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[Skyzard]

Price, tolerance for VR (I imagine that would be worse with chemotherapy?), how jealous people will get of those who can and do enjoy VR and how loud they'll get with the mocking about how it looks. Games performing well and being entertaining enough and suited to the device as well as others without the headset.

Should be big enough to keep getting better, especially if they take their time like they seem to be doing. Hopefully we hear more delays till more games are ready for consoles imo

 

[Krejlooc]

Yeah ok, got you

I'll never forget the day I was shown monthly statistics on new patients from our neurologist. It was heartbreaking.

 

[kruis]

Both Crytek and Starbreeze are gonna be defunct in five years

Harsh, but I think this is true. VR won't be mainstream for many, many years. How are you going to build a business on something that's never going to be more than a niche market?

 

[Train of Midnight]

lol i'm gonna grab the low hanging fruit and talk about Crytek's relevance like the engines that will power 90% of my favorite games by the end of this generation aren't already featuring VR development suites like right now
because I'm an asshole

My feelings exactly. Being a contrarian is really popular lately.

 

[Krejlooc]

How are you going to build a business on something that's never going to be more than a niche market?

Our business plan shows a steady market supply. I was able to get several million in funding quite easily because the research shows an enormous potential audience.

 

[Jamix012]

Crytek on relevancy, more at 11.

What I wanted to say in much fewer words. If they're really working on an AAA budget game for VR I don't expect them to be around much longer.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

lmao not even remotely to this scale. I didn't see the medical industry spending hundreds of millions of dollars on 3DTV. I don't see the NFL planning training regiments around 4KTV.

I don't think anyone doubts that VR technology will have important applications in the medical field, as well as in other areas. That doesn't necessarily mean that it will ever take off as a mainstream consumer product,however.

 

[AllIsOneIsNone]

If VR ramps up this gen for PC, Morpheus and even mobile, then I wouldn't be surprised if next gen has a pretty heavy VR focus. I don't think it's near as clear cut as what Crytek is stating, but I don't think they're entirely wrong either.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Why exactly four years?

Maybe that's when we can expect the next gen of consoles to launch?

 

[AllIsOneIsNone]

Maybe that's when we can expect the next gen of consoles to launch?

Or at least when development starts for next gen.

 

[JustenP88]

I sweat a lot and I imagine my VR headset is going to constantly smell like day-old-dick.

I hope VR has staying power, but I can't see it replacing core gaming experiences any time soon.

 

[Lomax]

I don't know anyone excited about VR or expecting VR gaming to be a thing. Not a single person. The geekier people think it's a gimmick and there's zero chance the more casual gamers are going to switch from a phone or casual couch gaming to having a giant gadget on their head. The idea it will be the next big thing and a near certainty seems even more delusional than it seemed in the early 90s.

 

[Krejlooc]

I don't think anyone doubts that VR technology will have important applications in the medical field, as well as in other areas. That doesn't necessarily mean that it will ever take off as a mainstream consumer product,however.

The point is that "well 3DTV and 4KTV had lots of backing too!" is a disingenuous argument. It's superficial and shows little more than a surface glance at what's going on.

3DTV was a top down push - big studios saying "It'll be the best thing ever!" There are no indie 3DTV films, 3DTV didn't permeate several types of businesses. It was one enterprise hyping something up to be more than it was.

VR is nothing like that. It's been a bottoms up campaign from the beginning. It's not one industry aligning to VR, it's multiple, on a scale rarely seen. When several sectors of enterprise start to embrace a technology, it becomes transformative. The first step in any world-changing technology's distribution curve is a healthy Demo Scene developing around the technology. VR has that in spades.

Look at all the very big, life-changing technologies. They all gained significant footholds in private sectors, then were slowly introduced to the public, before they became mainstream successes. For decades, you saw computers in offices, in hospitals, etc before you saw them at home. Look at touch screens - for many people, the first touch screen they used wasn't on their phone, it was at their bank, or at a mall kiosk, or whatever. I remember going to a local community college to use their T1 internet line to download shit off of napster waaaaay before broadband became a force at home.

VR will be disseminated to the public the same way. They will be introduced to it in movie theaters, they will become familiar with it at their doctor's office. They'll see it on the sideline of NFL games. Then it'll become normalized, then it'll be everywhere, then it'll be a staple in the home.

