Had VR had its day and reached its limitations ?

[PhantomFear94]

In my opinion, VR is kind of cool, but not something I want to invest in. I tried Gran Turismo Sport at a friends house and it was fun, but it didn't make me want to go out and instantly buy a VR set. The only games that look of much interest to me are Astro Bot Rescue Mission and RE7. 

In my opinion, VR is kind of cool, but not something I want to invest in and is still pretty limited in what it can do. I tried Gran Turismo Sport and Skyrim at a friends house and it was fun, but it didn't make me want to go out and instantly buy a VR set, at all. The only games that look of much interest to me are Astro Bot Rescue Mission and RE7. 

 

Two of my friends have said Oculus is substantially better than PSVR. I feel like games like Half Life Alyx and RE7 prove VR can work in a AAA context. It needs more time, though. 

[The Alchemist]

VR is far from a gimmick or a fad. So much money is being pumped into VR and AR by some huge companies who are all banking on it becoming a big part of the future. Gaming just happens to be one of the more practical ways to show it off to consumers, to give them a glimpse, but it absolutely won't stop at gaming. The potential applications are near limitless.

 

Will it fail? Quite possibly. Like anything, it'll require consumer adoption, but it looks like it has enough interest and investment for the time being to carry on regardless of short-term commercial success. PSVR wasn't a massive success either but Sony are doubling down on VR, and honestly I'm delighted. VR is huge fun and can make even an average game seem great. It's honestly one of those things you just need to try yourself. If you can accept the current limitations of the tech and just focus on the experience, you'll have a much better time with it. PSVR2 seems like a gargantuan step up in tech and quality, and I can't wait for it.

[Helyx]

37 minutes ago, MikeCheck-- said:

Try again, "A gimmick is a trick businesses will use to lure consumers."

 

Example: You bought into it and are compelled to justify your purchase

[Dreakon13]

Just now, Helyx said:

 

Example: You bought into it and are compelled to justify your purchase

 

Considering you can find someone on the internet that hates anything and will make you feel compelled to justify your purchase... literally everything is a gimmick. 

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

Never cared for VR so for me it never had very high limits lol

[EDGES]

the VR headsets possible with the tech we have now? yes, new brain chip future VR tech possiblities? no, that's the real stuff

Edited April 3, 2022 by The Investigator

[amurnin100]

If there was a game that’s not on VR but you’d want to bring to VR, what would it be , Uncharted would be up there for me 

Edited September 7, 2021 by amurnin100

[Dreakon13]

I get not liking VR, but I'm not sure how anyone can honestly say it's reached its potential.  We've only gotten tastes of what its capable of.  Even if you wanted to pretend Astrobot, RE7 VR and Half Life Alyx were flukes that no company would ever invest in again... based on absolutely nothing... you're ignoring that Sony is doubling down on PSVR with PSVR2 and literally said those are the types of games they're aiming for going forward, and Valve themselves talking about having multiple VR games in the works.

 

It'll never be more than a niche product in the grand scheme of gaming because there are too many mitigating factors for people in regards to comfort, space and practicality... but for what it is, its best days are yet to come.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Dreakon13

[HusKy]

Thanks to my friend, I had a chance to test out PSVR with a couple full games (e.g. Astro, Moss) and some demos (e.g. RE7) and while I found the tech itself interesting, my biggest gripe was that it's incredibly uncomfortable to use.

• You need large cleaned out space in front of your TV
• Extra computing unit and cables everywhere
• The headset was for me personally just uncomfortable to wear for longer periods of time
• Starting up the whole thing felt like a chore
• Some games gave me a headache and I could not play them at all
• Trophy hunting is painful, especially things like collectibles

I also tested some other bulky PC headsets like Oculus but it was all the same.

[RNumbers]

Just about every VR game I've played has been an above-average experience for me. Nevertheless, I'm always kind of reluctant to fire up a new VR game. As other people have mentioned, there are just too many annoyances to do it on a regular basis.

 

I like my PSVR and would definitely buy it again, but it does need some refinement or it will continue to have niche appeal at best.

