to be released leading to a better experience.
 

Plinkerton

Member
Nov 4, 2017
6,155
I haven't jumped in yet and I think accessibility is the main reason why. It's still too expensive, needs too much room that I don't have and there's too many wires to worry about (I'm mostly interested in PSVR).

The Oculus Quest looks the most appealing to me at the moment but it's still a massive investment for something that still feels quite niche.
 

gofreak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,848
You can have great experiences today, but it's in its infancy, I want to see it continue to develop. I'm hopeful of a nice evolution curve in the next 5, 10, 20 years.
 

Raide

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
16,596
Interesting tech, still too expensive to get the best out of it, games are still at the "experience" level so not enough in-depth games to actually play. Another few years and it will really shine.
 
Oct 25, 2017
5,188
Completely uninterested in it as a technology. Half Life Alyx definitely confirms for me that no property or single game is going to move me on that, no matter how good it looks (and it looks fantastic). That said, I'm glad it's out there for folks, not everything has to be for me.
 

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
It's the best thins this gen brought us. It's groundbreaking, like the step from 2D to 3D. I only have PSVR for now but I am planning to take the next step next year with a new PC and Index. I really want to dig deeper. Bit it's still very pricey :/
 

Chivalry

Chicken Chaser
Banned
Nov 22, 2018
3,894
Been using a Rift S for almost a month now. It's pretty great. Tried PSVR a year ago and wasn't convinced, but good controls and image quality make all the difference. I love how immersive it is, how different it feels from pancake gaming. I'm a true believer now, but vr won't become truly amazing until the next generation. With foveated rendering/reconstruction, vr games will look and run better than any 2d game can.
 

skeezx

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,536
pretty cool but not going to lie i barely touch my Rift or psvr anymore

more of a mood thing rather than "it was a fad after all"
 

cowbanana

Member
Feb 2, 2018
14,181
a Socialist Utopia
"I like VR but don't feel like it is at a point where I want to invest in it".

This is pretty much me. I've tried a few VR games/experiences and they were pretty cool. But it's not something I feel the need to invest in at the moment. There's also the space requirement and I wear glasses which is slightly uncomfortable under the VR sets I've tried, though not as bad as I initially thought it would be.
 

Sean

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,591
Longview
I'm still interested in trying it, but I've just had a string of unexpected expenses and I just can't budget it in.

At this point I'm probably waiting until the PSVR2 is a thing.
 

Tangyn

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,281
Completely uninterested in it as a technology. Half Life Alyx definitely confirms for me that no property or single game is going to move me on that, no matter how good it looks (and it looks fantastic). That said, I'm glad it's out there for folks, not everything has to be for me.

Can I ask if you have tried it at all?

My option is the top option - It needs MORE made for VR games.

It does still have a long way to go though... cables gotta go and it needs to be more comfortable in general. I need to know if my dog has run into the room too.
 
OP
OP
oni-link

oni-link

tag reference no one gets
Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,175
UK
I'm still interested in trying it, but I've just had a string of unexpected expenses and I just can't budget it in.

At this point I'm probably waiting until the PSVR2 is a thing.

This is where I am really

I could get PSVR now, but I don't think the software is there to justify it right now

When the PS5 comes out and I know what it's VR offering is, then maybe it will be a better value proposition
 

NeoSabin

Member
Aug 12, 2019
195
I bought a PlayStation VR on launch and played the hell out of it the first few weeks/month. Now it's collecting dust because there aren't really that many big games on it to play. If Sony can continue to support with quality games it will have a bigger chance of growing instead of shipping it out like the Vita and hope third party developers will do most of the work...
 

xeroborn55

Member
Oct 27, 2017
959
I just got a rift s yesterday and was not prepared for how incredible the experience is. It's being undersold honestly.

I was in an ideal situation though. I have an extra room in my house that was only being used for storage. I cleared it out yesterday and moved my pc in. It's perfect for vr. I also already had a reasonably powerful gaming pc. The leap to vr was manageable.

For mainstream adoption, it's too expensive and the cords suck. The tech however is real and i don't think it's going anywhere.
 

Billdrew

Member
Apr 8, 2019
516
The main problem I have with VR is how I feel like it isolates me from my partner. Normally one of us could be playing a game, having a drink and socialising at the same time on the sofa, but with VR I feel like even though you're still in the same room you're much more separate.
 

