Support NeoGAF

[Durante]

Wii Sports was a such a masterstroke of a killer app that it really does need to be studied and dissected for future generations to understand.

And it wasn't "AAA" by any stretch of the imagination. Neither is Minecraft for that matter, and that's one of the few comparable successes recently.

What is VR going to sell me on? Why should I upgrade my PC, and spend $600+ on a headset? An app store of experimental VR games?

Yes. Otherwise you are probably not an early adopter and likely better served by not getting a VR headset this year. You can get one next year or in 2018 when there is a far larger selection of less experimental games.

That said, room scale experimental VR games are pretty damn amazing by all accounts.

Makes sense to me. There's not going to be one killer app but rather a full breadth and depth of easily accessible VR content (games, experiences and apps).

If Valve were completely commited to going for the full breadth and depth of VR experiences they would need to alter the Steam rules a bit though. *cough*

 

[Shuggananas]

1st post.

I don't know but we should have a specific 1st post quote with something special.
It's so many times the best, concise answer to give to OP.

if smartphones were just phones they wouldn't have worked
first post is actually trash

 

[spekkeh]

You didn't follow "steamboxes" did you. From the outset they made it clear, it isn't intended as a big seller right now, they intentionally started small. The whole idea isn't going to go anywhere for many years. There is a ton of work to be done, and the first thing they are pushing for is Vulkan

Tell that to the OEMs who got burned.

 

[Huff]

The killer app wasn't a game, it was the social apps on the go. Facebook Twitter etc

 

[Duggie_Brown]

Valve doesn't think VR need a killer App?....

Wait a minute, let me read that sentence again again...

"Valve doesn't think VR need a killer App?...."

I see a H...an L...and the word App is only 3 letters...wait a minute....HL3!! HALF LIFE 3 confirmed!!!!

 

[ashecitism]

Well, in the interview he does mention they're hopefully going to reveal a stealth game this month. Doesn't seem like Budget Cuts, since that doesn't have a two-handed bow mechanic, so maybe Valve made their Longbow demo evolve or this is another 3rd party. Anyway, it's probably not going to be big. We'll see.

 

[papo]

Do you think the Wii would have been just as successful if it had launched with WiiMusic and WiiSports never existed?

Wii Sports was a such a masterstroke of a killer app that it really does need to be studied and dissected for future generations to understand.

No it would have not been successful, but I still see it more of a tech demo than a killer app. There should have been a 'real' killer app modeled after the success of the tech demo, but WiiSports 2 didn't do that good.

So what I feel the need to serve as a killer app is a good UI and introductory tech demo.

Again guys I may be wrong in the way I think about these thing, I just think they suggest some big AAA experience as a killer app and I don't think that's what they need here.

 

[Pranay]

Wait you needed a smartphone to talk and text?

Smart phones are way convinent then old mobile phones to talk and text
Yes, phone in general are a nessecity and they make your life 10x easier with apps.

My smart phone dialing mic was not working for a month, I spend an entire month spending more time on my dumb phone rather then a smart phone.

 

[Moon_frogger]

Vr doesn't need a killer app because VR will never really take off for gaming. It will used like Skype so you can have virtual tea with your sister or teach yoga or some shit. This is the elephant in the room gamers are ignoring. By the time vr is viable it will be normalized. You won't be blown away by playing half life 2 on it, when you spend half your day in some bullshit meeting with a helmet strapped to your head you'll be happy to see your tv. The last thing you'll want to do is put the ol helmet back on lol

 

[massoluk]

Vr doesn't need a killer app because VR will never really take off for gaming. It will used like Skype so you can have virtual tea with your sister or teach yoga or some shit. This is the elephant in the room gamers are ignoring. By the time vr is viable it will be normalized. You won't be blown away by playing half life 2 on it, when you spend half your day in some bullshit meeting with a helmet strapped to your head you'll be happy to see your tv. The last thing you'll want to do is put the ol helmet back on lol

I agreed, but let's be frank here. It's all about porn.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

I trust Chet. He seems like a no nonsense kind of guy. But this strikes me as detached from reality. Their answer can't just be 'Steam is the killer app'

the sensation of being placed into a new reality

is the killer app

 

[sora87]

Nothing I've seen so far appeals to me, I definitely need a few killer big games to sell me on it.

