Computex Highlighted VR's Growing Pains

While virtual reality is on a roll right now and the VR industry as a whole has a lot of forward momentum, I think we can safely say that there is certainly room for improvement. With all the back pack PCs at the show, I was kind of surprised no one thought of using a modified high-end laptop so they could be completely cordless.

2016 is the year of virtual reality. Consumer versions of three major VR headsets -- the Oculus Rift, HTC's Vive and the PlayStation VR -- have or are about to hit store shelves, while smartphone-based models like the Gear VR are growing in popularity. But even as VR gains momentum, it's still an enigma for most people. This was never more apparent than in the halls of this year's Computex in Taipei. VR was front and center, but instead of traditional game demos, we saw examples of curious and niche applications that suggest the use case for VR is still evolving.

This is why I don't buy first gen anything.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the early adopters taking one for the team, but I'm just not willing to throw my money at something that hasn't had the majority of it's kinks worked out.

Still very pumped for VR though.... just not this year.

Everyone in the VR business wants 2016 to be the year of VR. There just isn't a compelling reason that requires VR in order to succeed. Maybe next year.

I'll stick with my free GearVR paperweight for now. Got it to work once and ever since just get "Oculus Home has stopped unexpectedly." There have been a number of software updates that have happened since then, I just haven't bothered to pull it out of the box to try again.

That one time it *did* work though was awesome, only having the cord for my headphones plugged into the phone didn't make me have to worry about moving around too much.

I just don't know about strapping a nuclear accelerator on my back..... oh wait.

Still though... VR definitely looks cool and promising but I'm not sure if I'm ready for it Lol. Think I'm to used to sitting in the chair and pwning. Did try a rift though about 2 years ago. Was pretty cool.

I have a Vive. The technology is there for a very immersive experience. Right now the problem is the appalling lack of software.

Naieve said:

I have a Vive. The technology is there for a very immersive experience. Right now the problem is the appalling lack of software.

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I've noticed that all the games on Steam are rather... stupid. It's almost as if all the producers from the various Nintendo Wii(U) party games started a bunch of studios to make half-baked cell-phonish games...

mavrocket said:

I've noticed that all the games on Steam are rather... stupid. It's almost as if all the producers from the various Nintendo Wii(U) party games started a bunch of studios to make half-baked cell-phonish games...

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There's definitely a Wii-vibe surrounding the HTC Vive, no question. From the oodles of gimmicky motion control mini-games to the endless YouTube reaction videos featuring grandma.

We all hope VR isn't a fad, but the platform is going to need better software to break out of it's current niche. Sadly, the history of expensive hardware that launched without a robust software ecosystem is littered with failures.

I don't get it. Instead of doing all this crap and having to deal with wires and stuff when you move around why don't they start with vr that the experience is with the intention is that you don't move. Vr racing, flight sim, space combat, this could be the revitalization of the xwing tie fighter series. It could be great.

Jaymzkerten said:

I'll stick with my free GearVR paperweight for now. Got it to work once and ever since just get "Oculus Home has stopped unexpectedly." There have been a number of software updates that have happened since then, I just haven't bothered to pull it out of the box to try again.

That one time it *did* work though was awesome, only having the cord for my headphones plugged into the phone didn't make me have to worry about moving around too much.

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The GearVR works really well - I like to show people the Cirque De Solei video to anyone that hasn't tried VR yet. Very cool.

azuza001 said:

I don't get it. Instead of doing all this crap and having to deal with wires and stuff when you move around why don't they start with vr that the experience is with the intention is that you don't move. Vr racing, flight sim, space combat, this could be the revitalization of the xwing tie fighter series. It could be great.

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I agree, and I have a Vive. Still, there is a place for room scale, and I think dungeon crawlers (like vanishing realms) and adventure games fit it best at the moment. Crap like job simulator will actually be damaging in the long term.

When I look at First Gen VR, I see dollar signs. I'm personally leaning toward what I refer to as Myst-style play, if anyone remembers that game.

The thing with Myst was you had static pre-rendered images and you could "teleport" to locations by clicking on the image. This was around the same time Doom was a thing and it was still the pre-Quake era.

The big problem I see with quest games in VR is there was always a lot of note-taking in such games and you can't really see to take notes in the first place without taking your HMD off, which would defeat the purpose.

Granted, I seem to recall every piece of information needed in Myst was contained within the book pages you'd find. With today's better technology, implementing a bookmark/inventory system would solve that.

I think I need to play Maniac Mansion and Myst again. And play Talos Principle for the first time for the puzzles.

I like games where survival isn't your top priority. VR lends itself well to single-player adventures.

azuza001 said:

I don't get it. Instead of doing all this crap and having to deal with wires and stuff when you move around why don't they start with vr that the experience is with the intention is that you don't move. Vr racing, flight sim, space combat, this could be the revitalization of the xwing tie fighter series. It could be great.

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EvE Valkyrie is about the only one so far that fits the bill you describe. Hence I'm pretty keen to try it in future.

I don't get why they're targeting nintendo style kids games... those kids are not getting a 500 dollar VR set for their gaming potato box on christmas.

I will never be into niche VR targeted games. If they could give a normal game like Skyrim, or any good looking FPS for that matter, VR capability I would play the hell out of it. Same reason I never played a single Wii game that required the nunchuck, all gimmick to me. It would make an incredible racing platform, place you right in the cockpit to you could turn your head to see the side windows and gauges. Making games where you are intended to reach out and grab things to stack them and shit is pure novelty. VR roller coaster tycoon could be hilarious, I see there are some example of that out there already.