Where has the VR buzz gone?
Discussion
Note: I know there are some individual threads on the Oculus and Vive, but this is applying more to the category and most likely the PSVR.
So what has happened to all the buzz about VR?
It was all over the headlines earlier in the year when it was soon to arrive, but now that the kits are here, where is all the chatter - and where are the games?
More worrying - why has Sony stopped talking about VR? With locked hardware to develop to, their own studios, and a massive install base of PS4 customers, they were probably best positioned to create the breakout VR experience. But with under a month to go until the launch, where has the hype gone? They didn't even mention VR at the last Playstation meeting when PS4 Pro and Slim were announced.
I've had a play with the current generation of VR headsets and the tech is impressive - there's no lag, the experience is immersive, and I didn't get sick. The tech has clearly arrived. But is it actually good for entertainment or is an $800 tech demo?
I want it to work, since as a child of the early 80s its always been promised in "the future" - what a disappointment it would be if it fizzles.
So what has happened to all the buzz about VR?
It was all over the headlines earlier in the year when it was soon to arrive, but now that the kits are here, where is all the chatter - and where are the games?
More worrying - why has Sony stopped talking about VR? With locked hardware to develop to, their own studios, and a massive install base of PS4 customers, they were probably best positioned to create the breakout VR experience. But with under a month to go until the launch, where has the hype gone? They didn't even mention VR at the last Playstation meeting when PS4 Pro and Slim were announced.
I've had a play with the current generation of VR headsets and the tech is impressive - there's no lag, the experience is immersive, and I didn't get sick. The tech has clearly arrived. But is it actually good for entertainment or is an $800 tech demo?
I want it to work, since as a child of the early 80s its always been promised in "the future" - what a disappointment it would be if it fizzles.
I want VR to be great, after all, I watched the Lawnmower Man as a youth.
But I'm just not sure the appetite is there to produce games that'll take advantage of the concept, especially in the home.
If all it does for me is let me look around (something I can already kind of do with the right thumb stick, it just doesn't do enough. The only time it would really benefit while sitting on a sofa, is flight games, where a seated position is default, but being able to track enemies around you is useful.
I have ideas of what I think would be the best way to use it, but it just isn't possible in someone's living room (not adult/xxx I must add).
Maybe I'm too old to see the potential, but unless there are some killer games for it, the novelty will die off very quickly. See Kinect, wii, PS move etc.
But I'm just not sure the appetite is there to produce games that'll take advantage of the concept, especially in the home.
If all it does for me is let me look around (something I can already kind of do with the right thumb stick, it just doesn't do enough. The only time it would really benefit while sitting on a sofa, is flight games, where a seated position is default, but being able to track enemies around you is useful.
I have ideas of what I think would be the best way to use it, but it just isn't possible in someone's living room (not adult/xxx I must add).
Maybe I'm too old to see the potential, but unless there are some killer games for it, the novelty will die off very quickly. See Kinect, wii, PS move etc.
Jasandjules said:
I don't see any games worth spending out £700 to have... I suspect (though I may be wrong) that it is helpful to buy the upgraded PS4 to obtain the full frame rate etc of the VR system.
Sony insist that the standard Playstation is all that is needed and they have demonstrated this is the case with all the playable demonstrations so far. Not one PSVR demo has been using the Playstation Pro. In fact the Playstation PRO is not getting any exclusive titles, all games released on PS4 must be coded for the standard Playstation with 4k support for the PRO. The actual VR headset does most of the work anyway.... It's not just a pair of screens by all accounts and has some very powerful graphics hardware inside it to process and upscale playback.
There is a video online of a guy playing Driveclub VR while two other guys watch and talk to him. The TV image of what he is seeing looks stunning (and remember the 'pass through' box that decodes the VR image and sends it to the TV has no 'enhancers' for the signal. It just processes what it is sent into a single image). And the fluidity of the head tracking is glass smooth, no matter how fast he moves his head. And it really does look stunning!
There are a few big games coming that have been demonstrated with gameplay footage (Robinson the Journey was apparently Gameplay, Rigs looks very fast and smooth, Eve Valkrie was gameplay, and as stated above Driveclub VR is already being played at events).
