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Durante · Jul 19, 2016

This seems like an incredibly strange premise.

These experiences are at entirely opposite ends of pretty much any spectrum of gaming you might name: immersion, financial investment, and so on and so forth.

They are also not in the least interchangeable.
Overall, it makes about as much sense as asking whether Pokemon Go success will reduce interest in GTX1080 GPUs.

Shin-Ra · Jul 19, 2016

I think Genio88's trying to transfer PG's success to HoloLens, but AR's shit in PG.

Vic · Jul 19, 2016

test_account said:
Wait, does the AR aspect of Pokemon Go play a big role in its popularity? I thought that it was the social stuff that really made it what it is.

Lots of Pokemon GO article in the media are accompanied with the capture/AR gameplay screenshots.

LegendofLex · Jul 19, 2016

test_account said:
Wait, does the AR aspect of Pokemon Go play a big role in its popularity? I thought that it was the social stuff that really made it what it is.

AR = augmented reality
Real-world social interactions = reality
Pokemon GO = augmented real-world social interactions

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

the TMO said:
What are you talking about? VR is selling a lot desprite the hight price. VR developers are making a good amount of money.

Keep it real please.

I haven't heard anyone talking about VR in my neck of the woods, and I have plenty of real-life friends who haven't heard of it either.

I fully believe in VR technology, but I don't see it catching on in the mainstream anytime soon. It's a niche product that's priced high to be successful among enthusiasts, who are the only ones supporting it.

A Grizzly Bear · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
I actually don't think GO proves much about AR. The driving force in GO's success is the communal aspect of people finding Pokemon on a shared map in a GPS-driven scavenger hunt, where communicating with others can help you find new creatures.

I agree. We're talking about a game that's using an IP that has been around for two decades and generated over 50 billion in revenue. I just don't see any other IP being able to generate this kind of interest for these types of games.

Eradicate · Jul 19, 2016

SG-17 said:
While not related to Pokémon GO, I've lost all interest in VR at this point. Maybe by the third gen it'll be worthwhile, but for now it's just an expensive novelty.

I think AR is the real future. Imagine putting on a pair of glasses that gives you a full HUD for the real world. Information overlaying reality. Sync with your phone to overlay directions when traveling, automatically bring up floating menus, prices, reviews, etc when you look at a restaurant. Looking at a person's face brings up their social media profiles if they've opted in (important part there). Bone conducting earphones to let you hear media without drowning out the environment. Used in conjunction with games to expand on what can be seen. Maybe a wrist band or something that can detect your finger movement so you can interact with the HUD, swiping, pinch to zoom, typing, speech recognition.

Awesome!

I just got a Pebble Time and love it, but it really makes you think about how a few little tweaks to your "life"/routine make a difference, especially when they are out of the way, easily forgotten, or inconspicuous.

It's kind of fun to think about when cheap AR glasses will come about. Coupled with your phone, you could have multiple pairs based on your interests. An everyday pair (ala iOS/Android) with all your ordinary apps and things. A special pair (Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft) focused on gaming things and letting that play into your day. Another pair (more sporty/sunglasses) for advanced health-related things, or even specialty (like tints and such for the golf course, etc.).

I just bought a new pair of glasses too, so it just got me on a rant, haha!

But, yeah, I think with a phone, some glasses, and a watch with IR or something, you'd have a normal look and all the AR functionality.

But, as already said, AR and VR are pretty different. VR is a more "immersive" experience; kind of like going to a movie theater. Maybe one day it will blend completely (AR/VR goggles, room sensing, etc.), but I don't know...that may hold both back trying to combine them. Let AR grow into "enhancing" the everyday and VR grow into becoming an immersive, engaging experience to give you "presence" in things, you know?

UncleSporky · Jul 19, 2016

Shin-Ra said:
I think Genio88's trying to transfer PG's success to HoloLens, but AR's shit in PG.

Yeah, they're totally incomparable. Heck even the 3DS's fully 3D AR is just on a screen, it has nothing on seeing actual stuff overlaid into the real world as if was really there physically.