 

[Trojita]

So instead of Fart Apps we are going to have Fart VR experiences?

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

No killer app confirmed.

 

[Shuggananas]

Nothing I've seen so far appeals to me, I definitely need a few killer big games to sell me on it.

Wii worked without an AAA killer app, and I don't think a "killer app" would have sold it
VR needs the same kind of shit as wii sports, small tech demos that give consumers a good idea of what the possibilities are. Make it demoable

 

[spekkeh]

So instead of Fart Apps we are going to have Fart VR experiences?

I'm calling dibs on a room scale game about farting and walking around pretending other people did it. Send me a PM to discuss IPR game devs.

 

[Yoda]

The iphone didn't need a beefy PC for it to work. (sold separately)

 

[bigmac996]

Looks like they dont even now their audience. The vast majority of people who'd buy the Vive would be hardcore gamers who have the PC specs to run the thing. Not casual ipad/ iphone game fans.

 

[ParityBit]

Do they even know that generally it is the PC gamer crowd who despises mobile games? This being the same people who would buy this to begin with.

Plus smartphones are .... phones.

 

[Visualante2]

I'm calling dibs on a room scale game about farting and walking around pretending other people did it. Send me a PM to discuss IPR game devs.

Justin Roiland is on that already.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

Wii worked without an AAA killer app, and I don't think a "killer app" would have sold it
VR needs the same kind of shit as wii sports, small tech demos that give consumers a good idea of what the possibilities are. Make it demoable

Not sure I understand the distinction being made here.

Wii Sports was definitely a killer app. Maybe not "AAA" but killer nonetheless. People didn't buy the Wii for the menu.

And it wasn't a tech demo. It was a real game. With real scores. With multiplayer and everything.

 

[7DollarHagane]

Wow, these companies pushing VR really want to equate it to smartphones and app store..

Must be the magic words for getting investment capital these days.

I still think it's going to be a non-starter this time around. Maybe next time in 7-10 years when VR is less like a scuba mask and more like a pair of sunglasses.

 

[7DollarHagane]

No it would have not been successful, but I still see it more of a tech demo than a killer app. There should have been a 'real' killer app modeled after the success of the tech demo, but WiiSports 2 didn't do that good.

So what I feel the need to serve as a killer app is a good UI and introductory tech demo.

Again guys I may be wrong in the way I think about these thing, I just think they suggest some big AAA experience as a killer app and I don't think that's what they need here.

Nope, it was a killer app. People tried it and had to have the hardware to play it. It is THE killer app. Almost no better example exists.

And I know lots of people who played it for years, just a few hours a week. It had lasting appeal for sure.

 

[Shuggananas]

Wow, these companies pushing VR really want to equate it to smartphones and all store..

Must be the magic words for getting investment capital these days.

Yeah valve really are after some juicy investments
Wait

 

[Astral/H3X]

They aren't saying that they are going to make mobile games. They are saying that they will be smaller games compared to the bombastic Battlefields and CODs that we call AAA.

 

[MUnited83]

Makes sense, but since they said AppStore, clearly is time for people to ignore all contect and start shitposting.

 

[ArtHands]

We need two assassin creed games per year on VR or it will straight up die



"dad can I get this 600$ thing for minecraft ?"
eh

"dad can I get this 600$ thing for minecraft ?"
"wtf what's this thing...wait its the thing that plays VR porn isn't it? Sure we'll get it right now"

 

[Coffee Dog]

Frankly, playing hectic gameplay heavy games with a headset on sounds like too much of a barrier for most people. If the "killer app" is a game, it'll be a slow paced open world wandering title like a skyrim, no man's sky, or minecraft. It'll be something that puts you into a sandbox environment to mess around in, and it'll blow minds by being the closest thing to a holodeck yet.

 

[DrZeus]

VR has an inherent killer app. It's called porn. It'll do fine off that alone.