You are so right though with the question "Is there enough at launch to justify the outlay and have an instant game library with lots of AAA titles?" Maybe not, but that didn't stop a lot of people buying a launch day PS4 either.
A quick google shows PSVR is sold out for launch day at pretty much every single retailer and some seem to think it will be quite hard to get one this side of Christmas. We won't know until October 14th for sure though.
I bought the HTC Vive a few months ago and can honestly say that the tech is easily up to scratch. At the moment, the slickest and most accomplished games seem to be wave shooters (think space invaders for VR) which, whilst not terribly in depth, are sufficiently immersive to keep my interest. Having to physically dodge enemy fire, rather than just move a thumbstick is a very unique, intuitive and brilliant experience.
The best gaming experiences are probably games not developed for VR but, with VR support. Elite Dangerous works brilliantly, as does War Thunder. Driving games such as Project Cars, Assetto Corsa and Dirt Rally are all amazing in VR. I would struggle to go back to playing any of them on a TV screen now.
There are some ambitious games currently in development, many of which are available as early-access titles. Titles such as 'Raw Data' and 'Onward'. Steam is practically awash with VR titles at various price points, and there are also a lot of free demos for things which look like they will be amazing when released I think the developers are still finding their feet with the technology and trying to figure out what works well and what doesn't.
I must admit I am also surprised that there isn't more mainstream hype but, I think there is enough happening and that the medium will gather momentum as more titles are released and the hardware becomes cheaper/more accessible.
The best gaming experiences are probably games not developed for VR but, with VR support. Elite Dangerous works brilliantly, as does War Thunder. Driving games such as Project Cars, Assetto Corsa and Dirt Rally are all amazing in VR. I would struggle to go back to playing any of them on a TV screen now.
There are some ambitious games currently in development, many of which are available as early-access titles. Titles such as 'Raw Data' and 'Onward'. Steam is practically awash with VR titles at various price points, and there are also a lot of free demos for things which look like they will be amazing when released I think the developers are still finding their feet with the technology and trying to figure out what works well and what doesn't.
I must admit I am also surprised that there isn't more mainstream hype but, I think there is enough happening and that the medium will gather momentum as more titles are released and the hardware becomes cheaper/more accessible.
Edited by Speckle on Thursday 22 September 11:12
Speckle said:
I bought the HTC Vive a few months ago and can honestly say that the tech is easily up to scratch. At the moment, the slickest and most accomplished games seem to be wave shooters (think space invaders for VR) which, whilst not terribly in depth, are sufficiently immersive to keep my interest. Having to physically dodge enemy fire, rather than just move a thumbstick is a very unique, intuitive and brilliant experience.
The best gaming experiences are probably games not developed for VR but, with VR support. Elite Dangerous works brilliantly, as does War Thunder. Driving games such as Project Cars, Assetto Corsa and Dirt Rally are all amazing in VR. I would struggle now to go back to playing any of them on a TV screen now.
There are some ambitious games currently in development, many of which are available as early-access titles. Titles such as 'Raw Data' and 'Onward'. Steam is practically awash with VR titles at various price points, and there are also a lot of free demos for things which look like they will be amazing when released I think the developers are still finding their feet with the technology and trying to figure out what works well and what doesn't.
I must admit I am also surprised that there isn't more mainstream hype but, I think there is enough happening and that the medium will gather momentum as more titles are released and the hardware becomes cheaper/more accessible.
Don't you find it odd using a keyboard with a Vive? In my experience it only works well room-scale with the hand controllers and that rules out Elite or War Thunder. I love Tiltbrush, and I played an unreleased game from Ninja Theory last week which worked well.The best gaming experiences are probably games not developed for VR but, with VR support. Elite Dangerous works brilliantly, as does War Thunder. Driving games such as Project Cars, Assetto Corsa and Dirt Rally are all amazing in VR. I would struggle now to go back to playing any of them on a TV screen now.