I can't make any statements about how good or bad HoloLens is or will be, but proper AR glasses will occupy a similar entertainment space as VR: feeling like something is there which actually isn't.

the TMO · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
I haven't heard anyone talking about VR in my neck of the woods, and I have plenty of real-life friends who haven't heard of it either.

I fully believe in VR technology, but I don't see it catching on in the mainstream anytime soon. It's a niche product that's priced high to be successful among enthusiasts, who are the only ones supporting it.

Sorry but your circle of friends is not the market.

Tain · Jul 19, 2016

the ghost of faraci

it's cute, though, all these baseless comparisons between things that aren't competing in any way whatsoever

Durante said:
Overall, it makes about as much sense as asking whether Pokemon Go success will reduce interest in GTX1080 GPUs.

this is a good way to put it

Genio88 · Jul 19, 2016

cheesekao said:
Pokemon GO is more AR than VR I think.

And that's the point, looking at Pokemon Go and thinking at all the possibilities, AR seems to have way more potential than VR for reaching the videogames mass market.
To me Sony(PS VR) and Microsoft(Scorpio with Oculus support etc) made the wrong choice focusing on VR, perhaps going with AR would be better, who knows maybe AR is also the secret behind Nintendo NX, after all they already tried something like that on 3DS and then of course there is Pokemon Go

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

the TMO said:
Sorry but your circle of friends is not the market.

Neither is the small contingency of PC owners who actually have VR.

test_account · Jul 19, 2016

Vic said:
Lots of Pokemon GO article in the media are accompanied with the capture/AR gameplay screenshots.

I know, i just dont see that this is a big reason for its popularity. I can see that it adds to the overall experience, but i think that the game would still be really popular even without the AR stuff.

LegendofLex said:
AR = augmented reality
Real-world social interactions = reality
Pokemon GO = augmented real-world social interactions

Sorry, not sure what you mean? I'm only referring to the AR-part of Pokemon Go.

ArtHands · Jul 19, 2016

Eccocid said:
vr is future? vr tech had been here for like what 20 years? And you compare with mobile? somethjng cumbersome as vr cant be future, tho it depends the definition of your future. it will be future when it turns in to a convenient tech to use. so far its luxury and hard to adopt due to demand for other hardware and logistics.

AR has been around for several decades too. Google Glass died early last year, while Hololens cost several thousands.

Not saying AR is not the future, but we'll be seeing VR becoming mainstream before AR. Actually, I believe AR will be integrated into VR device.

And lets not pretend VR will stay as its current form in the future too. They'll be aiming to improve the ergonomics of the VR device, into some sort of a wireless sunglasses in the future. Sorry to say but you're pretty ignorant.

lewisgone · Jul 19, 2016

I would disagree with anyone saying AR isn't a major part of why Pokemon Go is popular. It doesn't have much of an effect on gameplay, but it's a pretty major part of the whole "Pokemon in the real world" draw that has got it so much attention. If all you care about is CP, being able to easily catch stuff, I guess you'd turn it off. Maybe, since this is a gaming forum, people who have that attitude are more likely to post here. But anecdotally, a lot of the more casual players I know and have seen talk about it are sharing pictures of the places they've found Pokemon, and finding the novelty in that one of the biggest draws.

I mean, you just have to watch the first trailer for Go to see how much AR is pushed as the draw (I know it's nowhere near that level, but it's obviously an important selling point): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sj2iQyBTQs

I'm not certain there's a link between VR's struggle to gain mass-market appeal and however popular/unpopular AR is at the time. VR's issues - that it's expensive, requires clunky hardware, and isn't typically very social can certainly be considered a total contrast to what makes AR work, but they'd be issues regardless of if AR was a thing.

I don't think downplaying AR's integral part of the Pokemon Go concept and appeal is the way to argue that AR doesn't have an edge over VR or whatever.

Durante · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
I haven't heard anyone talking about VR in my neck of the woods, and I have plenty of real-life friends who haven't heard of it either.