 

[KatamariOnTheRocks]

Vr doesn't need a killer app because VR will never really take off for gaming. It will used like Skype so you can have virtual tea with your sister or teach yoga or some shit. This is the elephant in the room gamers are ignoring. By the time vr is viable it will be normalized. You won't be blown away by playing half life 2 on it, when you spend half your day in some bullshit meeting with a helmet strapped to your head you'll be happy to see your tv. The last thing you'll want to do is put the ol helmet back on lol

I've seen people say some stupid shit on neogaf, but this is truly some next level nonsense. To seriously imply that people wouldn't want to play games in VR because they spend their whole day using VR is no different than saying people wouldn't want to play games on a monitor after spending all day working on a monitor.

I absolutely agree that VR will truly hit it's stride outside of gaming and especially in social experiences, but to suggest that the reason why is due to such silly reasoning is nonsense.

 

[LexW]

Makes sense, but since they said AppStore, clearly is time for people to ignore all contect and start shitposting.

The comparison made by Chet (god love 'im) literally does not make sense or hold up, so it seems bizarre to call pointing this out "shitposting".

If it does make sense, go ahead and explain how. You'll be the first person in the thread to do so.

 

[A-V-B]

Of course Valve sees a store as the killer app of VR. They see Steam as the killer app of the PC.

 

[DavidDesu]

Well VR is its own killer app. Looking at blocks in a room or standing on top of a mountain made of a few polygons can be impressive in VR. Even relatively small scale simple games will be a revelation to most people. Sure bigger experiences will come, there will be a game where you can live out your Matrix shoot off fantasies, but even before those games come everything else will be worth it.

 

[mario_O]

No surprise the company behind Steam is saying the killer app is the app store. But what about doing some games for a change Valve? HL3 VR could be a nice killer app for gamers.

 

[Hale-XF11]

People are gonna only want to play so many bite-sized indie games before they want something that really makes VR worthwhile. VR needs a killer app.

 

[Shuggananas]

No surprise the company behind Steam is saying the killer app is the app store. But what about doing some games for a change Valve? HL3 VR could be a nice killer app for gamers.

If it's VR (or even just vive) exclusive it'd be the biggest PR disaster
If it's not people will just play it on PC normally

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

Well VR is its own killer app. Looking at blocks in a room or standing on top of a mountain made of a few polygons can be impressive in VR. Even relatively small scale simple games will be a revelation to most people. Sure bigger experiences will come, there will be a game where you can live out your Matrix shoot off fantasies, but even before those games come everything else will be worth it.

Software sells the hardware.

Always.

Killer App just means "what software will take this product from 'this is cool' territory into 'I'll buy it right now' territory".

I have no doubt that for some people, it may be as simple as looking at a mountain range or whatever, but for the majority of potential customers they'll want some sort of game or app that really sells them on the potential of the device.

This is logical. Valve trying to say they need no killer app is ignorant and betrays the fact that they'll probably be relying on third parties to push the device.

This is why I'm hitching my ride to PSVR. It's the only option right now that appears to have substantial, dedicated (important) developer support from first and third parties.

 

[papo]

Nope, it was a killer app. People tried it and had to have the hardware to play it. It is THE killer app. Almost no better example exists.

And I know lots of people who played it for years, just a few hours a week. It had lasting appeal for sure.

But then nothing. It was indeed a killer app, but the Wii had mass appeal. Many people bought it for the WiiSports demo and nothing else( The Wii would have been so much succesful if Nintendo had a solid internet plan).

A similar killer app would not work at all for VR in the overall market. I still think they need a solid tech demo and UI at release and make that the killer app. MEaning something FREE included at launch that would hold the user base.

 

[Skulduggery]

Proper content creation tools is the only Killer App VR needs.

Unity and Unreal the king and queen on that front. Long may they reign.

 

[Boss Mog]

For me, VR is already a tough sell so if they're gonna take this approach with it, well I might as well give up on it.

