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Phil Spencer on VR "Right now feels like Demos and Experiments"

I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that having experiences and reaching a conclusion that differs from his opinion was having my jimmies rustled.

But you know, Uncle Phil he knows what's up.

You don't think VR is still in its infancy with many years before it becomes mainstream then?
 
I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that having experiences and reaching a conclusion that differs from his opinion was having my jimmies rustled.

But you know, Uncle Phil he knows what's up.
It's almost like the ones having their jimmies rustled are the ones who don't like people disagreeing with Phil. :p
 

El-Suave

Member
Wii Sports felt like a demo and an experiment, too. Of course VR will never reach Wii levels of adoption in a stage where it's still a peripheral, we're still a few generations away from that if it happens at all. It does seem to have positive word of mouth though and it's establishing a brand and a technology if Sony's in it for the long run. You have to start somewhere and Phil may have his "next gen starts when we say it does" moment.
 
I think he's wrong. I'm having a blast with RIGS, Eve Valkyrie, and Driveclub. Those aren't tech demos to me. In fact, I much prefer playing DCVR to playing vanilla DC. I can't wait for more VR games to sink my teeth into.

Yup I already have a bit of backlog developing as I can't even afford everything I want from launch yet and also highly looking forward to Robinson for next week.

Can we please move away from the tech demos terminology. Sure, there are tech demos, but many are simply short experiences, which does not disqualify them as games. Some of the most praised games in recent history are short experiences (without dipping too deep in the well, let's say Journey and Portal, or even Rez itself) Many PSVR games already offer comparable play times and depth as more traditional games (driveclub, rigs, battle zone, tethered, thumper, wind lands, tumble to name a few). And while the pricing is all over the board, many of these games are priced low enough to justify what they offer.

Sure, there's a long way to go, but it's disingenuous to lean on "a bunch of tech demos" to describe the current experience that PSVR offers.

This too.
 

Gren

Member
I think this is the best Spencer interview I've ever read (of the ones brought to my attention by GAF).

I thought his most salient points were the ones not quoted, such as the need for these things to be wireless and his parallels between most Kinect games & the current VR titles available.

On the bright side, at least the level of immersion it can bring (to even conventionally-designed games) should be a fairly solid & proven feather in VR's cap for the time being.
 

centmoe

Banned
Phil called kinect the dance central mmachine in the article, but somehow posters here think he is bashing psvr..
 
Do we know that it's selling well? It seems pretty readily available rather than hard to find. I'm not sure we can say one way or the other of how well it's selling at the moment.

sold out in australia and they're fulfilling orders as stocks come in from what i've read on another forum.
 

Chris_C

Member
Speaking more to general attitude to the device than Phil's comments, but I guess being in the PSVR OT colored my perception of what the general public thought of the device. That thread is almost universally positive and has been since launch. It's the most positive community I've experienced on GAF. I love my PSVR.
 

Ashler

Member
Spencer is being clever with MS's positioning in VR. If it catches on, they'll have no R&D costs associated with it and just allow a VR maker compatibility with the Xbox brand. If it doesn't catch on, nothing lost on their side.
 
He's absolutely right. For me it's just the next Kinect: it's cool, but I'm pretty sure by next gen we'll have moved on. Only difference is Kinect has never made me throw up.

Pretty sure they're just biding their time until the Scorpio launch to support VR, though.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
He's certainly right. And I agree on Hololens being where we'all be in about ten years. I don't see consumers wanting to be cut off from the outside world when wearing these headsets.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
The fact that RE7 is more or less the first big VR experience is telling. Since most everything else was games with added VR support later or smaller experiences.

The PSVR exclusivity sucks for PC users, but at least they'll get it in a year.
 

Kikorin

Member
I think the real key will be how Sony will support PSVR. For now they released what looks like are the only "real" games for the headset, RIGS and Driveclub, but they have to continue developing great and full experiences for it. If Sony don't do that, third party developers will have more than one excuse to don't invest on the PSVR games.

I'm excited by the technology and it blown me away everytime I tried it, even on smartphones. I have been so close to buy an HTC Vive more than one time, but I'm still a bit unsure especially because there are few games I'd really like to try and these are really short experience from what I've read/seen, so I'll wait for now.

Anyway, I'm really curious about RE7, if it will be good and comfortable to play, probably I'll jump in.
 