There are some ambitious games currently in development, many of which are available as early-access titles. Titles such as 'Raw Data' and 'Onward'. Steam is practically awash with VR titles at various price points, and there are also a lot of free demos for things which look like they will be amazing when released I think the developers are still finding their feet with the technology and trying to figure out what works well and what doesn't.
I must admit I am also surprised that there isn't more mainstream hype but, I think there is enough happening and that the medium will gather momentum as more titles are released and the hardware becomes cheaper/more accessible.
I do think we'll see some amazing, room-scale immersive stuff as top developers want to show off their skills even if the customer base isn't there yet.
simonrockman said:
Morningside said:
I bet it will go the same way as 3D TV and surround sound.
There speaks someone who's not tried a Vive.Playing a game is very different to watching tv. People will happily wear a headset and mic for gaming, a VR headset isn't much of a difference to your comfort and adds hugely to the experience.
I love mine (vive). It's been used daily on the race sim rig since buying it. Before the Vive I had a DK1 and DK2 and both of those were well used too.
My wife and daughter love playing it for room scale things - ping pong, job sim, normal stuff. It's gaming but without the normal 'sit down and watch a screen' which is brilliant imho.
As soon as it's affordable, it'll change gaming. PSVR will help imho.
My wife and daughter love playing it for room scale things - ping pong, job sim, normal stuff. It's gaming but without the normal 'sit down and watch a screen' which is brilliant imho.
As soon as it's affordable, it'll change gaming. PSVR will help imho.
vladcjelli said:
If all it does for me is let me look around (something I can already kind of do with the right thumb stick
It's a bit more than that! It's not the same as looking at a monitor at all.I have a Rift and I think basically the problem at the moment is content, or rather lack of. Also the resolution could be just a bit better. More content will come in time though and more people will adopt (remember it was only officially released in the UK on Tuesday). It's pretty expensive at the moment as well since really only people that already have high end machines are just paying the cost of the headset, which is still > £500.
Played briefly with the DK2 at work and it makes me feel ill in a few minutes. We do "synthetic environment" training and VR/AR has been the next big thing for a fair while but so far I think only used in a few very high end systems. As long as it keeps making people feel ill it's going to be a struggle to get mass acceptance I think.
simonrockman said:
Don't you find it odd using a keyboard with a Vive? In my experience it only works well room-scale with the hand controllers and that rules out Elite or War Thunder. I love Tiltbrush, and I played an unreleased game from Ninja Theory last week which worked well.
I haven't used a keyboard at all. I've been experimenting with speech recognition using some software called voice attack. I'm only using the 20 command demo at the moment but, it seems to work well even with the Vive built in mic. There are voice packs you can buy for Elite with all the commands pre-programmed too. If anything, issuing commands via speech is even more immersive.My only experience with VR so far is using the VR Gear and my Samsung S7. I've had it around 6/7 months now and I still use it regularly. Don't get me wrong the games are terrible but my main use is for watching movies on it.
The resolution isn't the best of course but if you don't really mind that sort of thing, then it's great! Wearing it in bed when the Mrs is asleep, laying on my back staring up at the ceiling with a huge cinema sized screen infront of me and being fully immersed with the headphones, is far better than watching any 4K TV.
I've even figured out a way in which to watch 3D movies and this is excellent and far better than watching a 3D movie on the TV or in the cinema.
And all this on a low-cost entry level piece of kit. If I'm impressed with that, then I can't wait to try out the PSVR. I think it'll be worth a punt!
It seems to me that most of the critics are from people who haven't ever tried the devices. Most people who have tried them can see they are the future.
The resolution isn't the best of course but if you don't really mind that sort of thing, then it's great! Wearing it in bed when the Mrs is asleep, laying on my back staring up at the ceiling with a huge cinema sized screen infront of me and being fully immersed with the headphones, is far better than watching any 4K TV.
I've even figured out a way in which to watch 3D movies and this is excellent and far better than watching a 3D movie on the TV or in the cinema.
And all this on a low-cost entry level piece of kit. If I'm impressed with that, then I can't wait to try out the PSVR. I think it'll be worth a punt!
It seems to me that most of the critics are from people who haven't ever tried the devices. Most people who have tried them can see they are the future.
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