 

[sora87]

Wii worked without an AAA killer app, and I don't think a "killer app" would have sold it
VR needs the same kind of shit as wii sports, small tech demos that give consumers a good idea of what the possibilities are. Make it demoable

Personally it was Super Mario Galaxy that sold me on the Wii.
I'd need something similar to throw down £300 for a VR headset.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

But then nothing. It was indeed a killer app, but the Wii had mass appeal. Many people bought it for the WiiSports demo and nothing else( The Wii would have been so much succesful if Nintendo had a solid internet plan).

This is not true. Wii software attach rate was incredibly high, averaging 9 games per owner (I think the actual number was more like 8.8 or something). This is also not logical. If many people only bought it for Wii Sports and nothing else, then there wouldn't have been a flood of (very profitable, as pubs like EA and Ubisoft told us) so-called "shovelware" and "minigame collections", because those games wouldn't have been selling.

A similar killer app would not work at all for VR in the overall market. I still think they need a solid tech demo and UI at release and make that the killer app. MEaning something FREE included at launch that would hold the user base.

I think you're right. People wanna see what's so special about VR. The majority aren't going to buy it based on hopes and promises from the future.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Smartphones do have a killer app: they're fucking phones, everybody needs one.

Exactly. VR is something no one needs, and many people are skeptical about. It most definitely needs several killer apps to succeed.

For a lot of people, the app store on their smart phone is just icing on the cake. They need the phone for work (calls, e-mail, calendar) etc. in today's world. All the apps, games etc. are just bonus features.

 

[7DollarHagane]

But then nothing. It was indeed a killer app, but the Wii had mass appeal. Many people bought it for the WiiSports demo and nothing else( The Wii would have been so much succesful if Nintendo had a solid internet plan).

A similar killer app would not work at all for VR in the overall market. I still think they need a solid tech demo and UI at release and make that the killer app. MEaning something FREE included at launch that would hold the user base.

But then nothing?

They sold over 80 million wii sports bundled and standalone.

And then 35 million copies of Mario kart Wii were sold.

And then 32 million copies of Wii sports resort were sold.

And then Wii fit sold 40 million units, and new super Mario Bros wii almost 30, and Wii play another 28 million.

People like to forget that the Wii was a phenomenal success for both software and hardware sales for the first few years. Only after 2010 or so did it fall off and stop selling. Nintendo's only mistake was not having a console follow-up ready for 2011 holiday.

VR needs software to sell it and just because there's no killer app they shouldn't try to spin it like one isn't needed.

 

[Shuggananas]

Personally it was Super Mario Galaxy that sold me on the Wii.
I'd need something similar to throw down £300 for a VR headset.

Cause you're a passionate gamer, not a casual/non-gamer, plus galaxy hardly used wii features.

 

[Nzyme32]

Exactly. VR is something no one needs, and many people are skeptical about. It most definitely needs several killer apps to succeed.

For a lot of people, the app store on their smart phone is just icing on the cake. They need the phone for work (calls, e-mail, calendar) etc. in today's world. All the apps, games etc. are just bonus features.

They are not saying VR doesn't need killer apps. They ARE saying that VR doesn't need a AAA killer app. That is the point of using the "app store" app as an example

Such an arrogant answer. But I'm not surprised coming from Valve. They always seem to have their head stuck against their own ass.

How exactly is this an arrogant response?

 

[Replicant]

Such an arrogant answer. But I'm not surprised coming from Valve. They always seem to have their head stuck against their own ass.

 

[10k]

Buying $599+ tax devices to play mobile games in VR with $1500 PC's. This is gonna go well.

Makes me believe why PlayStation VR will have some success because games like Horizon or No Man's Sky are going to eventually be on it and it'll work with PS4's which are much cheaper than gaming PC's needed to run oculus or vive.

I hope VR is successful, it's like an 80's and 90's kids dream come true.

 

[Horp]

Lots of good replies in this thread. The comparison to smartphones doesnt hold up. VR might not need a killer app though. In a few years, when price is lower and the hardware performance is better, I think people will reallt start wanting VR.

 

[loganclaws]

The big problem with making traditional games in VR is that they haven't solved movement. Either you use a controller to move our you're stuck in certain places and can't move. When movement is solved then we can see truly immersive games in open worlds.