Genio88

Member
I'm definitely with him, VR so far is just in an Alpha state for me, not only games and applications wise, but also for the hardware, still too expensive and uncomfortable to use. Of course though it has to start from somewhere or it'll never evolve, i'll just let people buy this first wave of expensive protypes and then in two or three years when the technology will be there with lighter, higher resolution, more immersive, wireless and cheaper headset i'll try it, and perhaps for then there also will be more useful application for it, and VR and AR will merge into one product
 
I'm sure devs like having their games labeled like that. Good guy Phil, though.What a guy!
I mean, in literally the same sentence he says this is the right thing for now.
What experiences do you put in people’s hands to have a long term engagement? Most of these things I’m playing now feel like demos and experiments, which I actually think it’s absolutely the right thing to have happened. That’s not a criticism at all, but should be happening. But I think it will take time.

Even John Carmack had similar comments regarding VR, and he works for Oculus.
 
What a convenient stance to take.

Also, experiments are not a bad thing. They're what makes the difference between a varied lineup of games and only having Gears, Halo and Forza.

EDIT:

Okay, the quote above me is way more reasonable than title suggests.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
PSVR has plenty of legitimate games I don't see as demos at all. I think smaller games work best anyways.
Yeah, I mean with the Vive he might be correct. But with PSVR he is factually incorrect.

Bizarre so many people would agree with him when it's such a wrong statement. If anything PSVR lacks the kind of experimental stuff that Vive has.
 

LeFAIS

Member
I actually agree with him on the matter. I can't handle the graphical sacrifices that were made. I do believe the current technology is impressing, but it's not in a state that I would like it to be in yet.
 

oni-link

Member
He's right, but that's not a bad thing

VR is more exciting for the potential than what is actually there right now

I still think it's far too early to say if VR will be a huge success or a niche product, but if it is to be the former then the great games will have to come at some point, otherwise people like me won't ever have a reason to get a headset
 

Caayn

Member
I think he's right. VR is wonderful tech. But at the moment there's nothing pulling me into spending >€500 on VR.
Phil called kinect the dance central mmachine in the article, but somehow posters here think he is bashing psvr..
People often read a title and post based on the title depending on the title. This quote of Spencer in the OP seems to be ignored by a few. Which is strange as reading the OP is considered mandatory on Gaf, at least it used to be.
What experiences do you put in people’s hands to have a long term engagement? Most of these things I’m playing now feel like demos and experiments, which I actually think it’s absolutely the right thing to have happened. That’s not a criticism at all, but should be happening. But I think it will take time.
 
Phil might have a point, but I'd rather spend my time experiencing fresh, experimental ideas rather than rehashed cover shooters and racers.
 

Nev

Banned
He's right, I just tried PSVR and Vive and the "games" were a joke. The experience is cool at first, but the resolution on these things is absolutely atrocious, what's even the point when some shitty on-rails shooter with early PS3 graphics has the resolution of a fullscreened 360p Youtube video.

I was expecting the Vive to be considerably better in this regard because it doesn't have the limitation of a shitty outdated hardware like the PS4, but holy shit is it a blurry mess too. I don't know if it was poorly configured or the VR device's screens are just PSP resolution, but I'm thinking it's the latter since I asked the guy what PC they were using and it was a beast.

It was obviously a better experience because the controller isn't a complete joke like the PS Move and you can actually move around unlike the other solution, which is buying a useless Wii nunchuk rip-off that doesn't provide any tracking, thus limiting the experience to one hand. Absolutely pitiful.

Anyways, I don't understand how people can play full games -if there are any- in this blurry, headache-inducing environment. The resolution is THAT terrible. I absolutely believed this thing was the future before trying it out, now I'm absolutely convinced that, as of today, it's just another gimmick. That's what happens when you rush things that are clearly not doable with today hardware standards. I find it kind of cute too how some PC elitist fanboys are always happy to cough up bullshit like "anything below 1080p is unplayable" to bash consoles but now they don't have anything to say about the sub-HD resolutions of this thing -and I assume the rift.

When you are able to play games without feeling that you've forgotten to put your glasses on, then this thing will be worth looking into. Right now it's a cute experience that will be interesting for a few hours before you go back to the traditional way. So, the very definition of a gimmick.
 
"The full-fledged VR gaming experience doesn't start until we say so. Please look forward to when Microsoft formally enters the virtual reality scene and curb-stomps the competition in the process."

In all seriousness though, that's a bit of an insulting comment towards the devs who have already made some well-received games for this fledgling platform.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
He's right, I just tried PSVR and Vive and the "games" were a joke. The experience is cool at first, but the resolution on these things is absolutely atrocious, what's even the point when some shitty on-rails shooter with early PS3 graphics has the resolution of a fullscreened 360p Youtube video.