People also don't realize that "gamedev" doesn't necessarily mean home consumer use. It also means military.

 

[Sojgat]

Crytek. Crytek never changes.

 

[kruis]

While is does seem a little silly coming from Crytek, his assessment is probably correct.

VR as a juggernaut in the future is almost a certainty. There is too much money behind it, and the investment is growing by leaps and bounds every day. Not to mention that it truly is an amazing experience, (the real deal) with near limitless possibilities.

Ready yourselves. Nothing is stopping this train.

Look at how much money was pumped by MS into Kinect. It was the fastest selling accessory in history when it launched in 2010. In 2013 Kinect 2 was supposed to be one of the unique selling points of the new Xbox One. In fact, the Xbox One wouldn't even boot without Kinect. In 2014 it became an optional accessory. In 2015 the tech is more or less dead.

VR could be the same thing: a surge of enthusiasm after the first devices launch, big sales and then excitement bubble slowly deflates when people realize there are just a handful of experiences suitable for VR, there's no AAA games support and it's no fun playing games with a box on your head.

 

[Vesper73]

It really is interesting how intense the emotions are for VR on either side of it (pro and con).

Speaking for myself, I've had some truly mind blowing experiences in VR (DK1 / DK2), which in and of itself is quite interesting given the poor condition of those devices relative to where we will be in five years. Given that, it doesn't take much imagination to extrapolate out several years and be almost giddy with regards where things will be in this space.

I am obviously very excited indeed about where VR is going, yet still want to high five those that are skeptical, as it is such an important characteristic in people (and for society in general).

Really looking forward to having more people try it for the first time.

 

[Lulubop]

Remember that time Crytek said the new consoles needed 8GB of ram and a ton of posters laughed at them just like this thread! They sure were wrong about that.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Crytek. Crytek never changes.

Hey, Crysis 1 fans would like to challenge that.

 

[Deadstar]

Just like any other gaming gimmick, vr will not last long

Just like the star trek holodeck gimmick. Once the holodeck is invented and works it'll only last a few years.

I haven't tried VR so I'm not really excited because I don't know the feeling of using it, but Giant Bomb is starting to hype me on it after their E3 talks. It sounds like this is something huge, not just a gimmick. No one watching 3d movies said this is the future, other than the companies pushing the tech. Same with motion controls. People said "this is fun" not "this is the future."

 

[Dictator93]

Crytek predicted and required 8 gigs of RAM for consoles. I think they have a certain set a of predictive power.

They also said game streaming would fail.

 

[RurouniZel]

VR is here to stay. It'll take a few years to hit mass appeal but it's definitely not something that will die out because we are finally getting the hardware that can support it properly.

Like 3D TVs?

Edit: I see this is being argued back and forth already. I do honestly see VR being a short lived tech that will be bought at first, but will die out in a few years.

 

[Caronte]

 

[Lomax]

The point is that "well 3DTV and 4KTV had lots of backing too!" is a disingenuous argument. It's superficial and shows little more than a surface glance at what's going on.

3DTV was a top down push - big studios saying "It'll be the best thing ever!" There are no indie 3DTV films, 3DTV didn't permeate several types of businesses. It was one enterprise hyping something up to be more than it was.

VR is nothing like that. It's been a bottoms up campaign from the beginning. It's not one industry aligning to VR, it's multiple, on a scale rarely seen. When several sectors of enterprise start to embrace a technology, it becomes transformative. The first step in any world-changing technology's distribution curve is a healthy Demo Scene developing around the technology. VR has that in spades.

Look at all the very big, life-changing technologies. They all gained significant footholds in private sectors, then were slowly introduced to the public, before they became mainstream successes. For decades, you saw computers in offices, in hospitals, etc before you saw them at home. Look at touch screens - for many people, the first touch screen they used wasn't on their phone, it was at their bank, or at a mall kiosk, or whatever. I remember going to a local community college to use their T1 internet line to download shit off of napster waaaaay before broadband became a force at home.

VR will be disseminated to the public the same way. They will be introduced to it in movie theaters, they will become familiar with it at their doctor's office. They'll see it on the sideline of NFL games. Then it'll become normalized, then it'll be everywhere, then it'll be a staple in the home.

