Is there any reason to think VR is not going to flop? All Hype?

[Kickflapper]

VR is the new trend and is pushing gamer's to upgrade their PC's and get ready! However haven't we seen this hype before? VR is nothing new and have seen the thought many times over in games, movies and books. What is really new? I'm afraid  this is just another another gimmick to petal new expensive hardware. Even at best VR games seem to be 1 dimensional and in their primordial infancy. If we could only combine our wii motion controls with nvidia 3d vision at 4k we would rule the world. Seriously though who is VR targeting? Rich single bachelors with expendable income. This doesn't sound like it can possibly get the support that is needed to take this great idea of VR and make it functional and practical. What do you guys think?  

[Kickflapper]

Disclaimer: sorry to buzzkill

[AshleyAshes]

VR will not be for everybody but it will be great for certain niches and types of gamers.  Frankly, there are a lot of people who would READLY sit down $1000 if it meant feeling like they were behind the wheel of a stock car and even able to shoulder check as they passed the leader.  Same goes for aircraft and a lot of other sorts of simulations.

Will it revolutionize first person shooters or RTS games??  Probably not, but it will have it's place.

[Clonzoo]

I'm not going for VR, but even if I could afford it I doubt I would have gotten it. I have epilepsy and just the thought of putting a screen 5 cm from my eyes makes me feel like I'm getting a seizure, no thanks, I'll keep my driver license (I will loose my license for like a year or whatever if I get a new seizure) and money, atleast for now until I get to carefully try it out without buying it to see how I and my epilepy react to it.

 

The concept is however cool. But i wanna put on a helmet that reads all the signals my brain is sending so that I don't need a controller or anything. I just do stuff as I would in real life... Perhaps a far fetched fantasy, but a fantasy nonetheless.

[Klingon00]

I'm not convinced that the current offerings will be wild successes, however the technology will probably be inevitable eventually. The biggest failing of the current lineup is a "killer app" or game that really shines. The cost of the hardware will be a barrier to many but will be less of a problem over time. Until there is that one game that everyone feels they must experience, it will remain an expensive oddity.

 

Frankly the types of games I've seen so far seem so limited that they don't feel much better than a glorified mobile games. Something that entertains for 5 minutes while you're bored, but not something that really immerses you for hours.

[potatoproduction]

5 hours ago, Kickflapper said:

VR is the new trend and is pushing gamer's to upgrade their PC's and get ready! However haven't we seen this hype before? VR is nothing new and have seen the thought many times over in games, movies and books. What is If we could only combine our wii motion controls with nvidia 3d vision at 4k we would rule the world. Seriously though who is VR targeting? Rich single bachelors with expendable income. This doesn't sound like it can possibly get the support that is needed to take this great idea of VR and make it functional and practical. What do you guys think?  

Have you ever tried a flagship vr headset? The games might look like wii games but the experience and immersion makes buying the headset almost worth it. 

 

Also the reason the games aren't the best is because VR is such a new thing there has not been enough time for developers to experiment, optimize and develop the games we want. 

 

There have been developers who are trying to use nvidia 3D vision in there games /experiences like Everest VR 

[Sauron]

You have a weird definition of "rich". VR is not cheap, but I've seen plenty of people with a normal income dump 2500$ on a macbook without a second thought. All you need is a decent job to be able to afford it - if you want to have it.

 

As for it only being hype, I'd disagree. While motion controls probably will remain a niche gimmick/novelty, VR headsets themselves will most likely have a future. Almost any type of 3d game can benefit from being viewed on a VR headset as opposed to a normal monitor. Moreover, VR headsets could become the video equivalent of headphones. Want to watch a movie without bothering anyone else in the room while still getting the full experience? VR. Want to comfortably enjoy all sorts of contents while in a car (while someone else is driving of course)? VR. Overall, the technology has plenty of cool usage scenarios, not just for the enthusiast and hardcore gamer but for the general public, too.