I was expecting the Vive to be considerably better in this regard because it doesn't have the limitation of a shitty outdated hardware like the PS4, but holy shit is it a blurry mess too. I don't know if it was poorly configured or the VR device's screens are just PSP resolution, but I'm thinking it's the latter since I asked the guy what PC they were using and it was a beast.

It was obviously a better experience because the controller isn't a complete joke like the PS Move and you can actually move around unlike the other solution, which is buying a useless Wii nunchuk rip-off that doesn't provide any tracking, thus limiting the experience to one hand. Absolutely pitiful.

Anyways, I don't understand how people can play full games -if there are any- in this blurry, headache-inducing environment. The resolution is THAT terrible. I absolutely believed this thing was the future before trying it out, now I'm absolutely convinced that, as of today, it's just another gimmick. That's what happens when you rush things that are clearly not doable with today hardware standards.

When you can play games without feeling that you've forgotten to put your glasses on, then this thing will be worth looking into. Right now it's a cute experience that will be interesting for a few hours before you go back to the traditional way. So, the very definition of a gimmick.
It sounds like neither experience was properly adjusted for you. Did you go through the eye calibration mode in PSVR? Or mess with the IPD dial on the Vive? Do you normally wear glasses but didn't in the headsets? And the Move does have tracking so I have no idea what you mean there.

Oh, and both headsets are at 1080p resolution (Vive is actually 1200p I believe).
 
Phil might have a point, but I'd rather spend my time experiencing fresh, experimental ideas rather than rehashed cover shooters and racers.
I'm into new and fresh ideas but I can't justify tossing $500-$800 at a new and fresh idea that may or may not be a long term success/supported peripheral.

VR has a long way to go. But! It has to start somewhere, and it definitely is cool to see this iteration as it begins to grow. How much it grows, however, remains to be seen.

Phil is being absolutely reasonable with his comments. He sees the potential, but the risk isn't one they are ready to dive into yet. They are looking at years down the road and where technology is heading, instead, as far as a first party offering is concerned.

Will Scorpio support VR day one? It's possible, via their third party partners. That's not what Phil is referring to, though. If and when Microsoft decides to full market a VR/MR device, it'll be some time from now, and after VR itself either proves its long term value or fades away like the Kinect or other peripheral experiences.

I think ultimately, the average gamer will default to whatever is the most convenient method of getting into their games. The hard core gamer is totally into VR. Totally into new things. Which is great!! But your average gamer will most certainly be wowed by the technology, but then eventually find themselves back to a controller in front of a TV. It's convenient. It's easy. It just works and works instantly.

VR is still an unproven product for the mass market of gaming (not talking about just the psvr), which I think we can all agree on. A fun, new and exciting product for sure (there's definitely a few titles across all of the major VR headsets that I'd be interested in playing), but there's a journey yet to be traveled and only time will tell on how far along it will go.

I'm happy with waiting it out for now, as a consumer.
 

Anticol

Banned
Oh right, but kinect was the real deal and a fully realized product with legitimate AAA games and experiences. It's a shame the dished it out.
 

kyser73

Member
You don't think VR is still in its infancy with many years before it becomes mainstream then?

I think the medium is in its infancy, but that the current line up of software is far deeper than simply tech demos, there are legit games available, some are translations of 2D games into VR which IMO work better in the new medium (Tethered, RIGS, Wayward Sky) and titles like Windlands & the Batman experience which demonstrate the medium well.

I don't think it will be 'years' before it's mainstream either. FBs work in mobile social sharing, Google's entry with the Pixel VR HMD will drive mobile adoption, and IMO social media coupled with mobile will be where the big mainstream breakthrough happens,and it won't take a decade.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Yeah, I mean with the Vive he might be correct. But with PSVR he is factually incorrect.

Bizarre so many people would agree with him when it's such a wrong statement. If anything PSVR lacks the kind of experimental stuff that Vive has.

He is saying that many vr titles that are being sold as finished title feels like demo/experience (due to lack of interactivity, or short gameplay length,or wonky locomotion and stuffs). Which is true for Batman Arkham VR and the like. He's not referring to just literal demo or early access titles.
 

Jumeira

Banned
I agree and stand by my impression that VR is technically impressive but has far too many barriers which It cannot overcome, the major one being lots of people can only play for limited amount of time before feeling sick. It's not universally accessible along with games offering experimental experiences. I pray MS invests little into this avenue of gaming and look towards other technologies, VR isn't going to overtake anything. It'll be there on its own for those that want it, but far from being mainstream.