[amurnin100]

Agreed, it can be annoying to set up

[MikeCheck--]

1 hour ago, Helyx said:

 

Example: You bought into it and are compelled to justify your purchase

 

The fact is you still haven't explained why or how VR is a gimmick with the correct definition ?. Also, only someone who bought a VR and never really used it / regret it would need to justify their purchase. By looking at my profile you can see I've gotten my moneys worth out of VR and feel no need to justify it.

 

36 minutes ago, HusKy said:

• Extra computing unit and cables everywhere
• The headset was for me personally just uncomfortable to wear for longer periods of time
• Starting up the whole thing felt like a chore
• Some games gave me a headache and I could not play them at all
• Trophy hunting is painful, especially things like collectibles

 

Yeah, agree! All the headsets are pretty uncomfortable, but PSVR has been the lightest and most cozy IMO. The set up is tedious if you don't leave it plugged in. Even if you don't, just leave the processor hooked up so you only have to plug in the headset cables to it!

 

"VR legs" is a term for a reason but some people will always feel dizzy when playing it and YES AGREE! Collectibles in VR are the worst. Doom 3 VR port was atrocious for that, some hundred collectibles? It's why I won't play Blair Witch VR haha. Flat games re-releasing in VR with a hundred or so collectibles are the worst!

Edited September 7, 2021 by MikeCheck--

[starcrunch061]

I feel like VR overall might never have its day in the sun (at least as a consumable product), particularly if augmented reality takes off.

 

As far as being a "gimmick" for gaming, time will tell, but I don't think that anything to this point has justified it.

Edited September 7, 2021 by starcrunch061

[DrBloodmoney]

The problem with VR is the barriers to entry.

 

For the younger gamers - financial barriers.

For the older gamers - practical barriers.

 

VR is an expensive add-on for not a huge number of games, so younger gamers are less likely to see it as worthwhile, or to get their parents to pay for it, given the considerable additional expense.

 

As an older gamer, for me it’s a practical problem, though.

 

I’ve had a PSVR in my house for over six months now. I have a bunch of VR games downloded to my PS4, I have move controllers that work ready to go…

…I have everything I need, and it is all in my front room, within arms reach at a moment’s notice…

…but I’ve loaded it up once.

Once.
In half a year.

 

Why?

 

Because in order to play it, I would need to set it up.

I need to plug in a bunch of cables for the box and the headset, I need to wear the headset, cutting off the outside world visually and auditorially ,and I need to have a bunch of trailing wires in the room the whole time it is in use.

 

That simply isn’t conducive to my lifestyle. I can’t cut off all ties to reality, and potentially not hear/ see other family who need me. I suspect I am not alone in that.

 

I just think having your games stuck in your ears and strapped to your face isn’t a reasonable ask of anyone with a family, particularly young kids. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[visighost]

15 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

I need to plug in a bunch of cables for the box and the headset, I need to wear the headset, cutting off the outside world visually and auditorially ,and I need to have a bunch of trailing wires in the room the whole time it is in use.

 

That simply isn’t conducive to my lifestyle. I can’t cut off all ties to reality, and potentially not hear/ see other family who need me. I suspect I am not alone in that.

 

I just think having your games stuck in your ears and strapped to your face isn’t a reasonable ask of anyone with a family, particularly young kids. 

 

That's pretty much where I'm at myself: I am only psychologically comfortable wearing it if I'm playing with others who are also participating (e.g. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes) or if I'm completely alone. I tend to play games once the kids are in bed, but this is becoming harder as they grow older. When they or my wife are around, I feel a bit like a jerk for cutting myself off from them (I feel like you also need headphones to fully appreciate VR). So... yeah, my set is pretty much sitting in a box most of the time.

 

That being said, I really enjoyed my experience with the games I've played, and I do constantly add games to my backlog (probably 30-ish from the current sale) thinking I'll play them once the kids leave... Really hoping the next set is backwards compatible!

Edited September 7, 2021 by visighost

[amurnin100]

16 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

The problem with VR is the barriers to entry.

 

For the younger gamers - financial barriers.

For the older gamers - practical barriers.

 

VR is an expensive add-on for not a huge number of games, so younger gamers are less likely to see it as worthwhile, or to get their parents to pay for it, given the considerable additional expense.

