The state of VR - Lost it's steam?

Sorry man I do not see the “pattern.” Systems are under $1000 and fully portable ones are under $500.

Love the Power Glove reference, but it never worked in that capacity. Huge difference between touch controllers allowing you to interact with the environment, and me swinging my arms wildly while pinching my fingers to keep Mario from jumping to his death.

Either way, VR is more accessible today than it was years ago. Quest is the first true portable system, yes we had the Go but.... Yeah.
 
Is there any VR game people could reasonably play competitively as an e-sport? Any VR experiences you want to come back to every night for months on end?

Everything I have seen so far amounts to a pile of glorified tech demos. I am super keen to see what Valve brings out in software, but they clearly don't think its there yet.

When the porn gets really good, that could make for a killer application. Like if VR porn became substantially better then it could be worth the effort. I don't think we are at the point yet where people would rather get off while wearing a headset because the orgasm is that much better.

iRacing.

Quest is selling like hotcakes. 2nd gen headsets are launching. I'd say it's following the typical Gartner' curve.
 
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My entire family loves our vive pro. Except for mom. She’s never tried it. She sucks the life out of any situation though.
 
Being lucky enough to grow up in the 90's and see the golden age of computer gaming I was blown away back then by the CD-ROM, full fidelity sound, and 3D Video cards. The experience I get from VR beats that experience. The immersion is a whole different level, that no other form of interaction can come close to.

You could say that a 3dFX Voodoo card was a shit 3D card by any modern standard. But it was mind blowing at the time. And that was at resolutions that aren't even used on...anything anymore at this point (800x600, whoopie!).

Even Google Earth Street Mode is fascinating application of VR.

We've had 100 years of creating media that is optimized for 2D flat screen presentation. Moving to 3 dimensional space requires a change in the way media is created. Give it time while everyone re-thinks about how content is created and presented. I assure you, it will be worth the wait.

I've always seen VR as being the PC version of 3D for TV and movies. It comes and goes and almost no one cares. Each time it has a resurgence the media swears it will stick around and change the way we view or interact with our entertainment. Then its gone again. There are too many limitations of current VR technologies. Cost, headgear, etc. all come into play. Its not unlike 3D TV or film in that regard. I think one day a form of these technologies will emerge and stick, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

I completely agree with both. Ebb and flow and it's always been that way.

Around 10 years ago I thought about having been around from the age 3 foot square b/w t.v.'s with a 25" screens and then b+w pong to full color 3D 1080P home projection along with monitors that had 120+hz 1080p pnaels For current display tech it would be easy to write paragraphs about all the options we have today from VR to monitors to t.v.s, etc. The 'publicity' of VR has gone back to a slow simmer just as it has done with 3d in the past but that doesn't mean it's gone. I'm off the deep end when it's come to display tech. I love my eye candy. I didn't jump into VR since my budget is tied up in other directions but I keep a watch on it's progress. Each limitation will get nibbled away. When enough 'little' details, and perhaps one major, are resolved then the media will jump back in for coverage again.
 
They need better vr head sets and they need to make the first gen one's cheaper. Move the market forward in both adoption rates and luxary.
 
399 rift S, no sensors just 2 cables, install a program and off you go..
This

Rift S is STUPID easy.... Back in the DK2 days, it took 30 minutes and an act of god to get everything working great...3-4 years later it's maybe 5 minutes to get into a game and play.

Also worth mentioning the Quest...which is probably the best AAA "average joe" gaming one can get. A buddy has one and he brings it to parties and such and it's always a blast.
 
This

Rift S is STUPID easy.... Back in the DK2 days, it took 30 minutes and an act of god to get everything working great...3-4 years later it's maybe 5 minutes to get into a game and play.

Also worth mentioning the Quest...which is probably the best AAA "average joe" gaming one can get. A buddy has one and he brings it to parties and such and it's always a blast.
Sometimes easy isn't always better. People just getting into VR, that I would agree on the easy part.
 
By now I was expecting new VR systems to be cheaper, but in reality...not so much, as we see with the Index. It needs to be way more affordable for a quality experience than it is now.

I wouldn't say it's so much out of steam as that it's puttering along until we get either some bigger breakthroughs in screen and rendering technology, or some decent price drops.

I recently moved my office into the room which was previously dedicated to VR, so no more having to lug my rig across the house to play VR now. I would expect to use it more in this setup (even with slightly less room space due to desks) since it's just already there and ready at all times now.
 
The hardware end is dropping the ball with incremental improvements coupled with high prices. If VR is to take off, the price of entry for the original systems needs to fall under $300 range for a complete system and new systems need to have substantially more features, particularly around resolution and FOV, their pricing won't matter as much if people can get in with a decent system for under $300 to wet their whistle and create a broader player base for new programs.
 
