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[bentanchorbolt]

You hit the nail on the head.

VR simply requires too much energy and concentration and it's the opposite of a relaxing activity. Depending on your situation, playing in VR is the last thing you usually want to do at the end of a working day.

In my case there's also the thing that i just don't understand it. I have PSVR, played with all major titles (resident evil, no man sky, driveclub vr, ace combat etc.) and i still think it's an overpriced and very inconvenient gimmick at best.

What everyone sees in these bulky things i don't know.

It's a more immersive way to consume videogames. It offers a different experience.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

VR needs that killer app, and to have that it needs a sizable userbase that word spreads enough and it becomes viral. The main problem VR has at the moment is it’s expensive. Nobody is going to buy a whole VR setup for a single game, they way they might approach a traditional console.


A game like HL: Alyx is a perfect vision for that killer app, but HL games have never had that kind of mass appeal. Now, VR Counter-Strike or something else like it as an exclusive, could certainly do the trick.


Not saying this will never happen, but I think it will be a generation or two out. And it won’t ever completely replace traditional gaming, much like how 2D is still alive and well.

 

[Fredrik]

I love a VR when it’s good but the way things are going I don’t think VR will ever replace regular gaming. It works for some games and improve them if done right, but it doesn’t work for everything, and playing any longer period is not pleasant, and having B-teams making experimental titles will not satisfy the market for long.
Headsets needs to be lighter, always wireless, work as well with glasses as without, needs great battery life, and VR needs AAA studios to make the biggest IPs for VR. Otherwise we’ll see a crash within 5 years max.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Not that bad considering the prices of the good units.
Numbers will go up and be more mainstream when certain things happen. When units are cheaper, the tech is used for interactive movies, education, travel etc. And Nintendo join the VR world lol. Probably by then PSVR3 and Microsoft and Apple join the VR too

 

[Crayon]

Whoever is fan of games and haven't at least tried VR is missing big time. Once you load up Half-Life: Alyx, that shit is literally transformative. Same with Flight Sim VR and Alien Mother VR

...and yeah it shows the potential, sadly the content is still pretty dry.

I am for one glad that Sony is pushing VR to mainstream. Zuck can get fucked, even tho I own Quest 2, because they don't push it as gaming device, but some metaverse bullshit. If they would instead fund some bigger studio to do VR game...

Games, games, games. Same as anything else. If there were 5 more alyx's since alyx then many more headsets would have been sold. The beat sabers and superhots of the world are very nice but alyx is an exception.

You still get people calling full-ass games "experiences" which sounds dumb on the face, but is easily understandable; The lack of aaa style game clashes with the expense of the hardware. The quest 2 when it was being given away at $300 was more in line with the kind of less graphics-intensive games that are available, which I think was the reason for it's success.

 

[bitbydeath]

Quite good considering PSVR2 arrives soon which many would hold back for.

 

[SJRB]

It's a niche technology with a heavy buy-in and almost-exclusively mediocre or gimmick experiences.

Sony is going to get fucked in the ass with their PSVR projections in 2023, mark my words.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I put it in the same category as stereoscopic 3D and Kinect. It’s one of those things you only think you want, until the novelty wears off and you realize that good old ass-on-couch with a controller is what you really want.

Also just think about it for a couple seconds: how many gamers want to stand up and pantomime the kind of shit a video game character does? Come on.

 

[poppabk]

I agree about being a gimmick, everyone I know in real life that purchased the psvr, said they liked re7, but everything else felt like a demo or was an indie game.

I guess different strokes for different folks, but I'm on feet all day at work, I don't want to strap a headset on and stand up and play a vr game after work.

When I can play better looking games that play and look better on my big TV with a controller in my hand

Honestly for me Acron attack of the squirrels looks better than Cyberpunk. The addition of depth perception has such a strong effect on me.

 

[Lethal01]

Consumers are lazy, don't want to play games while also burning calories, at least that is my opinion. Playing games in VR is 1000x better than with a controller in front of a TV, more immersive, and your body can be used instead of being sedentary. I think the big problem with lack of adoption more so however is not enough AAA games. If tomorrow the industry began to push hardcore native support for VR, with exclusive content, it would be a game changer. The vast majority of games out there are at best amazing tech demos for what is possible.

I love VR as a screen filling, perspective correct, 3d display for regular games which are always better than VR games like Alyx and such.

Controlling characters with a controller just feels much better for a game like Final Fantasy remake and such.

