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The Gamer: There Aren't Enough Reasons To Buy A PlayStation VR2 Right Now

mxbison

Member
Expectations people have for VR:
  • Super high end technology
  • $200 max
  • Huge amount of launch content

Expectations people have for other tech products:
  • Slightly better than the last one
  • Not more expensive than a monthly salary

I don't get it but whatever. VR is easily the most interesting thing in gaming in the last like 15 years.
 
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Roufianos

Member
I take it Sony are just future proofing themselves for a time when VR actually is mainstream. It's definitely a niche at the moment, and clearly not one that they're gonna throw loads of development resources at.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
I agree with the article.

Half Life Alyx would be the pretty big reason imho.

I don't understand Valve & Sony strategies here, the VR gaming market is very small and could falter at any moment, in this condition you cannot afford to focus on defending your own little part of land that could disappear with the rest of it. It is way too small a market to have so many players with close and restrictive ecosystems, and I dont see a "winner takes all" happening here. It's either "We all make it together" or "Everybody dies".


Perhaps they’re waiting for Sony to embrace that mindset and make PSVR2 SteamVR compatible
 
VR to me is still in the early stages, where gaming was back in the 80s. Developers are still trying to figure what works and what doesn't. Half Life Alyx is kind of like the Mario Bros of VR being the first game that I would say got it mostly right. Games like Half Life Alyx need to be the norm not the exception until it becomes as mainstream as non-VR gaming.
 

nowhat

Member
VR to me is still in the early stages, where gaming was back in the 80s. Developers are still trying to figure what works and what doesn't. Half Life Alyx is kind of like the Mario Bros of VR being the first game that I would say got it mostly right.
I'd say more like the 3D (as in polygonal, not stereoscopic) revolution of the mid-90s. There were some successes (like Mario 64, although in retrospect the controls really aren't that great all the time), some less successful but still functional stuff like Crash and then... too many failures to count. But I think we're pretty close to getting "there", something like RE8 translates very well to VR, given that it was updated with appropriate UI and control gimmicks. GT7 "just works", but driving games perhaps require the least amount of effort to work well in VR.
 

Ronin_7

Banned
Expensive and not many worthwhile games. GT7 and that Horizon game is about it. Once you are done with them then it sits gathering dust until your friends/family are around or you start wondering how much money you can get back for it on eBay.

Gaming on any VR headset sucks. It's not worth the money. Headsets over the next couple years will be aimed more towards the "metaverse" and the biggest selling point will be the Augmented Reality aspect of it. Apple and Facebook want headsets to be smartphone replacements.

Maybe in 10 years or so we'll have meaningful gaming experiences on headsets. Gaming on headsets today is like playing Snake on a Nokia 3310 compared to gaming on smartphones today.
Bad take. It's not as comfortable as being on the couch sure but playing on VR2 is an amazing experience.

Let me guess, you haven't played it 🤣🤣🤣 YOUR opinion is worthless then.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Expectations people have for VR:
  • Super high end technology
  • $200 max
  • Huge amount of launch content

Expectations people have for other tech products:
  • Slightly better than the last one
  • Not more expensive than a monthly salary

I don't get it but whatever. VR is easily the most interesting thing in gaming in the last like 15 years.
People's expectations in life for anything:

  • High price = High quality product
  • When it comes to modern day console tech = backwards compatible

What people are getting with VR in general:
  • High price = Low quality/indie budget games no matter how high spec or costly the VR headset is
  • PSVR2 not BC with PSVR1 games unless there's an patch update from the dev
 
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VR isn't ready yet, the only killer app is GT7 and not everyone like's racers. Id say by the time PS7 which will be 2037 it will be but right now it's as niche as the Nintendo Virtual boy.

To get there you need for companies like Sony, Apple and the rest of them to keep trying... How else do you think manufacturers will be able to iron out the kinks, advance the technology, and accumulate experience in terms of designing games for it? Some of you expect inactivity and radio silence for another decade, until a miraculous headset that produces titles on its own descend from heaven...
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Really looking forward to SOnys showcase becuase i am ready to pull the trigger on PSVR2 or Quest 3 and I just need to see some extra support from Sony to make my decision.
 

Aaron Olive

Member
To get there you need for companies like Sony, Apple and the rest of them to keep trying... How else do you think manufacturers will be able to iron out the kinks, advance the technology, and accumulate experience in terms of designing games for it? Some of you expect inactivity and radio silence for another decade, until a miraculous headset that produces titles on its own descend from heaven...
Im not denying the keep trying part but I feel like the hardware potential, software and adoption won't be there till quite sometime. So until then I'll wait, just like the first adopters of the $10,000 Apple Watch 1 or the first Tesla which was a Lotus Elise.
 