People also don't realize that "gamedev" doesn't necessarily mean home consumer use. It also means military.

This is all very true. And remember, touch screens were in use for decades before they became mainstream. A four year cycle from hype to mainstream adoption is really fast, even in the technology fields.

 

[Krejlooc]

Like 3D TVs?

Just like computers?

 

[Lathentar]

I could certainly see his point if you're in the interest of selling your engine/tools. Luckily, adapting your engine to work well with VR should provide benefits even if VR doesn't take off.

 

[Train of Midnight]

The point is that "well 3DTV and 4KTV had lots of backing too!" is a disingenuous argument. It's superficial and shows little more than a surface glance at what's going on.

3DTV was a top down push - big studios saying "It'll be the best thing ever!" There are no indie 3DTV films, 3DTV didn't permeate several types of businesses. It was one enterprise hyping something up to be more than it was.

VR is nothing like that. It's been a bottoms up campaign from the beginning. It's not one industry aligning to VR, it's multiple, on a scale rarely seen. When several sectors of enterprise start to embrace a technology, it becomes transformative. The first step in any world-changing technology's distribution curve is a healthy Demo Scene developing around the technology. VR has that in spades.

Look at all the very big, life-changing technologies. They all gained significant footholds in private sectors, then were slowly introduced to the public, before they became mainstream successes. For decades, you saw computers in offices, in hospitals, etc before you saw them at home. Look at touch screens - for many people, the first touch screen they used wasn't on their phone, it was at their bank, or at a mall kiosk, or whatever. I remember going to a local community college to use their T1 internet line to download shit off of napster waaaaay before broadband became a force at home.

VR will be disseminated to the public the same way. They will be introduced to it in movie theaters, they will become familiar with it at their doctor's office. They'll see it on the sideline of NFL games. Then it'll become normalized, then it'll be everywhere, then it'll be a staple in the home.

People also don't realize that "gamedev" doesn't necessarily mean home consumer use. It also means military.

I just want to post this in all future anti-VR threads. Well said.

 

[Fennec]

Crytek is more relevant than ever guys, wake up.

 

[GreatestHits]

Thank you Crytek. VR will be a staple of hardcore gaming. I think it will be considered 'relax' or 'casual' play to play on a TV, but that last part might be a little out there of a prediction.

I'll say this, everyone who doesn't "get" VR is going to notice that all the core communities of each of their games are completely wrapped up in VR as it offers you to get deeper into the game itself. If you don't want that, that's fine, but it looks like hardcore gaming might go under a schism where we choose just how far into our games we really want to be. I think a HUGE chunk of what we label as hardcore gamers today are going to basically polarize into couch gamers and hardcore gamers. I think 'VR is going to be niche' is a humorous misinterpretation of what's going on right now

Comparing VR to 3D TV's is like comparing watching short stories on youtube to experiencing a true film. It's not just the resolution, it's the content, and the point behind showing anything on the screen in the first place. Just like you wouldn't watch a legit movie on a non-maximized youtube window, you will not be able to experience what a VR game will offer on a console. It's not just going to be the perspective difference. More than just tech is going to change, the depth of video games are going to change, the way they are developed is going to change, what a video game means is going to change... what you do in it, average play time, it's all evolving now.

You guys...... don't miss out on this just because you want to be sure you were ready for it to be a big flop

 

[Neuromancer]

There are going to be a lot of crow eaters here in 4 years after VR has taken off and really is the next big thing.

 

[OnionPowder]

So are people going to link back to this in 4 years just like the 8GB of ram thread?

 

[Des0lar]

Remember that time Crytek said the new consoles needed 8GB of ram and a ton of posters laughed at them just like this thread! They sure were wrong about that.

So much this.
Crytek: Single-Player experiences need to go and be more social -> Destiny one of the biggest franchises right now. All of the Minecraft-esque games booming in popularity especially since they are all multiplayer


But again, instead of having a reasonable discussion about VR, we have people shitposting with stuff like "Lol like 3D TV AMIRITE GUIZ?", while ignoring that every higher-end television is already equipped with 3D and most movies release in 3D, with little to no sign of it going away.

