I can see the value in 3D glasses, though I don't think that experience is necessarily for me.
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Why is everyone convinced VR is the next big thing?
- Thread starter Ishan
- Start date
I can see the value in 3D glasses, though I don't think that experience is necessarily for me.
Its down to each persons choice though isn't it. Its like when people say they hate realistic art styles and prefer more cartoony art styles, well i much prefer games to look 'real' (especially FPS games) and if you combined a real looking game with VR then the immersion factor would be amazing for me.
Just imagine playing a war FPS that looked real and felt like you were actually on the battleground, or a Mass Effect style space FPS where you can explore the galaxy and feel like you are actually in the game world, it would be amazing and probably is the future of gaming.
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
A virtual Navi/Chao from Sonic Generations to guide the player and let them know exactly what they should do. The immersion makes it feel like they're actually all up in your face.
careless mango
Member
I think oculus rift (representing VR as a whole) will do well but I never see it entering the homes of millions. I am definitely not convinced that VR is "the next big thing for gaming".
On a related note I believe that AR has the potential to, in the next 20 years, do what smartphones have done for the past 5-10 years. In that time I believe that a great many people will have some sort of AR device. Maybe as some sort of contact lens or maybe still in the same glasses type form factor as we have now with the very early prototypes like Google Glass.
On a related note I believe that AR has the potential to, in the next 20 years, do what smartphones have done for the past 5-10 years. In that time I believe that a great many people will have some sort of AR device. Maybe as some sort of contact lens or maybe still in the same glasses type form factor as we have now with the very early prototypes like Google Glass.
Betta Lines
Member
I don't really think it's a matter of social acceptance. The VR gaming experience, at least at the start, will be much like playing a single player, first-person game on the TV, ignoring everyone/everything around you. People do that today, and in a social environment it's not cool (unless everyone in the room happens to be really into the game you're playing, etc), and it's not cool in VR either. But generally, I think most people are considerate and would not choose to become engrossed in a deep, single player experience on the TV while they have guests to entertain or whatever. VR would be no different to that.
By the same token, if you are not in that situation, and you're looking to enjoy a single player game without any distraction, many people today go and shut themselves in their bedroom to stare transfixed to their monitors/tvs. VR would work best here too.
The difference is, VR is more interesting to the mainstream. They will want to have a go. So in that sense it is more social for demonstration purposes. Beyond the demo/novelty stage, it's just as antisocial as playing games by yourself today on a screen.
A common argument is that people get to watch what's happening on a screen but not with VR - I'm sure they can have it output to the TV as well for everyone to see what you're experiencing. The Rift already does this, and that can be made more 'watchable' in the future (remove the split and distortion, etc).
Local multiplayer? That will come too - headsets will become cheap enough for a few people in the room to be wearing them.
I think that kind of immersion might be too much for me
Also I dont find FPS games to be that interesting. Same shit in every game nowdays. Go somewhere shoot a bunch of dudes, get an item, open a door, go to then next place, shoot some dudes. Boring. But thats another problem I guess. The lack of good game design.
You live by yourself?
Very well put, agree completely.
I tried RiftCoaster 2 weeks ago, I was standing up and I have acrophobia btw. And yes, this thing managed to frighten me, at some point I moved my arms trying to reach the nearby table so I could balance myself.
Needless to say I was mindblown, never expected it to be so immersive.
Needless to say I was mindblown, never expected it to be so immersive.
In its current form, it really isn't. Regardless of how stereoscopic a game's visuals are, you are always very much aware of the fact that you are wearing a piece of tech on your head. On top of that, VR as it stands has the same spatial restrictions that any kind of motion control has. Unless you can find a method that gives you free range of motion over large distances without you having to move those same distances yourself, no tech will truly immerse you in a game or movie.
My experience with Oculus Rift (at Eurogamer Expo) was promising but that's about all I can say. The screen had an irritating blue tint and was so blurry it was hard to make out what was happening. To be fair, the game I tried happened to be a space game, which I have little experience with, so that probably didn't help, and when I asked about this the resolution's supposed to be getting fixed in the final release, but they always say that about new things (until the final product turns out to be just as bad or worse).
I want it to be the second coming, but from my experience I'm keeping my expectations in check.
I want it to be the second coming, but from my experience I'm keeping my expectations in check.
call_kotaku
Member
Big game industry figures like Valve, Carmack, Epic, etc., are pretty heavily invested in it, for what it's worth. It's not purely a thing driven by electronics manufacturers and movie studios like 3D was.