I fully believe in VR technology, but I don't see it catching on in the mainstream anytime soon.

Which really drives home the point that the premise of this thread is flawed.

The target group who has bought into a VR ecosystem or was going to do so in the near future is incredibly unlikely to be influenced in that decision one way or the other by Pokemon Go.

bananafactory · Jul 19, 2016

Where's the bit about VR interest dropping coming from? I hadn't heard that

I feel like it's still increasing at least until PSVR is out

Tain · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
I haven't heard anyone talking about VR in my neck of the woods, and I have plenty of real-life friends who haven't heard of it either.

I fully believe in VR technology, but I don't see it catching on in the mainstream anytime soon. It's a niche product that's priced high to be successful among enthusiasts, who are the only ones supporting it.

literally everything is a niche

VR is a self-sustaining ("successful") niche that will only grow over time

yukonrye · Jul 19, 2016

VR hasn't even started yet.

UncleSporky · Jul 19, 2016

Genio88 said:
And that's the point, looking at Pokemon Go and thinking at all the possibilities, AR seems to have way more potential than VR for reaching the videogames mass market.
To me Sony(PS VR) and Microsoft(Scorpio with Oculus support etc) made the wrong choice focusing on VR, perhaps going with AR would be better, who knows maybe AR is also the secret behind Nintendo NX, after all they already tried something like that on 3DS and then of course there is Pokemon Go

People do not care about the AR aspect itself. It is not what draws them to Pokemon Go.

You may remember, the 3DS does AR as well. It comes with every new system, built-in! And it's fully 3D! Looks like stuff is really on your table! And it's not all that janky or low quality or anything, might as well be on the same technology level as Pokemon Go.

But that was never a system seller for the 3DS. No one cares. Pokemon Go is a success for the geocaching aspects, the social aspect, the brand recognition - AR is the last thing on anyone's minds.

1st Course · Jul 19, 2016

VR on PC was/is never going to become mainstream. It just require too much money/tinkering/research for the average Joe to care.

The future of VR is pretty much all dependent on PSVR. Let's see if Sony can draw crowds with their messaging.

HardRojo · Jul 19, 2016

Sounds to me like OP actually wants VR to fail for some reason. As stated by others, I don't think you can directly compare the two, and also Pokémon Go's selling point is hardly AR, heck, I'm willing to bet several people don't even know that's part of what's going on in Pokémon Go.

FZZ · Jul 19, 2016

I say yes

Pokemon GO kind of leap frogged VR, even though it's not fully fleshed out yet

AR > VR always

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

Durante said:
Which really drives home the point that the premise of this thread is flawed.

The target group who has bought into a VR ecosystem or was going to do so in the near future is incredibly unlikely to be influenced in that decision one way or the other by Pokemon Go.

Oh, I agree that they don't have a direct impact on each other.

I do think, however, that the difference in success says something about mainstream appeal. Even if they were priced equally, I think consumers are more comfortable with the concept of socializing with real people in real life, augmented by AR, than the idea of interacting with virtual avatars in VR or disconnecting from the real world entirely in VR.

It says more about how VR limits itself with the image of the recluse in a dark room wearing a funny mask escaping from reality, talking to strangers in chatrooms. I don't think the masses are ready to shell out for that yet, even if it makes for the more immersive experience.

MUnited83 · Jul 19, 2016

two things that have quite literally nothing to do with each other? Sorry, your comparison doesn't make much sense. Even if you go for the AR vs VR narrative, the AR portion of Pokemon GO is horrendously implemented and not really a factor on it's sucess.

random25 · Jul 19, 2016

I think the enemy of VR isn't really Pokemon Go, or any other game using the related tech for that matter. The enemy of VR is basically itself: its market accessibility, tech specs, requirements to run, market price, user-friendliness and the applications of the product. So far it still has some big challenges ahead to really reach mainstream popularity. But who knows? It took quite a while for a tablet computer to become a mainstream product since its conception yet here we are flooded with those things.