Again and again these threads prove that people who have NEVER experienced VR and have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what it really is, because they have spent less than 5 minutes thinking about what it is exactly and have no desire to educate themselves, just come into VR threads to shit on it and claiming to "leave gaming" altogether if VR is the future. Holy shit are you telling me really that once you can actually feel like living in your favorite game world you will quit your hobby, because you have to wear some glasses? Guess what you already look stupid sitting in front of your couch and playing your favorite game to the rest of the world, while the sun is shining outside and you could be doing something with people you like. But we still play games because they are fun.

But I guess until most VR devices release to the public and VR finds applications in gaming, films, medicine, robotics, home planning, engineering, ... then finally we can have a civil discussion about the future prospects of VR and where its limitations lie.

 

[And_Gignac]

The point is that "well 3DTV and 4KTV had lots of backing too!" is a disingenuous argument. It's superficial and shows little more than a surface glance at what's going on.

3DTV was a top down push - big studios saying "It'll be the best thing ever!" There are no indie 3DTV films, 3DTV didn't permeate several types of businesses. It was one enterprise hyping something up to be more than it was.

VR is nothing like that. It's been a bottoms up campaign from the beginning. It's not one industry aligning to VR, it's multiple, on a scale rarely seen. When several sectors of enterprise start to embrace a technology, it becomes transformative. The first step in any world-changing technology's distribution curve is a healthy Demo Scene developing around the technology. VR has that in spades.

Look at all the very big, life-changing technologies. They all gained significant footholds in private sectors, then were slowly introduced to the public, before they became mainstream successes. For decades, you saw computers in offices, in hospitals, etc before you saw them at home. Look at touch screens - for many people, the first touch screen they used wasn't on their phone, it was at their bank, or at a mall kiosk, or whatever. I remember going to a local community college to use their T1 internet line to download shit off of napster waaaaay before broadband became a force at home.

VR will be disseminated to the public the same way. They will be introduced to it in movie theaters, they will become familiar with it at their doctor's office. They'll see it on the sideline of NFL games. Then it'll become normalized, then it'll be everywhere, then it'll be a staple in the home.

People also don't realize that "gamedev" doesn't necessarily mean home consumer use. It also means military.

C´mon. People at large are not going to use those ridiculous headsets for anything outside their houses. Cinema? Banking? Never.They erase yourself from social interaction and interaction with the enviroment. If anything, AR as in Microsoft is trying it will work, but not VR as in Oculus.

 

[AllIsOneIsNone]

So are people going to link back to this in 4 years just like the 8GB of ram thread?

I have a good 5 or 10 VR related threads saved for occasions such as that

 

[DavidDesu]

Everyone getting their knickers in a twist. As a company that makes the tech that other developers build their games with, then yeah they definitely need to have VR as a working part of what they offer. I don't think they're saying gaming is going all VR, but its like when mobile came along, many were unprepared to make iPhone games. The ones who were capitalised hugely. VR, as a new platform more than anything else will be the same.

Anyone reading impressions from testing the most recent VR games and demos must surely see that VR has something to it. It's not a gimmick as much as people lazily mention 3D TV's and pretend they're the same thing. They're not. People have already had revelatory gaming experiences in games like Elite, Eve Valkyrie or The Kitchen where 3D gaming NEVER offered such experiences in the whole time that makeshift "sell people more TV's!" period has given us.

No of course it won't replace gaming as we know it, but it will create a new market and new games just for VR. If people want to ignore that then they do so at their peril, Nintendo in particular finally deciding to NOT bet on the "gimmick" which has been the holy grail of many gamers since forever, true immersion in a game world.

 

[Train of Midnight]

I have a good 5 or 10 VR related threads saved for occasions such as that

Can't wait

 

[Des0lar]

C´mon. People at large are not going to use those ridiculous headsets for anything outside their houses. Cinema? Banking? Never.They erase yourself from social interaction and interaction with the enviroment. If anything, AR as in Microsoft is trying it will work, but not VR as in Oculus.

You do realize that in home planning VR is ALREADY in use? There are actual companies out there using VR with customers.

 

[Krejlooc]

C´mon. People at large are not going to use those ridiculous headsets for anything outside their houses. Cinema? Banking? Never.They erase yourself from social interaction and interaction with the enviroment. If anything, AR as in Microsoft is trying it will work, but not VR as in Oculus.

Vr has already toured cinemas, and the reactions and crowd they get are enormous. I was talking to an amc dieector about a year ago at the interstellar premiere about how attendance skyrocketed everytime they had a vr attraction in their city.