 

[Spyxos]

After Half Life Alyx, there was no software support for Vr. They can release as many new headsets as they want without the games, no one will buy them.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I love the time I spend with games in VR, but it’s hard for a father of 3 young kids to play in VR than just firing up a non VR game.

 

[diffusionx]

If it releases at Apple prices it's not going to normalize headset ownership. It likely won't have the utility. It's easy to justify the expense of MacBooks, iPhones and iPads because they allow you to do more than just one thing. These devices allow people to do most of their general purpose computing tasks, to the point that people don't rely on traditional home computers as much. Unless Apple can get more out of a VR headset than everyone else is getting out of them it's hard to see them moving the needle on VR adoption outside of their clique of rabid "own everything Apple" fans. That group isn't as big as most people believe.

90% of people buy MBs/iPhones/iPads and do nothing but surf the internet and social media with it. Not even that with the watch. Stop acting like people buy Apple stuff for rational reasons, it’s a fashion statement for many.

 

[poppabk]

After Half Life Alyx, there was no software support for Vr. They can release as many new headsets as they want without the games, no one will buy them.

I mean the PS5 has only shipped 25 million consoles in a little over 2 years. Close to 10 million shipped in a year doesn't seem to be no-one buying them.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Good. I hope that number keeps increasing because VR is legit the future of gaming. And funnily enough, even those motion controls from the Wii era hugely contributed to it because VR wouldn't be even half as awesome if it wasn't for motion controls.

 

[Kerotan]

And people act like psvr2 need's to sell 10m or it's a flop.

 

[Thaedolus]

What sucks is Facebook is paying for exclusives. I think the Quest is a great piece of hardware, but I went with an Index so I’m locked out of a lot of that content. And then there’s PlayStation VR and its exclusives and, even though I make decent money, it’s asking a lot to go get 3 different headsets in 3 different ecosystems.

Still, what’s available on Open VR is pretty dope. Alyx is the first time I felt like I was playing something truly next gen since the PS360 era started

 

[SteadyEvo]

Not surprised. I don’t see the appeal of wearing a headset to play games. Clearly I’m not the only one. Always thought Sony was wasting resources that could be used to make traditional, tried and true gaming experiences. The sooner they quit this crap, the better.

 

[Miles708]

It's a more immersive way to consume videogames. It offers a different experience.

In my experience that's simply not happening. You control the camera with your head and that's it. Totally not worth it.

 

[LordOcidax]

Sold my Oculus Quest 2 this week, the wow factor died really fast… VR is not for me.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

In my experience that's simply not happening. You control the camera with your head and that's it. Totally not worth it.

In Population One you can move within the confines for your safe area and it moves your character as well, to include kneeling, ducking, leaning around a corner with your feet planted, turning around, etc. It's 100% worth it to me especially when you take cover behind something and peak around to shoot, its a lot of fun. It takes time for that style of game to become second nature but once the controlling feels native its a blast. Every single FPS would be more fun to me in VR than traditionally methods.

 

[diffusionx]

Not surprised. I don’t see the appeal of wearing a headset to play games. Clearly I’m not the only one. Always thought Sony was wasting resources that could be used to make traditional, tried and true gaming experiences. The sooner they quit this crap, the better.

VR is the only thing that actually feels new and fresh, it truly is 2D->3D->VR. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars to play the same games with more accurate reflections.

Now where does that lead, who knows, but I’m glad Sony is at least trying to build experiences in VR.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Sony gonna struggle next year. Maybe they are making a huge loss on their headset too?

How does it have so much better tech than a quest 2 but make profit.?

 

[reksveks]

Still think normal people struggle to have a device that they stick on their face and completely blocks them from the outside world.

I think we may skip largely to AR/XR type devices that can do VR 'poorly'

 

[bentanchorbolt]

VR is the only thing that actually feels new and fresh, it truly is 2D->3D->VR. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars to play the same games with more accurate reflections.

Now where does that lead, who knows, but I’m glad Sony is at least trying to build experiences in VR.

This x100

VR is the shit I dreamed about back in the 80s as a little kid. Now its here and I've seen enough proof of concept to know that as the tech matures, so long as devs push their top content to VR, then we are truly in for a treat. Quest 2 is great for what it is, there are good and engaging experience to be had, but its sorely lacking in any honest to goodness AAA games. Half-Life Alyx and Boneworks show what the medium is capable of, now we need that next step.

 

[Spyxos]

I mean the PS5 has only shipped 25 million consoles in a little over 2 years. Close to 10 million shipped in a year doesn't seem to be no-one buying them.

