Unity Reports on VR Data for 2016

[FrgMstr]

Unity is one of the largest graphics engines used in VR gaming. One of the best looking ones we have seen belongs to Call of Starseed. However the list of games is much longer than that in what we have covered here alone. Unity is opening its kimono a bit this morning and sharing some data with us in its 2016 Mobile Games and VR Year in review Report. You can hit this link and download the full report yourself, but we have shared some more of the interesting data below.

What the data shows so far is that many folks that are using HMD are using those often. The sales of the inexpensive Samsung GearVR lead the pack, and while that devices does not support what I would call "true" VR gaming, it is certainly a way to enjoy non-interactive VR content. And quite frankly there is no doubt in my mind that it will pave the way for more people getting excited and wanting to experience more involved VR games.

 

[bobzdar]

It would be interesting if you could enable specators on mobile devices for higher end games - it would probably work best for seated games but it would be neat for say a driving or flying game to be able to spectate with a GearVR via twitch or similar. It would probably move units of both types as people could get a taste of high end VR gaming on their mobile devices, and those with the high end devices could grab a mobile device for their phone for spectators.

 

[FrgMstr]

It would be interesting if you could enable specators on mobile devices for higher end games - it would probably work best for seated games but it would be neat for say a driving or flying game to be able to spectate with a GearVR via twitch or similar. It would probably move units of both types as people could get a taste of high end VR gaming on their mobile devices, and those with the high end devices could grab a mobile device for their phone for spectators.

I actually discussed this exact thing in San Francisco this week, and it was pretty much decided that this may not be the way to go on this since it would very likely cause a lot of folks motion sickness. Surely would be an interesting experience though.

 

[iQuasarLV]

I have yet to read the report. Probably will once I can find the time. Just from the two images seen it worries me that mobile dominates the landscape. There was this issue when smartphone app shops were dominating gaming back in '09+

What I see here is that PC based VR, and consoles, will see a lot more scaled up mobile games imitating as something more than the other way around.

With such a steep entry point when does the shift happen? From an investor's standpoint the mobile adoption landscape means investing in the mobile platform instead of a more costly and sparse PC/console one.

 

[HeadRusch]

It would be interesting if you could enable specators on mobile devices for higher end games - it would probably work best for seated games but it would be neat for say a driving or flying game to be able to spectate with a GearVR via twitch or similar. It would probably move units of both types as people could get a taste of high end VR gaming on their mobile devices, and those with the high end devices could grab a mobile device for their phone for spectators.

If you want to see what this is like, find someone who has a VR headset and have them play a round of Project Cars from the drivers seat. Then, when their race is over, take their headset and sit off to the right of where your friend was playing their game, and run the replay. You'll be sitting int he passenger seat experiencing the VR run from the same perspective in the VR helmet. As Kyle suggests above, you'll get motion sick just like you would if you were in a fast car tearassing around the track, but you aren't the one driving. Probably not fatal, but not necesarily the kind of experience you want to hand to VR neophytes, you don't want their first experience to be nausea.

 

[bobzdar]

If you want to see what this is like, find someone who has a VR headset and have them play a round of Project Cars from the drivers seat. Then, when their race is over, take their headset and sit off to the right of where your friend was playing their game, and run the replay. You'll be sitting int he passenger seat experiencing the VR run from the same perspective in the VR helmet. As Kyle suggests above, you'll get motion sick just like you would if you were in a fast car tearassing around the track, but you aren't the one driving. Probably not fatal, but not necesarily the kind of experience you want to hand to VR neophytes, you don't want their first experience to be nausea.

I mean, I have a Rift so I know what it's like but would like to share the experience other than them watching what one eye sees on the screen. Iracing has a neat feature where you can spectate a race in progress,so that's usually what I do for people new to it, but it would be neat for multiple people to be able to watch at once.

Unfortunately I think the nausea factor would kill it for everything except seated/cockpit type games and even then it'd probably make people sick. Developers would have to make a specific spectating client,which could work for unity as the engine is available on mobile as well as pc. It could be a slightly cut down version that would be spectator only cutting down the physics, graphics options slightly and other processes necessary to get it working on mobile smoothly.

 

[sir-gold]

If the GearVR is given away free with a new phone, is that really considered a 'sale'?

That would be like giving away a free lutefisk with the purchase of every new set of dishes, and then claiming that lutefisk has suddenly become wildly popular.

(not trying to crap on VR here, I just think freebies shouldn't count towards sales figures.)

 

[HeadRusch]

I mean, I have a Rift so I know what it's like but would like to share the experience other than them watching what one eye sees on the screen. Iracing has a neat feature where you can spectate a race in progress,so that's usually what I do for people new to it, but it would be neat for multiple people to be able to watch at once.

Unfortunately I think the nausea factor would kill it for everything except seated/cockpit type games and even then it'd probably make people sick. Developers would have to make a specific spectating client,which could work for unity as the engine is available on mobile as well as pc. It could be a slightly cut down version that would be spectator only cutting down the physics, graphics options slightly and other processes necessary to get it working on mobile smoothly.

Ah, yeah sorry, I misunderstood what you were suggesting up there.

As for GearVR, it kinda doesn't matter...the goal here isn't profit or loss, the industry is simply too new and young.....the goal is market penetration. Get the headsets into peoples hands so they can try them and get hooked...then start the selling cycle to make VR impossible to live without, like TV or Radio. They got us buying water for $3.00 a bottle when there are free taps full of the same stuff everywhere you look.......trust me, I think they'll pull it off. But right now it's about getting the product in peoples hands, making them cheerleaders, and getting the hardware costs down.