Vr was a smash hit at Sundance.

 

[GreatestHits]

So are people going to link back to this in 4 years just like the 8GB of ram thread?

No the people who didn't believe in it will just be like, "oh well how was anyone supposed to know it was going to be one of the biggest inventions in entertainment ever". Like faster than anyone can blink it will be common knowledge that it's the experience above HD for those who don't get sick or just plain don't like it, etc. They will just take it in stride. It's pointless to discuss this with people who have rigid ideas about the world. It's better to spend our free time developing stuff for VR

 

[Jacksinthe]

People comparing tech specs to gameplay mechanics are borderline absurd. This is no different than if Crytek stated that every dev better have an FPS in production after COD4 because that's where they believe the industry is headed.

VR will be huge, it will have staying power and will do amazing things for the industry. But to infer you will be irrelevant without a VR title is like saying 2D isn't relevant in a 3 dimensional world. They are both very relevant and have been existing side by side for decades.

Devs not making VR games will be just fine. Devs making VR games have an uphill battle with adoption rates out of the gate but, after time, they will be fine, too.

We might as well tack on mobile, dlc, micro transactions, paywalls, subscriptions and episodic content to Crytek's list if anyone remotely believes VR will destroy everything else to the point of irrelevancy.

Make great games. Period.

 

[Delusibeta]

Didn't Crytek say exactly that about free 2 play?

Virtual reality reminds me of 3D cinema, in that the business plan is step 1) massive amounts of hype, step 2) ?????, step 3) mainstream popularity. A lot of these arguments about why VR is here to stay reminds me a lot of the arguments as to why 3D was here to stay three/four years ago. And if 3D is anything to go by, there's absolutely no guarantee that it's going to stick around in any large capacity.

(cue bunch of people giving reasons why 3D failed and ignoring the problems with VR)

 

[DavidDesu]

Like 3D TVs?

Edit: I see this is being argued back and forth already. I do honestly see VR being a short lived tech that will be bought at first, but will die out in a few years.

But how.. Arguably it will be a hard sell initially. The same way the iPhones launch price was ridiculed by people like Steve Balmer (and everyone else) and then look what happened. People are willing to sacrifice for truly transformative experiences, whether financially or by "looking a bit silly".

VR as it stands now works. It literally makes me feel like you're in a virtual place. Literally. It's not a screen strapped to your face that mimics motion tracking, its not an abstraction the way transplanting gaming onto a flat 2D screen was. It's one to one immersion, the world filling your vision and being able to look around it as naturally as you do in real life. It's there and its going to improve dramatically in a few years. Lighter headsets better graphics, more experiences and whole new experiences that will blow people away that we haven't thought of yet.

When you see people reacting to being in a car, or spaceship, or literally feel like a creepy woman has haunted them, invaded their personal space right up in front of their face... that's a whole new level of experience. This is not going to go away. No I don't expect to see a family all sat down with headsets on at the same time, but then how often do families all sit down to play games together. VR fits in with most peoples gaming habits already, just because it won't be appropriate non some instances doesn't mean it will not become hugely successful.

 

[Krejlooc]

 

[Chû Totoro]

if you want to be relevant in much more than four years in game dev, you need to make good games.

ouch... Crytek bye.

I can bet with Crytek and if an actor is still relevant without VR in 4 years (I think most will be) then they exit the market. Else I quit gaming

Biggest balls ever (or not).

 

[Mononoke]

100%

Team Ico are an example of a Dev that have remained relevant due to having two of the most highly rated games for the PS2 in their history and a highly anticipated third. Yet, despite Team Ico spending the 7th generation shrouded in mystery, they have re-appeared and remain an exciting, relevant dev today.

Cause they make good games.

I agree with the spirit of your post, and it's for the most part accurate. But let's see if the Last Guardian actually sells well. It's one thing to be "liked" by consumers and critics, another to be selling well and bringing in good sales #s.

I guess it's the always the tension with art/commercialism. Sometimes the things critics love, doesn't necessarily = sales. I guess the problem a lot of companies run into, is they want to chase the things they think will make money, as opposed to just trying to make good games, and have them sell on their own merits. Like even though people hate Call of Duty, they are still good games. Maybe milked and redundant, but they are still good. And Modern Warfare is what kicked this off, and it was a damn good game.