 

The first wave is obviusly expensive, but that is to be expected; 3 years ago a 4k monitor worth buying would cost you upwards of 4000$, nowadays you can get one for a tenth of that.

[typographie]

 

5 hours ago, Kickflapper said:

VR is the new trend and is pushing gamer's to upgrade their PC's and get ready! However haven't we seen this hype before? VR is nothing new and have seen the thought many times over in games, movies and books. What is really new? I'm afraid  this is just another another gimmick to petal new expensive hardware. Even at best VR games seem to be 1 dimensional and in their primordial infancy. If we could only combine our wii motion controls with nvidia 3d vision at 4k we would rule the world. Seriously though who is VR targeting? Rich single bachelors with expendable income. This doesn't sound like it can possibly get the support that is needed to take this great idea of VR and make it functional and practical. What do you guys think?  

Well, the biggest reason to think VR may not be a flop is because almost all of the reviews and impressions I've heard from people who have actually used the Oculus and Vive seem to agree that they are amazing to use. This time the tech apparently works really well and provides a great experience, unlike most of the failed attempts at VR tech in the past.

 

Of course VR is currently only targeting early-adopters with a lot of disposable income. It's brand new tech. It is to be expected that VR for the masses is probably still a few years out. Yet despite the high price, they still can't make the Oculus or Vive fast enough to meet demand—which is probably another reason to think it may have some staying power this time.

[BrightCandle]

The reason to think it might not be hype is that a lot of people are buying the VR headsets and the reviews of them are a big thumbs up. You can't get the experience it gives you any other way and quite a lot of people who have tried it call it the future of gaming. The main problem with VR currently is how few AAA game studios are writing support into existing games and more importantly the lack of AAA room scale games in general. But there is a lot of content for a platform that has been out a few weeks already and its growing.

 

If it had dropped and people were "meh" then maybe it would be different, after all the expectation is that its just TrackIR + screens tapped to your head. But peoples reactions to using it has made them go from "gimmick" to "oh my I need a better computer".

[TidaLWaveZ]

I do think the VR thing is kind of hype-ish. I just cant make myself interested in it whatsoever.  I definitely don't speak for everyone, but I just don't get the appeal.  To me it seems like it's something you would use a couple of times for the initial experience, then once you get bored you leave it in the corner and maybe let your guests try it from time to time(similar to wii).

[ThinkWithPortals]

I don't get the hype and personally am not interested, but I can see big fans of racing or flight games going for this over something like a surround simulator type setup. After all, a VR headset wouldn't cost all that much more than three decent monitors to do surround with.

[Kobrastachka]

I am just looking forward to the world where you could be having a wank in your rift, then someone climbs in your window. You can't see him because of the rift and you can't hear him because of closed back headphones, so you finish only to take off the rift and see that you only own your PC and your rift because you got robbed and he took everything else. You also now have to explain to the police that you got robbed while you were home, in the same room, and awake. Yet you have no idea what the dude looks like. 

[CostcoSamples]

I tried the latest Rift at E3 2015 last year.  Based on that experience, I pre-ordered it.  I do think that VR is here to stay, and the hype is justified.  I think the price is very reasonable.  As Sauron said, anybody that can afford a Macbook pro can afford VR.  It is not out of the question for most people, if it were something they were interested in.

 

I think all it would take is one or two really outstanding games to make VR go mainstream.  The hardware is excellent, now it's up to the software guys.  

[Yoinkerman]

I would use vr so I can comfortably lay in bed and not have to install a tv on the ceiling

[GeekJump]

Originally I thought I was going to be an utter failure but after seeing the pre-order numbers and short supplies I changed my opinion.

 

Currently I think it will stay a niche thing for now since (1) you need a beast of a machine to run them and (2) the overall price to run it (VR headset and PC) is crazy high.

 

It might end up like 3D printers. Amazing concept and practical uses but only a certain group owns/uses them.