 

As an older gamer, for me it’s a practical problem, though.

 

I’ve had a PSVR in my house for over a year now. I have a bunch of VR games downloded to my PS4, I have move controllers that work ready to go…

…I have everything I need, and it is all in my front room, within arms reach at a moment’s notice…

…but I’ve loaded it up once.

Once.
In a year.

 

Why?

 

Because in order to play it, I would need to set it up.

I need to plug in a bunch of cables for the box and the headset, I need to wear the headset, cutting off the outside world visually and auditorially ,and I need to have a bunch of trailing wires in the room the whole time it is in use.

 

That simply isn’t conducive to my lifestyle. I can’t cut off all ties to reality, and potentially not hear/ see other family who need me. I suspect I am not alone in that.

 

I just think having your games stuck in your ears and strapped to your face isn’t a reasonable ask of anyone with a family, particularly young kids. 

I keep mine plugged in bar the VR headset and connecting cable so it takes me 2 mins to set it up 

[FocusDR]

Someday in the future VR will be amazing but it does lack atm, I don’t own one myself but have played several times and felt nauseous every time. Cannot play for more than 30 minutes.. that’s where improvements need to be made imo. 

[MooseSketts]

As it stands now I have to say that VR has reached its limitations.  I haven't seen anything earth shattering that has progressed VR since 2012 (around when I noticed it first was gaining momentum in the gaming industry).  A lot of the complaints people have (clunky to wear, cable nightmares, price, etc.) are still present almost a decade later.

 

1 hour ago, MikeCheck-- said:

The fact is you still haven't explained why or how VR is a gimmick with the correct definition ?.

For all intents and purposes, I would say that VR falls under the gimmick category.  The PSVR is a novelty device added onto an existing product.  The PSVR helps make said existing product - the Playstation - stand out from its competitors and tempts potential consumers.

[amurnin100]

So the new VR, it seems people prefer no cables , what else would be needed for you to make a purchase 

[GUDGER666]

I say scrap VR and do a Vita 2. I bet it would sell a lot more units and not be filling 2nd hand stores like VR units are. 

[dannyswfc9]

25 minutes ago, MooseSketts said:

As it stands now I have to say that VR has reached its limitations.

To be fair you could say this about the ps4. With tech rapidly evolving its natural for this to happen

[amurnin100]

5 minutes ago, dannyswfc9 said:

To be fair you could say this about the ps4. With tech rapidly evolving its natural for this to happen

Oh is that what the PS5 is for ?

[MooseSketts]

Just now, dannyswfc9 said:

To be fair you could say this about the ps4. With tech rapidly evolving its natural for this to happen

 

I feel that the PS4 has reached its limitations hence why (other than competition with competitors) there is now a PS5 with 'better' specs.

 

12 minutes ago, amurnin100 said:

So the new VR, it seems people prefer no cables , what else would be needed for you to make a purchase 

• No cables for certain. 
• A lightweight design.  
• I'm sure some people would prefer better graphics.
• Price point.  ~$300 USD is not something I'd shell out for a VR system.

Also a bit of an aside but how is the response time on the VR from the controllers?  Is there any lag?

 

2 minutes ago, GUDGER666 said:

I say scrap VR and do a Vita 2. I bet it would sell a lot more units and not be filling 2nd hand stores like VR units are. 

I second this.

[MikeCheck--]

56 minutes ago, FocusDR said:

Someday in the future VR will be amazing but it does lack atm, I don’t own one myself but have played several times and felt nauseous every time. Cannot play for more than 30 minutes.. that’s where improvements need to be made imo. 

 

Virtual Reality will likely not improve there, it just takes time for your brain to realize what is happening aka 'growing your VR legs'. Start off with 15 minutes a day and then work your way up. I was able to jump right in with no motion sickness but others takes a gradually increased amount of time to get used to it! 

Edited September 7, 2021 by MikeCheck--

[dannyswfc9]

19 minutes ago, MooseSketts said:

 

I feel that the PS4 has reached its limitations hence why (other than competition with competitors) there is now a PS5 with 'better' 

This was kinda my point. Thats why there is gonna be a psvr 2