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SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Maybe not a PSVR2, but I’m interested in messing around with VR again. Might hook up the Rift, and consider the Quest 3 when it hits.
Definitely want to play Alyx again. It’d be great if we saw more cross VR platform games to help grow the format.
 
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Deerock71

Member
This was my thought before the PSVR2 was released and I said I wasn't gonna get one because of that reason.
But I did anyway and my original opinion still stands
love you all work in progress GIF
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
To get there you need for companies like Sony, Apple and the rest of them to keep trying... How else do you think manufacturers will be able to iron out the kinks, advance the technology, and accumulate experience in terms of designing games for it? Some of you expect inactivity and radio silence for another decade, until a miraculous headset that produces titles on its own descend from heaven...
Im not denying the keep trying part but I feel like the hardware potential, software and adoption won't be there till quite sometime.
I dont even think it's about the tech specs or resolution or FOV angles. It can be NASA powered with built in dual SLI 4090 gpus. Doesnt matter.

It's the price, a brick on your head, budget games, and the point of VR is about moving around like Wii which fits best with first person camera angles where a gamer pretends to grab boxes or shoot and reload guns or slash a sword. Never mind the price or thing on your head. A lot of people dont even care about first person view camera angles to start with or want to bother flailing arms or ducking behind a crate like it's real life. I know I dont.

I'm pretty sure the tech is good enough when paired with a console or PC so the games can be made into meatier games like traditional sit down gamepad and m/kb games.

But the nature of the games are a turn off for tons of people.
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
People's expectations in life for anything:

  • High price = High quality product
  • When it comes to modern day console tech = backwards compatible

What people are getting with VR in general:
  • High price = Low quality/indie budget games no matter how high spec or costly the VR headset is
  • PSVR2 not BC with PSVR1 games unless there's an patch update from the dev
I mean, those expectations are fair tbh, which is why so many people I know simply bounced off of this tech, and why its taking so long to break into the mainstream. The barrier of entry is still way too high for what you can actually get out of it. I have two different goggles now and I'm happy about getting into this market but I still use them maybe like 2-3 times a week in short bursts.

VR being a niche market also prompts most hardware and software producers to hike up prices on everything, from software to hardware and accessories. I couldn't believe that I had to fork out 90 Euros on a single touch controller when I had to replace it, that's crazy expensive. And don't even get me started on official Meta store accessories. Fucking USB-C cable will cost you 100 Euros. What. The. Fuck.
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
I tend to agree but I imagine Sony is going to get there eventually. I plan on getting one once there is a compelling reason to do so.
They never 'got there' with the original PSVR so I doubt they will here. Sure some good ports but Astrobot Rescue Mission was the only original great PSVR game
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I mean, those expectations are fair tbh, which is why so many people I know simply bounced off of this tech, and why its taking so long to break into the mainstream. The barrier of entry is still way too high for what you can actually get out of it. I have two different goggles now and I'm happy about getting into this market but I still use them maybe like 2-3 times a week in short bursts.

VR being a niche market also prompts most hardware and software producers to hike up prices on everything, from software to hardware and accessories. I couldn't believe that I had to fork out 90 Euros on a single touch controller when I had to replace it, that's crazy expensive. And don't even get me started on official Meta store accessories. Fucking USB-C cable will cost you 100 Euros. What. The. Fuck.
The best bet for success IMO is this. And even then it'll only get so many gamers.

- Cheap price
- Or bundled in even cheaper with consoles or PCs

- The devs figure out how to make meatier games which arent all budget quality games that skew to first person
- Or the devs get accustomed to adding VR mode to the traditional game like GT7. Just like how most console games add in MP mode the past 15 years where gamers kind of expect a certain standard with games now where MP is included most of the time. The gamer can then buy the game and bounce back and forth playing regular mode and VR mode
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
The best bet for success IMO is this. And even then it'll only get so many gamers.

- Cheap price
- Or bundled in even cheaper with consoles or PCs

- The devs figure out how to make meatier games which arent all budget quality games that skew to first person
- Or the devs get accustomed to adding VR mode to the traditional game like GT7. Just like how most console games add in MP mode the past 15 years where gamers kind of expect a certain standard with games now where MP is included most of the time. The gamer can then buy the game and bounce back and forth playing regular mode and VR mode
Yeah, the bolded part is especially attractive after seeing so many quality VR ports of non-VR games that are being made by like one or two dudes on Patreon. The risk of investing into the development of a game would be much lower if it was also possible to play it normally but also without skimming on the VR mode. It can't be garbage like Skyrim VR because no one would want to play that anyway.
 
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midnightAI

Member
  • High price = Low quality/indie budget games no matter how high spec or costly the VR headset is
  • PSVR2 not BC with PSVR1 games unless there's an patch update from the dev
But aren't most PSVR 1 games (in general) low quality/indie games? So on one hand you condemn them from not raising the bar but in the other hand say they need to have old PSVR 1 titles on there, that contradicts itself.