10 million is not too bad, but what upsets me is that there is not even anything on the horizon. There is simply nothing. I've spent hundreds of hours in Beatsaber and Audica, there are some good Vr games out there, but after so many years there is no movement at all, other than new headsets.

 

[Crayon]

This x100

VR is the shit I dreamed about back in the 80s as a little kid. Now its here and I've seen enough proof of concept to know that as the tech matures, so long as devs push their top content to VR, then we are truly in for a treat. Quest 2 is great for what it is, there are good and engaging experience to be had, but its sorely lacking in any honest to goodness AAA games. Half-Life Alyx and Boneworks show what the medium is capable of, now we need that next step.

Ever since I saw lawn mower man. After waiting most of my life, the novelty is not going to wear off anytime soon, if ever.

 

[Miles708]

In Population One you can move within the confines for your safe area and it moves your character as well, to include kneeling, ducking, leaning around a corner with your feet planted, turning around, etc. It's 100% worth it to me especially when you take cover behind something and peak around to shoot, its a lot of fun. It takes time for that style of game to become second nature but once the controlling feels native its a blast. Every single FPS would be more fun to me in VR than traditionally methods.

Now that you say that, I would totally go to the arcade to play some serious full-on, full-body, all-in VR experiences.

 

[Outlier]

I ordered a PSVR 2. It'll be my first VR experience (assume i gets sent to me), so even if it fail I would at least got to see what its about.

 

[ReBurn]

90% of people buy MBs/iPhones/iPads and do nothing but surf the internet and social media with it. Not even that with the watch. Stop acting like people buy Apple stuff for rational reasons, it’s a fashion statement for many.

Some people use them as fashion accessories, sure. People also pay Samsung $1,800 for a foldable phone and I think that's a bigger fashion fad than my $800 iPhone. The "Apple is just a fashion brand" thing is played out and untrue. They learned from the iPhone 6 quality debacle and have increased build quality. Apple has probably the best device ecosystem out there right now from both an integration and quality perspective. There are things they can improve, and sometimes their designers are a bit egotistical, but generally they make good kit.

Circlejerking aside, people do buy Apple stuff for practical reasons. Social media and internet are practical uses of tablets and smartphones, as are email, SMS and other forms of communication. People are electing to use smartphones for general computing tasks instead of having laptops and desktop PC's, doing their banking, shopping and other lifestyle-related tasks fully on mobile devices. Apple has devices that are competitively priced for this compared to their competitors and work just as well, or better.

Many people have replaced a traditional laptop with an iPad or other tablet for general computing needs. At $749 an M1 iPad Air with 256 GB of storage is generally as powerful as (or more powerful than) a $749 Windows laptop, and you get word processing, spreadsheet software, video editing software and more included. But if you want a laptop MacBooks are typically built better than other consumer grade laptops in their price range and tend to last longer. At $999 (but often discounted on Amazon) the M1 MacBook Air is a great laptop at a competitive price. Plus they come with the same software for general productivity, video editing and more as the iPad, all software that you would have to pay extra for on a Windows laptop.

Smart watches can also be practical. I personally wear an Apple watch to help monitor my heart rate and it is also a great productivity tool. It helps me manage my schedule and keeps me updated on things that are important without having to keep my face glued to a phone screen all day. I can use it to display my boarding pass from my wallet when flying so that I don't have to take my phone out of my pocket and fumble with it. The SE model has a great set of features and is very competitively priced compared to other smart watches.

There's little that's practical about VR headsets at this point, regardless of who makes them. I'm sure some people are going to buy an Apple VR headset just because it's part of the Apple ecosystem. I'm sure it will be well integrated with their other devices. But Apple is going to have to make it more than a trinket with their logo on it to move the needle on mass market adoption.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

Now that you say that, I would totally go to the arcade to play some serious full-on, full-body, all-in VR experiences.

Bro. Give me a high end headset, some body haptics, and an omni-directional treadmill + the games that define the tech, and I'll never play traditional games again.

 

[Thaedolus]

In my experience that's simply not happening. You control the camera with your head and that's it. Totally not worth it.

Play room scale with hand tracking?

