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Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

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Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#21

Post by theogravity »

I have a Quest 2 and haven't touched mine in years mainly because of the set up procedure (which is common in VR headsets): I have to find available space first by moving furniture around, then I need to calibrate the headset to work in that space. After usage, I have to clean the device with wipes to make sure sweat doesn't cause bacteria to grow.

If some of the items were addressed somehow, I'd be using it more frequently.

Also, the level of entertainment the headset provides is less than what I'd get out of a console, so there's even less incentive to use it.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#22

Post by TMWNN »

gpapilion wrote: post #8

Headsets break any bit of social components from a shared screen. There is something to be said for 2-5 people sitting around and consuming the same content and (almost) the same view simultaneously. Maybe overtime we'll get used to it, and it will seem normal. For example, when the iphone was released, and the folks with iphones would stare at them in public and not talk to anyone. We would give friends a hard time…

> Headsets break any bit of social components from a shared screen. There is something to be said for 2-5 people sitting around and consuming the same content and (almost) the same view simultaneously.

Correct. This is also why 3D TVs (also requiring goggles) crashed and burned.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#23

Post by rchaud »

lostruinsofraku wrote: post #12

Its odd to me, but I would describe VR as not addicting. Its a very fun experience when you are there, but I never really feel the pull to go back. Also, the amount of stuff you can do in VR is not much. People act like you can have a fake VR house and have apps on the wall in each room you walk through. Can't do that. I should be able to do scrolling RSS feeds on the walls of my room like a poster, but I can't do th…

VR gaming reminds me of coin-op arcades. Those games were never as fun when they were ported to consoles. There is something about having a dedicated hardware (seats, steering wheels, light guns) that goes away when you have a home system and have to purchase all those accessories and play at home by yourself.

Also, with 55" 4K TVs and 3-monitor setups becoming common, there's plenty of immersion available with last-gen technology. Maybe for most, VR is something that's better as a one-off sort of thing.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#25

Post by theshackleford »

OliveMate wrote: post #20
latchkey wrote: post #6

I had one and I sold it. I'd be more interested to know how many are in active use and how many have been resold.

Bought a Quest 2 in 2022, I got a lot of use out of it initially (mostly played Pavlov Shack, SUPERHOT VR, and community-made ports of classic FPS games), then fell off using it after ~8 months. When I built my new PC I had a blast with it again, I blitzed through Half-Life Alyx and was hopping on a community VRChat meetup every weekend... Then I fell off again. Messing about in VR and shooting has to be the most fun…

The struggles you people have seem unfortunate. It takes me the same amount of time or less to jump into my Q3 and start playing as it does anything else. For a start I don’t keep things I want to use in a closet which I suppose helps.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#26

Post by theshackleford »

kokken wrote: post #13

I think the main issue with VR is that it is fundamentally different from both gaming consoles and computers. I bought a meta quest 3 last year specifically to play table tennis, I play it every single day until my muscles are sore. The other apps and games, impressive as they may be, are just gimmicks. You get awed for the first few hours and put the device away never to be touched again. I would say the biggest hur…

> everything I don’t personally enjoy is a gimmick

Sure ok.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#27

Post by rchaud »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #5

> the company has to do a better job at keeping customers using the headsets well after their purchase I mean I understand that this is what these people are paid to say, but it sure strikes me as odd. I could be wrong but my assumption is that the honeymoon ends pretty quickly for VR headsets. No fault of Meta — they just went all in on the wrong horse. Saw a YouTube video yesterday — a guy finds a VR headset in a J…

How can you say "no fault of Meta" when their CEO was the worst imaginable pitchman for a VR future?

VR wasn't a joke in the public consciousness until Zuck did his Metaverse presentation looking like a Nintendo Mii avatar from 2006.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#28

Post by rchaud »

kokken wrote: post #13

I think the main issue with VR is that it is fundamentally different from both gaming consoles and computers. I bought a meta quest 3 last year specifically to play table tennis, I play it every single day until my muscles are sore. The other apps and games, impressive as they may be, are just gimmicks. You get awed for the first few hours and put the device away never to be touched again. I would say the biggest hur…

The Nintendo Wii was a new kind of gaming console, at a time when the industry was a fraction of the size it is today. Yet it got people standing up and moving while gaming. People bought them in droves to play with friends via local multiplayer. It forced Xbox and PS3 to also add motion detecting paddle accessories to their consoles.

It can be done. Facebook just isn't the company to do it.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#29

Post by samatman »

TMWNN wrote: post #22
gpapilion wrote: post #8

Headsets break any bit of social components from a shared screen. There is something to be said for 2-5 people sitting around and consuming the same content and (almost) the same view simultaneously. Maybe overtime we'll get used to it, and it will seem normal. For example, when the iphone was released, and the folks with iphones would stare at them in public and not talk to anyone. We would give friends a hard time…

> Headsets break any bit of social components from a shared screen. There is something to be said for 2-5 people sitting around and consuming the same content and (almost) the same view simultaneously. Correct. This is also why 3D TVs (also requiring goggles) crashed and burned.

3D TV hasn't caught on because it's an expensive gimmick that people don't generally want to pay for. Many sets also compromised on ordinary 2D quality to get 3D working, a particularly poor bargain.

I've been to 3D films with family/friends/dates and there's nothing antisocial about wearing polarized glasses. But for the most part it wasn't a real improvement on just watching a movie. Sometimes the gimmick worked better than others, but always a gimmick. I wouldn't pay for it at home, but the glasses involved have nothing to do with why.

Re: Meta has sold nearly 20M Quest headsets, but retention struggles remain (2023)

#30

Post by xboxnolifes »

gpapilion wrote: post #8

Headsets break any bit of social components from a shared screen. There is something to be said for 2-5 people sitting around and consuming the same content and (almost) the same view simultaneously. Maybe overtime we'll get used to it, and it will seem normal. For example, when the iphone was released, and the folks with iphones would stare at them in public and not talk to anyone. We would give friends a hard time…

Video games as a single screen per person experience are already a successful market. This does not explain why headsets are different.
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