Echo

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,482
Mt. Whatever
I got a PSVR and hated it for the most part. Stupid screendoor. Stupid fuzziness. PS4Pro just wasn't ready for VR imo. I wanna get one for PC (index or better), but I think even my 1080ti is lacking. Also the cords suck and they're expensive.

The most visually impressive game to me was Summer Lesson, some weird stuff going on in there though. Photogrammetry maybe? Most of the popular VR games are heavily stylized and probably for good reason, but I'd really like to see VR devs chase realism. When I turned my brain off, the table at the restaurant in Summer Lesson looked so real I had a bad tendency to try and place my controller on it which led to me dropping it of course because the table wasn't in-fact real lmao.
 

Bearwolf

Member
Oct 27, 2017
477
It's coo,l but I worry about motion sickness that can trigger in certain games for me.

Probably something that still will take some time to iron out.
 

Yuntu

Prophet of Regret Corrupted by Vengeance
Member
Nov 7, 2019
10,959
Germany
I think its still to expensive to really invest and Half-Life is the only game that has me considering buying into it.

Yes I know there are other good games, but I'm not interested in them.
 

gofreak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,848
I'm more excited for the advancements in VR than I am traditional gaming right now.

Me too. All the really big step-changes in interactive software/entertainment seem to be in VR's future, more than TV gaming. The intermediate boxes are improving, but input and output evolution seems to be largely flat-lining and consolidating in the flatscreen gaming space, in service of migration to the cloud and standard accessibility etc.

In VR, input/output are a totally open field, with little pressure to 'settle' on a final embodiment. It seems everyone feels freer to experiment here and not stand still on a given solution too long. That has it's own ups and downs, its own challenges for content creators and for user adoption etc. but it is exciting to see the progress.
 
Nov 8, 2017
1,575
I had an OG Rift. I loved it, but couldn't use it. It was too small for my big head. Very uncomfortable after wearing it for a bit. I got to try a Vive out with a friend and it for much better. A bit sad that I picked wrong. Kind of turned me off of the whole wearing accessories thing. The newer, cheaper Rift products also have the same style harness. Guess I'll wait until Valve products are cheaper.
 

Chivalry

Chicken Chaser
Banned
Nov 22, 2018
3,894
I got a PSVR and hated it for the most part. Stupid screendoor. Stupid fuzziness. PS4Pro just wasn't ready for VR imo. I wanna get one for PC (index or better), but I think even my 1080ti is lacking. Also the cords suck and they're expensive.
1080ti is enough to play every game at 100+ with Index. You'll be mostly cpu bound after that.
 

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,204
Either the price needs to be significantly lower, or the tech needs to be significantly better. Preferably both.

Ergonomics need a lot of work. The headsets are all too big and heavy, with many being unbalanced.
I can see the appeal of playing traditional 2D/3D games on a giant virtual display inside VR, rather than only VR-native games, but it's not something I'd want to do with existing headsets at all.

Wireless needs to happen sooner rather than later.
As much as I understand the benefits of the Vive/Index base stations, the cost and hassle of setup is too high.

And yeah, the isolating factor of VR can be a problem too. That's fine in short bursts, but kind of a problem if you don't live alone.
 

In Amber Clad

behind a perfect mask
Moderator
Aug 26, 2018
5,535
London
I picked up a PSVR on the cheap late last year/early this year (can't remember exactly) and it's been a bit of a mixed bag - wipEout blew my mind and Astro Bot is really inventive, but then you have stuff with teleport controls or No Man's Sky VR, which looks like an N64 game on base PS4.

It's done enough to sell me on VR though, as when it's good, it's genuinely amazing. I'm looking for a deal on a Rift S now.

Having said all that, I think VR is always going to be an additive experience for me, rather than become the primary way I play games.
 

SwampBastard

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
11,273
I'm super interested in it, but I have not had the opportunity to try it yet. Half-Life: Alyx looks rad af, but not enough for me to invest in a gaming PC and the VR hardware. The last PC game I played with any regularity at all is the original Half-Life, so I am waaaaayyyy out of the loop on PC gaming.