If anything, the broader appeal of VR for people who aren't traditionally interested in gaming stands to help the medium without undermining parts of it like mobile gaming has.
If anything, the broader appeal of VR for people who aren't traditionally interested in gaming stands to help the medium without undermining parts of it like mobile gaming has.
Elitro
Member
I like immersion in games.
It can't get any more immersive than being part of the experience, and that's what VR aims for.
Unless you don't care for alternate realities i can't see how could you NOT be excited for VR.
This said, i still haven't tried it. But i can't wait for the day i do get to try it!
It can't get any more immersive than being part of the experience, and that's what VR aims for.
Unless you don't care for alternate realities i can't see how could you NOT be excited for VR.
This said, i still haven't tried it. But i can't wait for the day i do get to try it
!Will. Will.
Brianimaniac
Banned
Same reason people spend all day talking about things like framerate and resolution -- game design is stagnant right now and all people have to be excited about is tech bullshit.
First-person Spec Ops: The Line sequel w/ VR support.
Experience virtual PTSD like never before~
I would love to try a VR experience as a novelty but gaming full time in VR is, by its very nature, an entirely solitary experience. So it's not going to replace the social gaming aspect which is having friends round to play games. Though I reckon VR would be a pretty great thing to do when stoned just as watching 3D movies is.
Alcoholikaust
Member
OP have you used an Occulus Rift? it is a literal game changer and the first sign (to me) of truly next gen gaming
this.
I personally don't think I need it and I have read a couple of times that people can't handle FP views with the OR so I guess the coolest application is out of the windows (for now).
Also I'm not willing to spend 1000+ on a game PC so it should work with a console or maybe a 500 steambox.
Last but not least I'm unsure if your brain can handle this and if there are no side effects especially if stuff is as good looking as real
but perhaps if it is cool and it works on a 500$/ machine and not negative side effects I would buy one
Stereoscopic "3D" just doesn't work for me and it's not about glasses, it's just I feel it's not "real 3D" and after few minutes of playing my head starts to ache.
3D that looks as such and doesn't strain you, would easily take off.
PS
I'm not convinced VR in it's current form would take off. If you rotate camera with your had, you need a solution for aiming / running aroind. I've seen some, but am not convinced they'd really work.
3D that looks as such and doesn't strain you, would easily take off.
PS
I'm not convinced VR in it's current form would take off. If you rotate camera with your had, you need a solution for aiming / running aroind. I've seen some, but am not convinced they'd really work.
While I don't agree with this completely (I think VR could provide new possibilities when it comes to game design), I am a bit bothered by the west (for the most part) obsession with creating more real worlds and more realistic experiences. I can only hope we come full circle sooner rather than later, so we can once again explore the meaning of creativity from other angles than simulation.
We have the ability to visualize anything we desire right now, but I can't help but feel the constant need to emphasize the human element restricts us more than anything else.
Alas, this is the natural progression of things, and I am rather excited actually, as I can see stronger advance towards the obvious goal making even more people want to push the boundaries in other directions as well.
axisofweevils
Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
I sort of agree with the OP. I can't see it taking off in any big way. People moaned enough about getting motion sick from the 3DS, yet the masses are expected to eagerly wear a visor to play games for extended periods? Nah. It's the ultimate gimmick, filled with loads of health and safety issues.
I think you are an exception or you have not seen proper 3D on decent kit. Watch Life of Pi 3D on a proper TV set and it's as 3D as 3D gets. Sometimes it's like peering into real life.
VR will be successful in the area that VR has always been successful in: Industrial design.
Draw up a car interior, put on headset, look around how it looks from the driver's point of view, take off headset, make adjustments. Repeat.
But for home entertainment... no. Blocking out your vision and home entertainment is a poor mix. Once the wow factor is over, all you have is goggles that isolate you from the world in your own home. The next big thing in home entertainment is something you can share with the family. Like it has always been. Like the difference between the Wii, a very social machine, and the Wii U, a machine focusing more on the individual over the group.
It's funny, really VR is on an obvious cycle, and it all ends up the same place, every time. Great for industrial design and amusement park rides, not so much for anything else.
Draw up a car interior, put on headset, look around how it looks from the driver's point of view, take off headset, make adjustments. Repeat.
But for home entertainment... no. Blocking out your vision and home entertainment is a poor mix. Once the wow factor is over, all you have is goggles that isolate you from the world in your own home. The next big thing in home entertainment is something you can share with the family. Like it has always been. Like the difference between the Wii, a very social machine, and the Wii U, a machine focusing more on the individual over the group.