 

[64bitmodels]

quest 2 set the bar for the best price vr should be at ( in its current form) and then no other vr headset obliged by that or tried competitively to reach that price. then the quest 2 raised in price.
is there any wonder why it's slowing a bit in sales?

no one is going to pay more than 300 dollars for this stuff, well no normie at least. its a shame too i really see a reality with VR.

as for the killer app discustion... people arent buying vr because there isnt a killer app vr game, so no company wants to make a game for it. 'VR is dead' pretty much becomes a self fufilling prophecy when no company bothers making an actual game for it. it's fucking stupid too because there was never this issue in the past, innovations and better games were what caused games to skyrocket as a medium. if no company bothered making games for the 2600 because the install base was too slow videogames as a whole would be in the exact same state that VR is in now. that being said i think the apple vr headset is really going to solve that somewhat. people will buy it because it's apple and bam there's now an audience for the AAA companies to dip their grubby little hands in. it'll be exclusive to apple though which is the worst case scenario

 

[64bitmodels]

Now that you say that, I would totally go to the arcade to play some serious full-on, full-body, all-in VR experiences.

actually i feel like this is a great way to experience VR, and it'd revive arcades in the US. space is no longer an issue since arcades have all the space you need, and you get full immersion without any issue of needing to buy the headset, full body trackers, treadmill, etc. but again we need that killer app otherwise it's just a pipe dream. we've gotta have something like Daytona USA or Street fighter 2 for vr.. (actually, the idea of a full body fighting game sounds really fucking sick. somebody at valve/capcom write that down)

 

[64bitmodels]

I mean the PS5 has only shipped 25 million consoles in a little over 2 years. Close to 10 million shipped in a year doesn't seem to be no-one buying them.

this is 10 million of ALL vr headsets. not just quest. VR is an industry made by multiple companies. Playstation is a brand made by one. that's why this number should be higher

 

[bentanchorbolt]

quest 2 set the bar for the best price vr should be at ( in its current form) and then no other vr headset obliged by that or tried competitively to reach that price. then the quest 2 raised in price.
is there any wonder why it's slowing a bit in sales?

no one is going to pay more than 300 dollars for this stuff, well no normie at least. its a shame too i really see a reality with VR.

as for the killer app discustion... people arent buying vr because there isnt a killer app vr game, so no company wants to make a game for it. 'VR is dead' pretty much becomes a self fufilling prophecy when no company bothers making an actual game for it. it's fucking stupid too because there was never this issue in the past, innovations and better games were what caused games to skyrocket as a medium. if no company bothered making games for the 2600 because the install base was too slow videogames as a whole would be in the exact same state that VR is in now. that being said i think the apple vr headset is really going to solve that somewhat. people will buy it because it's apple and bam there's now an audience for the AAA companies to dip their grubby little hands in. it'll be exclusive to apple though which is the worst case scenario

Agree. Meta proved with the Quest 2 that you can make a super attractive headset with all the key features you need and have it run well, the tech will improve as time goes on like anything else. The key here is software. The tech will fade away if nobody is making a killer app for these devices. Half-Life Alyx is amazing, but its locked behind the need of a good PC in addition to the headset. For VR to succeed, we need games like that to be on kits like the Quest 2 and its successor.

 

[analog_future]

Consumers are lazy, don't want to play games while also burning calories, at least that is my opinion. Playing games in VR is 1000x better than with a controller in front of a TV, more immersive, and your body can be used instead of being sedentary. I think the big problem with lack of adoption more so however is not enough AAA games. If tomorrow the industry began to push hardcore native support for VR, with exclusive content, it would be a game changer. The vast majority of games out there are at best amazing tech demos for what is possible.

The Wii did just fine.

I don't think people want to strap a screen to their face and completely disconnect from their surroundings and peers for hours at a time.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

There's no remaining stock of Oculus Go headsets, and Oculus Go doesn't even register on SteamVR.

I got mixed up with the Rift S.

However the Quest 1 is, and what I said applies to it, also the original Rift.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

The Wii did just fine.

I don't think people want to strap a screen to their face and completely disconnect from their surroundings and peers for hours at a time.

I don't agree with the second part. I know a lot of people that love VR and their Quest 2, spend a lot of time playing. When the tech improves and the killer apps come, so will the sales.

 

[64bitmodels]

The Wii did just fine.

I don't think people want to strap a screen to their face and completely disconnect from their surroundings and peers for hours at a time.

but people look at a screen for hours at a time scrolling on social media, playing video games or watching youtube videos. you essentially are disconnected from your surroundings when you're basically staring into a phone all day. vr basically just takes that to the next level in an exciting and innovative way

 

[ZehDon]

Just under 10m is shockingly high, actually. I expect maybe 2-4m units a year.