The hardware end is dropping the ball with incremental improvements coupled with high prices. If VR is to take off, the price of entry for the original systems needs to fall under $300 range for a complete system and new systems need to have substantially more features, particularly around resolution and FOV, their pricing won't matter as much if people can get in with a decent system for under $300 to wet their whistle and create a broader player base for new programs.
Good luck with that. VR is already pushing the limits on the cards. The new HMD's need at least a 1070. There are systems for cheap that are stand alone.
You want cheap, then you are going to get a cheap headset. You are not running just 1 monitor but 2, and it takes quite a bit of power at a decent frame rate.
 
I actually don't really use VR to game at all right now.

I invested about $10K into a 8K 3D VR camera + NAS + apps to store, stitch and encode video. I'm doing it to "record memories" from a 360 3D perspective. 8K is so much better than 4K video. It's a day and night difference between the two. So far 8K 3D capture viewed through a Pimax 5k+ results in very sharp capture that's room scale. I expect that distance to extend once I have a HMD that's native 4K per eye (not counting the Pimax 8K). Things tends to start losing detail beyond 50-100 feet or so, but that's a lot better than 4K capture which is blurry even up close.

One day my family will be able to "go back in time" to watch ourselves, including my son who is now 6 weeks old. When I watch the videos right now, it's almost like I'm a ghost sitting in a parallel universe watching things play out.

VR is truly game changing here but that masses haven't quite realized it yet, likely because it is expensive to do this and also takes long to go through the entire workflow as well. At 8K resolution, a denoised video will take about an hour to encode for every minute captured (on a 8086k CPU). I'm going to have a build a media encoding machine and probably sink another $2-3K into that. But this is some of the best money I've ever spent.

are you ffmpeg'ing your way to victory with this?
 
Still waiting for my Augmented Reality rocket to launch.
 
The hardware end is dropping the ball with incremental improvements coupled with high prices. If VR is to take off, the price of entry for the original systems needs to fall under $300 range for a complete system and new systems need to have substantially more features, particularly around resolution and FOV, their pricing won't matter as much if people can get in with a decent system for under $300 to wet their whistle and create a broader player base for new programs.

So you really need consoles to have a cheap addition that is a bit more robust than playstation VR.
 
VR will be mainstream when it has:
  • No wires
  • barely heavier / more cumbersome than a pair of sunglasses
  • Controllable level of isolation
  • just works instantly with no hassle in any space
  • Full library of killer games / apps
  • locomotion and nausea problems solved
  • Sharper displays
  • install base of 50million+
  • Under $300
..all at the same time.

So faraway and yet tantalizingly within reach. Where are you when we need you Steve Jobs?
 
VR will be mainstream when it has:
  • No wires
  • barely heavier / more cumbersome than a pair of sunglasses
  • Controllable level of isolation
  • just works instantly with no hassle in any space
  • Full library of killer games / apps
  • locomotion and nausea problems solved
  • Sharper displays
  • install base of 50million+
  • Under $300
..all at the same time.

So faraway and yet tantalizingly within reach. Where are you when we need you Steve Jobs?
Yeah, might be a while. :)

VR is awesome, I feel bad for people playing on 2D screens. :)
 
I'm pretty happy with my wireless HTC Vive currently. I will be upgrading my video card from a RX 580 to another AMD card in the near future - and replacing the POS HTC wands with Index controllers. But there really needs to be a push by the VR manufacturers for high powered wireless VR. That is where the experience is amazing. I really like the Valve Index HMD, but will not purchase without wireless. Fingers crossed the HalfLife VR experience comes out soon. Guessing it will be tied to Knuckles controllers - so that upgrade will be necessary.
 
VR isn't falling off but it defenitly isn't taking off like a rocket either. Growth is happening but it's slow because too many people don't get the technology or have the ability/desire to make the financial investment into it.
 
VR isn't falling off but it defenitly isn't taking off like a rocket either. Growth is happening but it's slow because too many people don't get the technology or have the ability/desire to make the financial investment into it.
Also I think people that experience the mega crippled phone or similar VR "experience" gets a terrible impression of how good this really is. Get any Star Wars fan standing in front of Vader walking towards you in a real VR setup and its game over for pancake gaming :D
 
The main obstacle holding back mass VR adoption right now is the fact that it still takes a fairly decent PC to begin with to drive it properly (the vast majority of folks simply don't have that) combined with the fact that there's still an extra $300-400 minimum entry price point required for the VR equipment itself. Those are pretty big obstacle holding back mass PC VR adoption. Folks may want it, but sinking ~$300-400 into the needed PC hardware upgrades AND buying the VR equipment is still a definite roadblock. However, VR is chugging along just fine with the enthusiast gaming crowd (those that already have good PC hardware) and are making the leap to VR.

