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Valve on VR killer apps again: "What was the killer app for the App Store?"

A

ashecitism

Member
There was a thread almost a year ago where Chet talked about this in a german magazine:http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1183310

This time he had a couple of sessions at Casual Connect:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-02-08-does-vr-need-a-killer-app

The discussion was triggered by nDreams CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh, who was in the crowd to watch a panel that included representatives from Valve and Nvidia. When asked to pin down his definition of the term "Killer App," O'Luanaigh said, "it's less about revenue, more something that everybody talks about. A lot of people say that VR hasn't had that killer game yet.
Click to expand...

For Chet Faliszek, who has become the globe-trotting representative for Valve's VR efforts, the very notion of a 'Killer App' seemed to belong more to traditional game hardware - the consoles made by Nintendo, Sega, Sony and Microsoft. "We have so few data points to extrapolate from to figure out what this is," he said. "If we look to the consoles we might say, 'You have to have your Mario, or your Sonic.' But do you?"

Faliszek referred to a talk he gave the previous day, in which he suggested smartphones as a more appropriate comparison for VR technology. "What was the killer app for the App Store?" he asked the crowd the previous day. "I would argue it was flexibility; the ability to become different for each person. If you'd have asked me 20 years ago what feature do I most want on my phone, I probably would say something about making phone calls; now I rarely make a phone call.
Click to expand...

"You have these personal reactions... Everybody finds that thing in there that they want to have."

It was telling that, when asked about the most impressive applications for virtual reality right now, Faliszek listed tools for creativity: Google's Tilt Brush, and the VR development capabilities offered by engines from Unity and Epic. There is a desire for a fully formed consumer market for VR to hurry up and arrive already, but the truth may be that, even a year after the launch of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the space is still best defined by its creators and the broad range of use cases they are attempting to discover.
Click to expand...

However, one basic truth was mentioned on several occasions, starting with O'Luanaigh's original question about the importance of positional head-tracking and motion controls becoming standard in mobile VR. These are core features the current high-end of VR hardware - including, but not limited to, the HTC Vive - but Faliszek also believes this is the smartest target for any developer wanting to reach the largest possible audience.
Click to expand...

Faliszek made a similar point the day before, advising Casual Connect's attendees that, "today's high-end becomes tomorrow's mainstream. If you really want to think about the largest addressable market, it's not about the number of headsets out there for any one platform. It's what will become the standard. If you develop for the high-end, you know that's going to have the longest tail."
Click to expand...

More at the link.
 
S

ScientificPizza

Banned
It's kind of a false equivalence. People aren't solely buying a smart phone for apps. It's a part of a greater package, unlike VR.

I do agree that the idea that a platform *needs* a killer app is pretty overblown, though
 
O

Orca

Member
Most of the people I know who are into mobile games really weren't until Angry Birds made them check it out. So...yeah.
 
F

FusedAtoms

Member
Wow that's ridiculous, everyone has a phone not everyone has a VR headsets so people need a reason to purchase this really expensive piece of hardware. I don't see how that's so difficult to understand.
 
J

Jonneh3003

Banned
Like others I came in to post Angry Birds. Angry Birds was the killer smartphone app and changed the industry. VR is still waiting for its Angry Birds.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
The App Store is a really wierd comparison on so many levels.

That said, the idea of platforms selling en masse on the basis of one or even two "killer apps" is a largely false narrative. How many times has that ever really happened? I can think of only a handful: Mario 64, Wii Sports, the maybe Gameboy Tetris. Of those, the N64 didn't really do so hot from a sales perspective, and the Wii failed to build a lasting brand.
 
B

bluecapsule

Member
The App Store has dozens of killer apps lol. Netflix, Twitter, Angry Birds, Tinder, Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, Snapchat, etc etc. Take your pick.
 
J

Jonneh3003

Banned
bluecapsule said:
The App Store has dozens of killer apps lol. Netflix, Twitter, Angry Birds, Tinder, Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, Snapchat, etc etc. Take your pick.
Click to expand...

Indeed, a few friends of my upgraded their phones when Pokemon GO came out. Crysis was a PC killer app for a few years with people buying new hardware just to play it, as was Valve's very own Half Life 2.
 
C

CupONoodos

Neo Member
CronoShot said:
That's a terrible comparison. Smartphones are tools. VR, for the vast majority of people, is not.
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly. Everyone needs a phone where as VR is a luxury for entertainment. Everyone has a phone whereas not everyone has VR which is why people keep saying VR needs a killer app.
 