Remember: this isn't a console, or a PC, or even a phone: this is strapping a computer to your face. That this many people are keen to do this tells me VR isn't going anywhere anytime soon. That reminds me: Into the Radius has a new update...

 

[analog_future]

but people look at a screen for hours at a time scrolling on social media, playing video games or watching youtube videos. you essentially are disconnected from your surroundings when you're basically staring into a phone all day. vr basically just takes that to the next level in an exciting and innovative way

If you're sitting next to your spouse or brother or friend while you're on your phone, all it takes is moving your head 2 inches to engage with them. Not at all the case with VR.

I'm not saying VR doesn't have a market; I think time has proven that it does. But I do not think VR will be mainstream any time soon, if ever.

I don't agree with the second part. I know a lot of people that love VR and their Quest 2, spend a lot of time playing. When the tech improves and the killer apps come, so will the sales.

As stated above, there's certainly people that are into VR and VR will continue to grow it's consumerbase, but it will always have a limited appeal IMO because there's a large segment of people that just aren't willing to take that step.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

As stated above, there's certainly people that are into VR and VR will continue to grow it's consumerbase, but it will always have a limited appeal IMO because there's a large segment of people that just aren't willing to take that step.

I don't agree at all. The only think lacking right now is a legit killer app. 99% of what has released so far, even the best titles, are nothing more than proof of concept, IMO. Beat Saber is fun, Population One is fun, Pistol Whip, RE7, etc. If Half-Life Alyx for some reason comes to the Quest 3, or the next CoD, you'd see adoption rates spike.

 

[64bitmodels]

i feel like the day omnidirectional treadmills, high quality full body tracking, and haptic gloves become cheap and affordable is the day that VR really starts getting innovative new software. there's only so much that can be explored with your head and hands standing in 1 specific position. having your entire body at your disposal is where the real fun starts.
either that or VR arcades blow up in the US soon which seems more likely... i feel like if that happens we'd basically be taken back to the 80s/90s where you play at home for comfort and go out for the real deal. the public needs something to do outside after covid made us all lazy home dwellers

 

[RuneFactoryFanboy]

I love the time I spend with games in VR, but it’s hard for a father of 3 young kids to play in VR than just firing up a non VR game.

I'm surprised this isn't brought up more often.

I'm also a father of three, and VR completely tunes me out from the whole family. It's involved to set up, involved to play, and a hassle to stop and start when the kids need something.

Consequently, it just doesn't get used. Even when the kids are in bed, I don't like tuning my wife out all evening.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

I'm surprised this isn't brought up more often.

I'm also a father of three, and VR completely tunes me out from the whole family. It's involved to set up, involved to play, and a hassle to stop and start when the kids need something.

Consequently, it just doesn't get used. Even when the kids are in bed, I don't like tuning my wife out all evening.

It's all about how you prioritize your life. I have 3 kids and a gf, we all live together and I'm a committed partner and father, but I also recognize for good mental health I need to be able to have "me time" and I extend the same courtesy to my partner. 3pm on a Saturday where all the chores and tasks are done, I'm strapping on the headset and into the open kitchen dining area that has a ton of space and playing some VR. If the kids need me, just flip the headset up and back in dad mode.

 

[F31 Leopard]

 

[analog_future]

I don't agree at all. The only think lacking right now is a legit killer app. 99% of what has released so far, even the best titles, are nothing more than proof of concept, IMO. Beat Saber is fun, Population One is fun, Pistol Whip, RE7, etc. If Half-Life Alyx for some reason comes to the Quest 3, or the next CoD, you'd see adoption rates spike.

All I can say is I remember literally everyone claiming Half-Life Alyx was the killer app nearly 3 years ago, and Astro Bot Rescue Mission was the killer app two years before that. No reason to believe a "true" killer app that's going to pull consumers in in droves is coming any time soon IMO. The Oculus Rift came out 7 years ago at this point.

But who knows, I've been wrong before. Crazier things have happened.

 

[Markio128]

9+ million VR units seems like a lot to me in one year, especially for a niche product.

 

[64bitmodels]

All I can say is I remember literally everyone claiming Half-Life Alyx was the killer app nearly 3 years ago,

killer app attached to an expensive 1000 dollar headset which was attached to a pricey rig needed to run it and released in a time when VR was still unaffordable

Astro Bot Rescue Mission was the killer app two years before that.

killer app attached to a gaming console on a terrible headset that cost 400 dollars in a time when VR was much much younger

VR is in a much better much more popular spot than it was even 3 years ago. it's got the mainstream's curiosity, now it needs their attention