1st Course · Jul 19, 2016

I agree that AR has more potentials.

orthodoxy1095 · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
Interacting with people in real life is not a gimmick, and will always be more appealing than interacting with creepy virtual avatars in VR.

What the shit is wrong with you.

AR exists to add something to the world we live in.

VR exists to create and immerse us in worlds we don't live in.

They serve clearly different purposes.

Enough of this "creepy VR" horseshit.

magnumpy · Jul 19, 2016

VR, AR, Pokemon, videogames, it's all good

Genio88 · Jul 19, 2016

BernardoOne said:
two things that have quite literally nothing to do with each other? Sorry, your comparison doesn't make much sense. Even if you go for the AR vs VR narrative, the AR portion of Pokemon GO is horrendously implemented and not really a factor on it's sucess.

Don't agree, AR is a big part of the Pokemon Go success, it's enough to look at all the tweets and post in general with photos of Pokemon in real world places etc

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

orthodoxy1095 said:
What the shit is wrong with you.

I'm not saying my opinion — I'm saying how it looks to other people.

I think back to that thread where people were having VR chat meetings in a virtual White House, masquerading as Bugs Bunny's girlfriend and other characters.

I... don't think the world is ready for that, lol.

Shin-Ra · Jul 19, 2016

UncleSporky said:
People do not care about the AR aspect itself. It is not what draws them to Pokemon Go.

You may remember, the 3DS does AR as well. It comes with every new system, built-in! And it's fully 3D! Looks like stuff is really on your table! And it's not all that janky or low quality or anything, might as well be on the same technology level as Pokemon Go.

But that was never a system seller for the 3DS. No one cares. Pokemon Go is a success for the geocaching aspects, the social aspect, the brand recognition - AR is the last thing on anyone's minds.

HoloLens integration looks janky (unstable) and that's with relatively gentle head motions, with hardware in the thousands of dollars.

SkyOdin · Jul 19, 2016

UncleSporky said:
People do not care about the AR aspect itself. It is not what draws them to Pokemon Go.

You may remember, the 3DS does AR as well. It comes with every new system, built-in! And it's fully 3D! Looks like stuff is really on your table! And it's not all that janky or low quality or anything, might as well be on the same technology level as Pokemon Go.

But that was never a system seller for the 3DS. No one cares. Pokemon Go is a success for the geocaching aspects, the social aspect, the brand recognition - AR is the last thing on anyone's minds.

I think you are using too narrow of a definition for AR. The camera isn't what makes Pokemon Go AR, the entire gameplay based on using real-world locations is AR. Overlaying a virtual game onto the real world is the core principle of Augmented Reality. You don't need an image for the game to be AR.

Chinese Cartoons · Jul 19, 2016

Augmented reality is not virtual reality not only that but GO is based on pervasive augmentation and not marker based you have seen sony and nintendo attempted before.

Augmented reality does not need expensive devices and the space virtual reality requires, pros and cons both ways.

Not all games fit into AR.

edit i forgot to say valve also shut down their AR development for VR.

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

Yeah, I definitely think the geolocation is more central to GO's success. AR just makes it inviting and allows people to play the game in the real world where they can most easily socialize with other people in a natural way.

Kwame120 · Jul 19, 2016

Just a comment on AR, I feel like people are being a little too rigid with their definitions. It doesn't have to be a physical 3D model you can walk around and take pictures of to be AR, I think Pokémon Go in it's entirety is AR - it augments reality. You've got real world locations becoming Pokéstops and Gyms, and Pokémon appearing based on your location - even if you aren't using the more blunt AR system. The game has interlaced the idea of Pokémon and gyms with the real world - you have people making detours to catch Pokémon, hanging out with friends IRL to further their Go experience, and the frenzy itself is even impacting real world businesses, interlacing it with Go due to the real world focus. If that isn't AR, I really don't know what is.

cheezcake · Jul 19, 2016

LegendofLex said:
AR = augmented reality
Real-world social interactions = reality
Pokemon GO = augmented real-world social interactions

This isn't even close to the definition of AR the technical and gaming community has been using for years. What Pokemon Go players are discovering is basically a more well presented version of geocaching which has been around for decades.