Right now the Quest is responsible for driving up VR adoption rates more than any other device, especially when it comes to the beginnings of making the needed in-roads towards mass VR adoption - and the Quest actually does a passable job at introducing folks to what can be called a "good" VR experience... which will only get better as the tech progresses and gets cheaper. While I'm all about the high end PC VR experience myself, I can see the Quest as having the biggest impact towards mass adoption for the remainder of this year... especially with the upcoming holiday season looming.

While I'd say VR is here to stay and plenty healthy at this point... real mass adoption levels when it comes to VR is still a ways off... at least another 5-10 years. The hardware just need to continues to evolve and get cheaper/better/faster and more comfortable. VR definitely isn't going away... it has fully arrived and will just continue to grow and chug along at a slow/steady pace until the tipping point where VR tech/comfort/cost all hit a sweet spot making it a "must have" item for everyone, much like the radio and TV did before it.
 
The main obstacle holding back mass VR adoption right now is the fact that it still takes a fairly decent PC to begin with to drive it properly (the vast majority of folks simply don't have that) combined with the fact that there's still an extra $300-400 minimum entry price point required for the VR equipment itself. Those are pretty big obstacle holding back mass PC VR adoption. Folks may want it, but sinking ~$300-400 into the needed PC hardware upgrades AND buying the VR equipment is still a definite roadblock. However, VR is chugging along just fine with the enthusiast gaming crowd (those that already have good PC hardware) and are making the leap to VR.

Right now the Quest is responsible for driving up VR adoption rates more than any other device, especially when it comes to the beginnings of making the needed in-roads towards mass VR adoption - and the Quest actually does a passable job at introducing folks to what can be called a "good" VR experience... which will only get better as the tech progresses and gets cheaper. While I'm all about the high end PC VR experience myself, I can see the Quest as having the biggest impact towards mass adoption for the remainder of this year... especially with the upcoming holiday season looming.

While I'd say VR is here to stay and plenty healthy at this point... real mass adoption levels when it comes to VR is still a ways off... at least another 5-10 years. The hardware just need to continues to evolve and get cheaper/better/faster and more comfortable. VR definitely isn't going away... it has fully arrived and will just continue to grow and chug along at a slow/steady pace until the tipping point where VR tech/comfort/cost all hit a sweet spot making it a "must have" item for everyone, much like the radio and TV did before it.
Yeah, I think I am going to get a quest for the wife.

Yeah VR is a bit more expensive if you want the full graphics and effect. GPU's definitely need more power for the power users. I would love to see if they can make sli/cfx work really good with VR, and the software makers used it. It's also a good investment in your health as there are many games that can give you a good workout.
 
quest ftw, not sure if it's worth it for me as I'm still not seeing enough longer game experiences, although surely what's there is quality, it doesn't feel like the system is worth it compared to a console at that same price
 
So Oculus had a bunch of reps go all over the US to demo the Rift...they need to do that more often. I feel like if more people experienced a proper VR headset with touch controllers, it wouldn't take long to go from a niche market to blowing up.

I usually shit on the PSVR headset, but honestly, they are doing pretty well, all things considered. Hopefully next gen will pick up the ball and run with VR headsets.

ANOTHER THING we need is great games. There are only a handful of really good devs that are making proper AAA VR games....I think these two alone are going to be great:



Skip to 1:30 if you don't want to deal with intro.

 
As mentioned in this thread, VR has several problems to overcome before it is a mass product. But one of them is a proper system for movement.
Teleporting around is very artificial, using a gamepad/joystick can cause nausea when you move in another direction than you are looking, so for shooters/open world games you`d need an affordable VR threadmill.
 
Nah you get used to it especially nowadays. Mouse and direction pad was never "proper" either but most of us don't even recall how awkward it was the first time. Maybe it's currently similar to when tank-controls were considered the new thing and we'll soon find a better technique, but it didn't stop games like resisent evil from becoming hugely successful... And I think that's where most of us are kinda stuck... still feels like the killer app hasn't arrived. Boneworks looks promising I must say, but it may only be akin to something like Alone in the Dark compared to RE
 
It's the future like Linux desktop

or

3D television, the tech just has to get better

or
 
^ uh, no... nearly everyone who has tried vr likes it and wants more. Nowhere near the same reaction with linux or 3dtv
 
VR loses its luster fast...it's great when you first get it but it's more of a novelty...most mainstream games are never going to support it and that's why it'll fail or remain very niche...all you'll get are pretty simple almost child-like games that show off the tech...I hear that Resident Evil VR game is pretty cool but that's the exception and not the rule
 
VR loses its luster fast...it's great when you first get it but it's more of a novelty...most mainstream games are never going to support it and that's why it'll fail or remain very niche...all you'll get are pretty simple almost child-like games that show off the tech...I hear that Resident Evil VR game is pretty cool but that's the exception and not the rule
I'd say that depends on the game. For Elite Dangerous, I had a hard time even playing it flat screen after trying it in VR. Space/Flight/Racing sims in VR with appropriate controllers make going back to "2D" seem like the proverbial poor cousin.
 