So I basically agree that good games sell. Only sometimes they don't. =/

EDIT: Someone brought up, that some games have a much smaller budget, and things like "prestige" and "goodwill" matter. And that is actually a great point. If Sony for instance has, award winning games that don't do well in a major consumer sense, it's still valuable. It's like Breaking Bad for the first four seasons. It was a very small show budget wise, as well audience size (it did grow by 4th season, but it had a small audience first 3). But it brought AMC prestige because it's lead actor was dominating at the Emmys, and critics were professing their love for the show (often rating it the #1 show on TV). So yeah, games like ICO and Shadows don't have to bring in BIG sales #s to be a success.

 

[Delusibeta]

Another problem with the VR is the same problem the WiiU had, in that (outside of true believers) the general public has no idea what it's like.

 

[Krejlooc]

Another problem with the VR is the same problem the WiiU had, in that (outside of true believers) the general public has no idea what it's like.

The public knows what the wiiu is like. They just rejected it. The public will understand what vr is about the second they put on a headset.

 

[Mihos]

C´mon. People at large are not going to use those ridiculous headsets for anything outside their houses. Cinema? Banking? Never.They erase yourself from social interaction and interaction with the enviroment. If anything, AR as in Microsoft is trying it will work, but not VR as in Oculus.

Facebook didn't buy Oculus for its sensory deprivation applications. Compared to all other electronic forms of interaction, VR will be the most social.

https://thevoid.com/

Spoiler

looks antisocial as hell don't it?

 

[Chû Totoro]

Another problem with the VR is the same problem the WiiU had, in that (outside of true believers) the general public has no idea what it's like.

Yes but VR has a good marketing and it won't have something like tablets to make the concept obsolete (or perceived as not very high end technology) even before it's out. And it's still a very nice thing than can bring very interesting new experiences, but saying not having VR will make you irrelevant... just lol

 

[GreatestHits]

Virtual reality reminds me of 3D cinema, in that the business plan is step 1) massive amounts of hype, step 2) ?????, step 3) mainstream popularity. A lot of these arguments about why VR is here to stay reminds me a lot of the arguments as to why 3D was here to stay three/four years ago. And if 3D is anything to go by, there's absolutely no guarantee that it's going to stick around in any large capacity.

3DTV did not inspire developers from many industries to devote their lives to entirely new projects to sure with the world. VR did. You see, 3D TV only brought a change to viewing. If you don't understand how VR brings so many things to the table besides just a simple view change, then I'm sure I can't explain it to you, but just watch the projects that come out for it. Without proper projects to showcase what VR can do, threads like this will go on forever

but saying not having VR will make you irrelevant... just lol

It's a bold statement on purpose. I believe he is basically implying that VR is far more important to AAA and hardcore gaming than most people realize, even among hardcore communities like GAF. This industry is all about new buzz, and VR is not only just new buzz, it allows developers to create entirely new, entirely deeper experiences on top of having a very easy to understand set of new features to show off. So they are going to probably jump on that 'this is the new thing' buzz even if the games are not there yet, and push it as a "hey VR is AAA gaming now, go play a mobile title or a Nintendo game or an old game if you aren't in it with us'

The thing is though, if it happens this way, it will be a different hype than these two previous gens, where the promise of the new tech (better graphics) never delivered anything interesting for games themselves. VR will have the ability to have legs, and offer an evolving domain of gaming that continues to innovate and amaze us. This has always been the spirit of games until recently, and it looks like gaming might just be shedding off it's hollywood-wanna be skin that it picked up recently, and letting that become what it will to it's market, while the true spirit of video games lives on just as strong as ever, with VR as the zephyr into it's next dimension/stage of evolution.

 

[Alx]

Look at how much money was pumped by MS into Kinect. It was the fastest selling accessory in history when it launched in 2010. In 2013 Kinect 2 was supposed to be one of the unique selling points of the new Xbox One. In fact, the Xbox One wouldn't even boot without Kinect. In 2014 it became an optional accessory. In 2015 the tech is more or less dead.
.

In 2015, the tech is what makes Hololens possible.
Also if you're into computer vision research, conferences like CVPR2015 showed an impressive amount of scientific publications based on depth cameras.