John_B · Jul 19, 2016

I had a full day playing with an Ocolus Rift and I'm very convinced that VR will be a major part of gaming and other media consumption in the future. Even at this early stage the tech is very impressive with incredibly precise tracking. The level of immersion is a huge step forward for entertainment. It's up there with color and sound. I don't believe big developers like Blizzard can ignore this for long. I don't believe developers trying VR wouldn't want to build VR compatible games. It will snowball soon enough with quickly maturing tech and prices coming down.

oakenhild · Jul 19, 2016

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

I have fun playing Pokemon Go (with AR camera component turned off, as it's not really necessary).

I also tried the Vive at a friends house last weekend for the first time and was blown away. I'll be getting one within the year, just a matter of budgeting for it.

bunbun777 · Jul 19, 2016

People have to turn off the ar anyways or waste battery and pokeballs.

KatamariOnTheRocks · Jul 19, 2016

Genio88 said:
Don't agree, AR is a big part of the Pokemon Go success, it's enough to look at all the tweets and post in general with photos of Pokemon in real world places etc

Nobody gives a shit about the AR implementation.

People care about the fact that they can finally play a Pokemon game on their phones, and that they can meet up with people in the real world utilizing geocaching.

THAT is the draw of Pokemon GO, it has absolutely nothing to do with AR.

UncleSporky said:
People do not care about the AR aspect itself. It is not what draws them to Pokemon Go.

You may remember, the 3DS does AR as well. It comes with every new system, built-in! And it's fully 3D! Looks like stuff is really on your table! And it's not all that janky or low quality or anything, might as well be on the same technology level as Pokemon Go.

But that was never a system seller for the 3DS. No one cares. Pokemon Go is a success for the geocaching aspects, the social aspect, the brand recognition - AR is the last thing on anyone's minds.

7DollarHagane · Jul 19, 2016

Definitely shows that low tech ar has more possibilities than high tech vr does. And more mass market acceptable.

cheezcake · Jul 19, 2016

TIL not enough people have had the joy of geocaching before Pokemon Go came out

Neiteio · Jul 19, 2016

Is there a term for combining AR and VR? By that I mean augmented reality where the augmented imagery has the depth and solidity of a VR image?

Because I could see that really taking off, if they can make the eyewear look like normal glasses.

edit:

Haha, I found this gif while reading that GAF thread about VR chatrooms

Scrawnton · Jul 19, 2016

I feel like a lot of people missed the point of the OP. I think that Pokemon GO will help push AR gaming and, depending on how things playout, I can see people passing on VR to wait for AR to mature, much like myself. They are two different techs that share similarities and I think AR has the ability to be a social phenom in a way VR never could be.

But this is GAF and the OP said something negative, allegedly, about VR so people are gonna tear him/her apart.

intheinbetween · Jul 19, 2016

If anything it could push AR

Abounder · Jul 19, 2016

The end game is the star trek holodeck, which is more like AR. I think VR will still be a hit but yea nowhere near the level of Pokemon, doubt anything from the gaming industry will be able to rival Go

the TMO · Jul 19, 2016

Neiteio said:
Neither is the small contingency of PC owners who actually have VR.

You don't follow the market at all, didn't you?

zelas · Jul 19, 2016

Considering VR on smartphones is a thing and Pokemon Go is finding success with handheld gamers who have been opposed to mobile gaming until now, I think Go is actually helping VR by increasing the potential number of people who will be exposed to it. Not to mention the fact that mobile VR and AR are often seen as the same market among analysts and more importantly venture capital firms. I think the AR in Go will actually boost interest in that market.

nynt9 · Jul 19, 2016

This thread is what happens when you have an agenda, ignore facts that go against it, and try to find the square hole for your circle agenda.

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