I have been thinking about picking up a PSVR with their Black Friday deals, but I only have a base PS4 and I've heard it doesn't work as well there as it does with the Pro.
 

travisbickle

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,953
I play my headset every couple of weeks, mainly Wipeout and Rez , get totally transfixed with their simplicity. I'm glad I jumped in early because I think I'll be put off by the time VR starts aping contemporary games with microtransactions and lots of box ticking side missions.
 

Deleted member 227

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
852
User warned: Misrepresenting ban

Dogui

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,946
Brazil
Sssshhhh, I made a thread about this and got piled on and banned for trolling, don't let them hear the inconvenient truth.


What, you don't have a "reasonable" $400 lying around?

Err...nope. I'm completely broken at the moment.

Also, as much as i really liked what i saw from vr and Beat Saber is fun af, it's not something i want to have that much for now.
 
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phobos

Alt Account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
133
After the Half-Life Alyx announcement, I went from "eh, it's ok i guess" to "what body part should i sell to get myself a valve index?"
 

Dphex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,811
Cologne, Germany
mixed

I´ve bought a PSVR on BF last year. the effect is neat at first but the more often you use it, the more accustomed you become to the experience till the point it loses much of the "wow!" feeling. it never amazed me in the way others reacted to the device though.

i can only speak for PSVR but i didn´t like the picture quality, very blurry(some games more than others). as someone wearing glasses i always had the feeling that this can´t be good for the eyes. you use a optical device to see better and look through a goggle which makes everything blurry again. felt wrong to me. (and regardless what anyone thinks about VR, this stuff can´t be good for the eyes, it is basically screens glued to your eyes at minimal distance.)

motion sickness was first no thing to me, played Wipeout for hours, Rez and other stuff and all was fine. one day i started R.I.G.S. and holy hell, that one got me real sick during the tutorial when you jump around. i´ve had hot flashes, was feeling dizzy and had to lay down for 2 hours. it felt awful.

many games where others say "real cool in VR" like Resident Evil 7 or Tetris Effect i found to be quite dull in VR. The picture quality ruins everything for me, too crumby, too blurry and somehow just bad. instead of immersing i found it more of a hindrance.

the best game was The Persistence, that felt really good to play. Polybius, Rez and Thumper were also cool. the rest was rather "meh". i also bought an Aim Controller and Firewall, Farpoint and a third game, can´t even remember what it was. super bad experience, lightguns back in the days were more fun.

sold the whole stuff around January because i wasn´t using the headset anymore. for me it was the modern equivalent of a Mega Cd back in the days: too little software that makes use of the hardware, many games with shoehorned VR modes or short "experiences" and in the end it isn´t worth it. also as someone without AC it isn´t really playable in the summer months so it is even more restricted when to use the thing.

without major advantages i don´t see myself going back to VR if i am honest. i think the tech still isn´t there yet. maybe in 5-10 years.
 

Raijinto

self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
10,091
Basically this:



It's just a medium where the negatives outweigh the positives hence why this video still rings true to me, even years later.
 

funky

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,527
Cool tech.

Too expensive.

Fractured market with too many competing standards.

No one has room for it in modern homes. You almost need a VR only room if you want to stand up and move.

It still feels early and the leaps are still huge between generations. I wouldn't want to invest in VR now. I would tell everyone to hold off.
 

Deleted member 29249

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,634
I have an oculus quest but haven't turned it on in months. It's fun but I get head aches from playing regular games, vr is just a ticket to feeling sick to me.
 

MrCibb

Member
Dec 12, 2018
5,349
UK
Price is the only issue I have. Plain and simple, it's just too expensive for me right now. The tech is awesome and I can't wait to see what it can really do, it's new and exciting with so much potential for innovation and if the Index was £100 or so, I'd have it by now and probably have Alyx pre-ordered. But I'm not willing to drop the price required as it is at the moment. I'm keeping an eye out for good deals on headsets, but it needs to become more affordable before I jump in.
 

Protome

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,874
It's a fun gimmick, there are very few games for it that I wouldn't rather play out of VR however.
As kinda expected it has become a pretty niche peripheral, kinda similar to racing wheels and flight sticks and so on.
 
Nov 3, 2017
1,641
I've never tried it but the potential health repercussions concern me. Has there been research into how looking at a screen at such a close distance affects one's eyes?