S

Somnid

Member
One of the more interesting things about the very positive response to RE7 seems to be that a lot of VR futurists are pretty wrong.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Jonneh3003 said:
Like others I came in to post Angry Birds. Angry Birds was the killer smartphone app and changed the industry. VR is still waiting for its Angry Birds.
Click to expand...

The app store was huge before Angry Birds, and continued to gain traction afterwards. Tap Tap Revenge comes to mind as one example.

Angry Birds was the first success of its size, but it didn't change the trajectory in any meaningful way.
 
G

GoldenCrow

Member
There has never been a "killer app" for me. I can't think of any technology that I would buy for a single bit of content it has always been what the tech offers and its potential. If it hits what I want from the start I will be an early adopter if it doesn't then I won't. VR in this sense was an easy purchase and I will happily spend thousands more in the coming years.
 
W

Wolf Akela

Member
Angry Birds got a lot of casual players.
Infinity Blade's graphics blew a lot of people's minds.

And there were very popular gimmick apps like the fart button (not kidding) as well as the fake beer thing where you tilt your to pretend it's a bottle.
 
A

arimanius

Member
What? The App Store itself was the killer app. One level down and things like google maps and games like angry birds were the killer apps. Not a very good comparison.
 
K

KarmaCow

Member
He's right that a smartphone's strength is its flexibility and breadth of options via the app store but that came from the breakthrough of having a computer powerful enough to allow that and could also fit in your pocket. VR doesn't have that and costs significantly more than the iPhone when it was revealed. As is it just sounds like he's kicking the can down the road to handwave the problems with the product they expect people to buy right now.
 
F

Future

Member
App Store had tons of killer apps wtf. Especially truncating website content into digestable format tuned for mobile. It wasn't just for games and the App Store delivered in non game content

In terms of games I don't remember. Doodle jump, angry birds, spider, drop 7, etc all come to mind but I don't remember exactly when they released.

Further, Apple already delivered killer apps for the mobile format. App Store is a false equivalency. Vr is a format, and the App Store is a vendor. The question is, what is the vr killer app compared to mobile phone killer app (which was safari, YouTube, mail, google maps, iPod music, etc on day 1)
 
Ceallach

Ceallach

Smells like fresh rosebuds
Wolf Akela said:
Angry Birds got a lot of casual players.
Infinity Blade's graphics blew a lot of people's minds.

And there were very popular gimmick apps like the fart button (not kidding) as well as the fake beer thing where you tilt your to pretend it's a bottle.
Click to expand...
This. Like everyone had the lightsaber app
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Seems like Sony has the best strategy for this going forward. Even if they don't have full exclusives, stuff like RE7 is doing more to sell people on VR than a lot of efforts from Valve or VIVE even if their headsets themselves are both technically superior
 
-COOLIO-

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
i think it's a fair comparison, but i would also say that the killer app was the web browser.

that said, he's right that vr doesn't need a killer app for everybody, but rather a killer app for each type of person.
 
G

GregLombardi

Member
Valve too wealthy and out of touch with reality. News at 11.

One look at Dota 2 confirms the challenges that organization faces.
 
Heavy's Sandvich

Heavy's Sandvich

Member
Angry birds, temple run, CoC ie loads mate

valve gonna valve forevs

edit: they hire the best talent in the world to make mediocre tech products and updates.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
That seems like a bad example and one easily rebutted. Maybe it's better Valve isn't doing anything besides dota and Counter Strike updates nowadays. Not sure if they even know how to make a quality game anymore. They can do their hobbies and let other companies make the content for Steam.
 
C

ChronotriggerJM

Member
I agree with him. The content just needs to keep building, and the prices need to be a bit more approachable to let the demand grow organically.
 
StereoVsn

StereoVsn

Member
Phone killer app was that you always had it with you and now it could do a lot more ans that a lot easier then older platforms.
 
A

AllIsOneIsNone

Banned
Comparing VR to smart phone apps right now is ridiculous. It's a type of tech that core/hardcore gamers want, it's not for casual use that promotes productivity and lets you have flexibility and customization yet. It's still about innovative and convincing immersive experiences and games with a different level of control input than a console/PC game. A gaming console is currently more apt comparison than a smart phone, and a first iteration gaming console at that, which needs more killer apps to catch on.

I'm an early adopter who's obsessed with VR but even I realize that.
 
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