Sony wants to move on from that, GT7, Horizon and RE8 prove that, how about we wait a while before determining the outcome/see what Sony has up their sleeves in regards to future PSVR2 titles. At least let them have a full PlayStation showcase to show those off.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
The best bet for success IMO is this. And even then it'll only get so many gamers.

- Cheap price
- Or bundled in even cheaper with consoles or PCs

- The devs figure out how to make meatier games which arent all budget quality games that skew to first person
- Or the devs get accustomed to adding VR mode to the traditional game like GT7. Just like how most console games add in MP mode the past 15 years where gamers kind of expect a certain standard with games now where MP is included most of the time. The gamer can then buy the game and bounce back and forth playing regular mode and VR mode

VR sets really need 4 things to be successful mainstream:

-Price - Close to free/included (definitely way cheaper, perhaps $100-200)
-Form - As simple as putting on sunglasses (nothing like now, too awkward and isolating)
-Games - Need ports of nearly all major games
-Quality - Needs to rival high end TV sets

So basically it's impossible, at least for another 20 years.
 

aclar00

Member
yeah Sony having market lead has made them to believe that they're Apple, charging $700 for computer wheels and $1000 for a monitor stand.

This is all Jim. Jim is definitely beholden to investors and doesnt believe in losing money on hardware. Lets just hope they dont get too arrogant and rest on their laurels.

I doubt we'll see a PS5 decrease until at least November 2024 for this reason and the continuing sales of the PS5 of course.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
But aren't most PSVR 1 games (in general) low quality/indie games? So on one hand you condemn them from not raising the bar but in the other hand say they need to have old PSVR 1 titles on there, that contradicts itself.

Sony wants to move on from that, GT7, Horizon and RE8 prove that, how about we wait a while before determining the outcome/see what Sony has up their sleeves in regards to future PSVR2 titles. At least let them have a full PlayStation showcase to show those off.
Its not just PSVR, but PC too.

PCVR has been in full swing for maybe 3-5 years across many headsets. Aside from HL Alyx, have the games really gotten any better? GT7 isn't even a dedicated VR game. It's the standard game and they added VR mode a year later. The only time you hear about VR sets is specs talk, almost never about the games. The Meta article last year even said half the VR users bail after 6 months. So despite tons of $20 VR games to try, it seems most people dont even want to bother any more.

When Quest 3 or Quest Pro 2 come out, I dont see the games suddenly changing a lot.
 
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Minsc

Gold Member
Its not just PSVR, but PC too.

PCVR has been in full swing for maybe 3-5 years across many headsets. Aside from HL Alyx, have the games really gotten any better? GT7 isn't even a dedicated VR game. It's the standard game and they added VR mode a year later. The only time you hear about VR sets is specs talk, almost never about the games. The Meta article last year even said half the VR users bail after 6 months. So despite tons of $20 VR games to try, it seems most people dont even want to bother any more.

When Quest 3 or Quest Pro 2 come out, I dont see the games suddenly changing a lot.

With PC VR I'm under the impression you have mods for nearly every popular game to play in VR. Maybe not that widespread, but there's not going to be a shortage of games to play, unofficially.

Edit: Why would GT7 need to be dedicated? IMO it's better that it's hybrid. You can jump in and out of VR mode one race to the next without even restarting the game, it's definitely done it properly - the VR mode is the definitive way to play, but if you want the flat mode is still there too.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
With PC VR I'm under the impression you have mods for nearly every popular game to play in VR. Maybe not that widespread, but there's not going to be a shortage of games to play, unofficially.

Edit: Why would GT7 need to be dedicated? IMO it's better that it's hybrid. You can jump in and out of VR mode one race to the next without even restarting the game, it's definitely done it properly - the VR mode is the definitive way to play, but if you want the flat mode is still there too.
It doesn't have to be dedicated.

I was just getting to the point I made earlier it's a hybrid game. And the best chance of success is adding VR modes to existing games. Because it seems aside from HL Alyx, the vast majority of VR games are indie budget quality.
 
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midnightAI

Member
GT7 isn't even a dedicated VR game. It's the standard game and they added VR mode a year later.
Youre Wrong Gordon Ramsay GIF by Hell's Kitchen

In fact, support for PS VR2 was something we had in mind when we started developing Gran Turismo 7. In other words, it was originally produced on the premise of corresponding to VR.

This is just my imagination, but it seems that many titles are retrofitted with VR support. However, we also had a hard time with Gran Turismo Sport, and it's very difficult to make an existing title compatible with VR later.

Therefore, "Gran Turismo 7" was created in advance as "VR Native". Think of this as almost synonymous with running the game at 4K60p (*). In order to move the image with that image quality and speed, you have to make the data fairly light.