I've been sitting on the fence since forever. My only VR experience is with Samsung's Gear VR on an old Note 4 phone. I have a computer that's VR-ready but something keeps holding me back from making a purchase. Can anyone guess when we'll reach "Ready Player One" level of immersion / reality type experience? :) After I read the book I always had the feeling that humanity may find its way to the Oasis someday.
 
The content is still getting up and going. It's not going to happen overnight. But the games that are out blow away regular 2D games. Watching a screen
is just boring and 0 immersive. Boring is my own personal opinion, but immersive? Hard to be immersive on a flat screen.
It's still not for everybody.
 
VR loses its luster fast...it's great when you first get it but it's more of a novelty...most mainstream games are never going to support it and that's why it'll fail or remain very niche...all you'll get are pretty simple almost child-like games that show off the tech...I hear that Resident Evil VR game is pretty cool but that's the exception and not the rule
Couldnt disagree more! If you try REAL good VR the effect is the opposite you want more and more and going back to pancake is way less exciting.
 
VR loses its luster fast...it's great when you first get it but it's more of a novelty...most mainstream games are never going to support it and that's why it'll fail or remain very niche...all you'll get are pretty simple almost child-like games that show off the tech...I hear that Resident Evil VR game is pretty cool but that's the exception and not the rule

Just in Q4 2018 Sony sold 700k headsets. The Occulus Go headset sold 550k. Rift and Vive sold 290k. Just in one quarter.

Headsets alone are in the billions of dollars/year range. I think the more powerful next gen consoles are really what will allow the common folk into the tech.

We must be in the tens of millions for headsets sold by now. I think the tech is more widespread than people think.
 
VR is amazing, but I think there are a lot of people like me who dislike the idea of strapping a device to your face just to play a video game no matter how little its size or weight is.
 
Is there any VR game people could reasonably play competitively as an e-sport? Any VR experiences you want to come back to every night for months on end?

Everything I have seen so far amounts to a pile of glorified tech demos. I am super keen to see what Valve brings out in software, but they clearly don't think its there yet.

When the porn gets really good, that could make for a killer application. Like if VR porn became substantially better then it could be worth the effort. I don't think we are at the point yet where people would rather get off while wearing a headset because the orgasm is that much better.

Tactile feedback is the key. :cool:
 
VR is amazing, but I think there are a lot of people like me who dislike the idea of strapping a device to your face just to play a video game no matter how little its size or weight is.

Depends on what you're looking at. :cool:
 
Is there any VR game people could reasonably play competitively as an e-sport? Any VR experiences you want to come back to every night for months on end?

Everything I have seen so far amounts to a pile of glorified tech demos. I am super keen to see what Valve brings out in software, but they clearly don't think its there yet.

When the porn gets really good, that could make for a killer application. Like if VR porn became substantially better then it could be worth the effort. I don't think we are at the point yet where people would rather get off while wearing a headset because the orgasm is that much better.
Cockpit games.

I've put in about 800 hours with Elite Dangerous, according to Steam, and of that, 99% of it was VR. ED's biggest fault is that it's an MMO, and it thus comes with a semi-unnecessary volume of grind. There is fun to be had, but it's almost work getting to it.

Imagine, though, a VR X-Wing vs Tie Fighter game. The original was way ahead of its time in the sense that it was built around the prospect of multiplayer before that was practical for everyone. It would totally work, now, though, and it seems like something that could be made E-sports friendly.
 
I'd say that depends on the game. For Elite Dangerous, I had a hard time even playing it flat screen after trying it in VR. Space/Flight/Racing sims in VR with appropriate controllers make going back to "2D" seem like the proverbial poor cousin.

This is EXACTLY why I'm going to get in on VR with the Rift S. Couple this monkey with a kick ass HOTAS setup and foot pedals and its game on bitches. Overload and Elite: Dangerous are the two main titles that I am looking at, and though my humble frankensystem isn't the best, it should do just fine especially when I replace the stock CPU air cooler and get my videocard cleaned up and overclocked. While yes, many titles are just demo's to get people used to playing in the virtual world, I don't think that it is going to remain as such for very long.

The first VR headset I used was the Oculus Quest - and that shit blew my mind, I'm ready for a whole lot more.
 
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