Oh right, but kinect was the real deal and a fully realized product with legitimate AAA games and experiences. It's a shame the dished it out.

He killed it
 

Nev

Banned
It sounds like neither experience was properly adjusted for you. Did you go through the eye calibration mode in PSVR? Or mess with the IPD dial on the Vive? Do you normally wear glasses but didn't in the headsets? And the Move does have tracking so I have no idea what you mean there.

Oh, and both headsets are at 1080p resolution (Vive is actually 1200p I believe).

I had the IPD thing adjusted with the Vive, people there knew what they were doing unlike in the PSVR booth. I tried some futuristic shooter, a drawing game and job simulator. All of them, including the "training room" hub were incredibly blurry to me. Didn't look AT ALL like 1080p. I rarely wear my glasses, I only need them to read small words from far away.

The PSVR guy didn't calibrate anything, he just put the glasses and start the games. The move controller with the analog stick doesn't have tracking, so if you want to play an actual game in which you have to move around you have to give up one of your "virtual hands", that's what I mean.
 
He's exactly right and I'm glad to be a part of this baby step and see how VR as a platform grows.

Remember how gaming on the phone was just playing freaking Snake?
 
Oh right, but kinect was the real deal and a fully realized product with legitimate AAA games and experiences. It's a shame the dished it out.
From the article:
Spencer also seems to be applying lessons learned from Kinect to virtual reality devices.

“Kinect turned into the Dance Central box,” he summarised.

...

“If I put my hand out here, that’s the A button, this is the X button. Really, they were just turning your body into a kind of pass-through to the controls. Those didn’t work. Those weren’t good Kinect games. Things like Dance Central where it just said, ‘see something, do something and the game reacts’, those were what turned into the right Kinect games. They didn’t have a map to what happened in the kind of traditional controller-based games and I think VR will be the same.”
 
Consedering the fantastic experience I had so far with my PS VR, I feel lucky some companies are more adventurous and experimental than Microsoft :)

But I think this quote is very newsworthy in particular. So there is in fact no commitment from Microsoft to deliver a VR solution at the launch of the Scorpio.

We designed Scorpio as a VR-capable console. Whether that happens this year, next year or the year after...

Also there is this... interesting bullet point on the Scorpio official website :

The first and only console to enable true 4K gaming and hi-fidelity VR.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
I had the IPD thing adjusted with the Vive, people there knew what they were doing unlike in the PSVR booth. I tried some futuristic shooter, a drawing game and job simulator. All of them, including the "training room" hub were incredibly blurry to me. Didn't look AT ALL like 1080p. I rarely wear my glasses, I only need them to read small words from far away.

The PSVR guy didn't calibrate anything, he just put the glasses and start the games. The move controller with the analog stick doesn't have tracking, so if you want to play an actual game in which you have to move around you have to give up one of your "virtual hands", that's what I mean.
Oh the nav controller? That's not even officially supported by PSVR. They stopped making those years ago. Someone actually handed you one of those? Uh...I'm surprised any game actually worked with it because you're not supposed to use it.

Very baffled by the blur you mentioned. If you need glasses to see far away you need them in VR as well, but it shouldn't have been so blurry. I'd try it again with glasses on, if you ever get a chance. Really sucks to hear you had such a bad experience though.
 

hodgy100

Member
There are lots of things like that. but there are a couple the buck that trend. Audio Shield, hover junkers, fantastic contraption, job simulator and some others. all those things are good games in their own right.

there's budget cuts when that releases :O
 

krang

Member
It's an extraordinary talent being able to type words into (often) comprehensible sentences, whilst seemingly being unable to read.

And yet here it is, in abundance.
 

Mokubba

Member
If RIGS is an experiment or demo then we are off to a great start.

I got PS VR at lauch and haven't played anything else since. It's looking like it'll be that way until FFXV launches.
 

Oni Jazar

Member
Can we please move away from the tech demos terminology. Sure, there are tech demos, but many are simply short experiences, which does not disqualify them as games. Some of the most praised games in recent history are short experiences (without dipping too deep in the well, let's say Journey and Portal, or even Rez itself) Many PSVR games already offer comparable play times and depth as more traditional games (driveclub, rigs, battle zone, tethered, thumper, wind lands, tumble to name a few). And while the pricing is all over the board, many of these games are priced low enough to justify what they offer.

Sure, there's a long way to go, but it's disingenuous to lean on "a bunch of tech demos" to describe the current experience that PSVR offers.

I agree with this. I'm not looking for 60 hour AAA games so much as amazing experiences.
 
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