It's funny, really VR is on an obvious cycle, and it all ends up the same place, every time. Great for industrial design and amusement park rides, not so much for anything else.
pillowtalk
Member
I don't know if it's the next thing, but it's one step closer to a holodeck.
Yeah exactly this. There are times when I am on my own and I game for hours without interruption. But then there are times when my flatmate will pop his head in to see what I am playing and what's going on. Friends can come round and we take turns playing or play together etc etc. This VR is a totally different experience. Really the best use I can think of for this tech is... porn.
Alx
Member
Careful at what you may be doing while watching porn if you can't notice when other people enter the room.
Also, I wonder what people will think of the old "murder simulator" debate. Because the more we're moving towards realism and immersion, the closer violent videogames will be to a murder simulator indeed.
I think it was silly to call Doom a murder simulator, but playing Manhunt with VR and motion controls... that would be debatable.
I hope it does get to be used. My friend has the Occulus Rift and I played Half Life 2 with it, and it was completely fucking insane, everything is life size, you don't realize it normally but when you have those life size guards chasing you down through an apartment building you'll shit your fucking pants.
MikeE21286
Member
Because graphics aren't mattering that much any logger.
Alcotholic
Banned
Science fiction tells us it will happen and it will be AWESOME.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
I don't think his point is that it's not great. He's saying that the stigma from "mass market" to put something on your head and completely isolate yourself from outside stimuli is scary and foreign. Some people will write it off before they even try it. That's the problem.
And I kind of agree. It's going to be a huge success in the niche enthusiast market, but it will not catch on to the point that every home has a VR set (at least not in the next 5 years).
vpance
Member
Your wife will just have to yell a little louder, no biggie.
VR dressing room. Would sell millions.
Edit: With a "Does this make me look fat? DLC". Might approach GTA territory right there...
LAUGHTREY
Modesty becomes a woman
Honestly I like the idea of paying 250 for a high-def screen that pretty much fills my field of view.
As long as I don't have eyesight problems from focusing on something so close for so long, It'd be nice to have a "TV" thats for all intents and purposes, huge.
As long as I don't have eyesight problems from focusing on something so close for so long, It'd be nice to have a "TV" thats for all intents and purposes, huge.
I get those worries, but people felt the same about smartphones (iPhone) and tablets. Back in 2009, I bought an iPhone for the first time. At the time, it was not that common to use a smartphone and I remember some people saying that it was ridiculous that I was willing to pay so much for a phone. But I remember that I found the iPhone amazing (it was, in my opinion, the first 'real' smartphone). And those very same people that were complaining, probably can't live without a smartphone nowadays.
Heck, using a smartphone until just a few years ago was considered to be just as 'weird' as using smartwatches or VR headsets nowadays.
My point? If a product is really amazing and if the execution is great, than people will buy it. If Sony's VR headset or the customer version of OR tuns out to be great and amazing, than there will be people buying it. And when that happens, more people will follow.
EDIT For clarifcation, I tried the developer version of the Oculus Rift. Sure, there are things that could be improved (like the resolution)... but I was absolutely amazed. It was really the first time in years when I was thinking "wow, this technology is really awesome!"
With some improvements, I think the OR can be a device that will succeed very well. And if Sony is going to offer something very similar (or, of course, better) with a PS4 VR headset... than I'll certainly buy it.
It's hilarious that different people spend different amounts of money on computer games?
PC gamers will spend $300 on a VR headset of the quality promised by the Rift. Whether it's viable in the console space, no-one knows (and frankly I don't care). People gaming there have already shown that cost is a huge factor for them and they already shut themselves off from certain experiences and important innovations by choosing a console in the first instance. If VR happens on these consoles, it'll be a compromised experience from the beginning.
An innovation doesn't have to make it in the console space for it to be the next big thing, as the OP puts it.
How big does something have to be to be the next big thing?
I've tried the rift, and I am completely sold. Day one purchase, no question. I understand it might not be for everyone, but it's going to be for a lot of people. However, the technology will improve, the cost will come down, and the social stigma will recede. In 10 years it will either be relegated to history, or massively popular.
I've tried the rift, and I am completely sold. Day one purchase, no question. I understand it might not be for everyone, but it's going to be for a lot of people. However, the technology will improve, the cost will come down, and the social stigma will recede. In 10 years it will either be relegated to history, or massively popular.
paperspace
Member
Did you try the OR 1080p?