Therefore, the most difficult aspect of development was maintaining the image quality without increasing the load when moving the image. However, thanks to that, the support for PS VR 2 went smoothly.


Kazunori Yamauchi
It's the very definition of a Hybrid game, it doesn't need to be dedicated because it was designed to be hybrid at the very start.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Youre Wrong Gordon Ramsay GIF by Hell's Kitchen's Kitchen


It's the very definition of a Hybrid game, it doesn't need to be dedicated because it was designed to be hybrid at the very start.
Sure it was added a year later. VR mode came out last month. Game came out a year ago.

I dont see VR mode for the PS4 version using PSVR1 when the game released.
 
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midnightAI

Member
Sure it was added a year later. VR mode came out last month. Game came out a year ago.

I dont see VR mode for the PS4 version game using PSVR1 when the game released.
If you are talking about when you could play the VR mode then yeh, of course its only been playable for a month, the headset only came out a month ago, but in development terms it wasn't just added a month ago, it was added while they developed the flat screen game.

Of course there is no PSVR 1 version, the PS4, nor the PSVR 1 can handle the game, its designed around Foveated Rendering, something PSVR 1 lacks. I don't get your point here (or are you just being pedantic?)
 

Eighthours

Member
‘A distinct lack of games’ is such bullshit. There are actually loads, many of which are really good. There were far more decent games available at launch than in any full console release over the past decade or more.

Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil 8, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Pavlov, Moss and Moss Book 2, Synth Riders, Thumper, Rez Infinite, Tetris Effect, Puzzling Places, Tentacular, No Man’s Sky, Kayak VR, etc etc.

In no universe is that either a distinct lack of games or a disappointing launch lineup.
 

Rambone

Member
I just find it hard to justify picking up a PS VR2 at the moment.

- Too many ports of Quest games.
- Not enough original and exclusive games. Horizon is not a system seller for me.
- No compatibility with PC/SteamVR

The PS VR2 would be perfect if the Quest 2 didn't exist and/or I never owned one to play the 'experiences' it offers. If I'm going to purchase this nice of a headset then I'm going to want to use it with my PC as the Quest has me spoiled. I've very interested in playing the Resident Evil games in VR and GT7 but outside of that there is nothing on the PS VR that has me even remotely interested in dropping 600 dollars right now on it. I will instead be reserving that money for Quest 3 which may likely drop this year. That is the VR headset and feature set I'm most interested in, I don't care about it being owned by Meta, petty bullshit.
 

Lunarorbit

Member
No one's talking about psvr2? That's just factually incorrect.

Is it for enthusiasts? Yes. I'd it expensive? Yes, but not more than any other vr unit.
 

MarkMe2525

Gold Member
Of course there is no PSVR 1 version, the PS4, nor the PSVR 1 can handle the game, its designed around Foveated Rendering, something PSVR 1 lacks. I don't get your point here (or are you just being pedantic?)
To be fair, the PSVR is capable of fixed foveated rendering. While I would agree that GT7 would not be possible at a high fidelity on PSVR, it would surely be possible to some degree. I'm not stating they should or shouldn't, just pointing pointing out that if there was a will to do so, the devs could have gotten the game running on PS4.
 

midnightAI

Member
To be fair, the PSVR is capable of fixed foveated rendering. While I would agree that GT7 would not be possible at a high fidelity on PSVR, it would surely be possible to some degree. I'm not stating they should or shouldn't, just pointing pointing out that if there was a will to do so, the devs could have gotten the game running on PS4.
Well, yeh, but it seems as though they went pretty aggressive with the foveated rendering fall off on GT7 so it wouldnt look very good anywhere but the center of the display, and they'd probably have to cut down a lot more stuff again, such as number of cars etc. Like you said, they could have got it running but would have been compromised. Most games could 'technically' run on lower specced devices, just look at doom running on a pregnancy tester.
 
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Lupin25

Member
I wouldn’t say the hardware or amount of exclusive games isn’t worth the price of entry, but as a new expensive peripheral it has to double down on amazing content.

The lack of a ton of new huge IP with genuinely intriguing designs like Half-Life Alyx, etc. is a letdown, but that’s an issue across all VR platforms currently.

Maybe a…

- Ghost of Tsushima / Samurai-type VR?
- An Animé High Simulator / Persona VR?
- Sherlock Holmes / Wolf Among Us / Detective VR?
- Metal Gear Solid / Stealth-Shooter VR?
- Dishonored / Bioshock-type VR?
- Thief Simulator VR?
- Wii Sports-like VR? Boxing VR?
- A New Superhero / Wolverine VR?

I don’t know, but until I personally see something fun that I can’t miss I’m holding off for awhile.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
VR is a niche market in general. The only people that are going to buy one ASAP or soonly are folks that are already interested in VR. Gonna need more titles to sway others.
 
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