Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#11

Post by cillian64 » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:50 PM UTC

I assume this is the Santa Cruz headset? The big thing with that one is it's standalone -- my guess is that it includes electronics similar to a smartphone.

My question is whether I'll be able to connect this new, cheaper (better?) headset to my PC for gaming or whether it can only be used standalone. Given the PC specs required for current VR games, I can't see how a system builtin to the headset could provide a comparable experience.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#12

Post by mrfusion » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:51 PM UTC

We're in the trough of disillusionment.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#13

Post by superplussed » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:53 PM UTC

The amazing thing to me is that my 10 and 8 year old nephews have a PSVR, and Xbox, and an iPad, and all they want to do is play the iPad. They use the Xbox sometimes, and the PSVR collects dust. It seems nowadays low friction is the killer feature.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#14

Post by Strom » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:54 PM UTC

How do you define widespread adoption? When adding all the current gen VR systems together we're already over 10M units sold.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#15

Post by Ajedi32 » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:55 PM UTC

Well, there's certainly not as much hype anymore as there may have been a couple years ago, but I wouldn't really say it's "fizzled out". New games are coming out all the time (e.g. Robo Recall, Echo Arena), new hardware is being developed (version 2 of the lighthouse trackers, Valve's knuckle controllers, new headsets from LG, etc.), and we're finally starting to get to the point where there are a lot of games available for VR that are more than just tech demos. The ecosystem is still very much alive.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#16

Post by empath75 » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:55 PM UTC

I'd say we'd have to wait for generation two before giving up on it. Cheaper, lighter, higher resolution, etc.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#17

Post by ghaff » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:55 PM UTC

I don't know what the timeframe is but, yeah, it probably needs to get to untethered few hundred dollar with better video quality range. At that point it's pretty much a no-brainer for anyone who doesn't have motion sickness problems with it. At which point, volume drives content like virtual tourism that gets beyond hardcore gaming.

AR is probably more interesting in the long-term although that will have to navigate through the glass-hole problem among other things.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#18

Post by jackmott » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:56 PM UTC

id say five years. the price cuts will help. i will get one (again) when pixel density doubles.

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#19

Post by tgb » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 1:56 PM UTC

How can you tell that from the Steam Survey? [1] All I see is market share among people who own VR headsets without mention of how many own headsets at all.

[1] http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

Re: Facebook can’t decide how much VR should cost

#20

Post by aphextron » Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 2:00 PM UTC

Yes. I was a hardcore fanboy, bought the DK2, had both Rift and Vive preorders on day one. Spent months making my own games and VR experiments in Unity. However I just sold all of my headsets last month.

Theres been a lot of amazing stuff to come out of this generation of VR. But as hard as the software devs try, you simply can't get past the fact that the hardware isn't ready for primetime yet.

The clunky controllers, the wires, the sensors. We need full wireless, full FOV, and at least double the pixel density/resolution with a control scheme that uses finger tracking lightweight gloves.

Th current gen of tech is really mindblowing at first, and it certainly has incredible potential. But until then VR will unfortunately remain a niche toy like HOTAS controllers.