I always think of Tom Hall's quote from early id days.
"No one wants to strap shit to their face."
Yeah.
Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
11–20 of 96 posts
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#12I don't think it's a content issue as much as a comfort issue. Literally everyone I know who bought a VR headset, high-end or low-end, has said more or less the same thing: It's impressive, but it starts to hurt after an hour or so. Hard to get and stay immersed when you're in physical discomfort.
It's not even comfort for me, it's the hygiene of it. Touching greasy skin and then sharing... ick. You really need a personal device for everyone which is pricy.
I got these little fabric covers ("VR cover") for my HMD so the cleanliness aspect is a bit better managed. A couple people can use the first one and then I can swap it to a new, clean one, etc.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#13In my very limited experience, the main things I greatly enjoy in VR are:
* social interaction
* games that are improved by deep immersion, like horror games.
At every stage, you'll want to spend more money on it, it feels like.
* Get the headset on? The arms work, but the legs don't.
* Buy hip and leg trackers. Now it can't show what you're looking at -
* gotta buy eye-tracking, but eye-tracking is rare and only exists on like 2 headsets and their support is spotty at best. (Honestly, I think the PSVR2 would FLY off the shelves for a bit if they unlocked its best features for PC).
* Buy face tracking, because people can't tell that you're grinning or making a face at them. - Oh, but that requires attaching something to your existing headset that might be custom or an additional fee because none of the headsets do this well by default.
* buy a better computer to support all that
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#14I don't think it's a content issue as much as a comfort issue. Literally everyone I know who bought a VR headset, high-end or low-end, has said more or less the same thing: It's impressive, but it starts to hurt after an hour or so. Hard to get and stay immersed when you're in physical discomfort.
So there's now edu-tech start-ups working on VR training. Which does sound cool, like provide an immersive experience in hospital room with different patient scenarios for example. My spouse got to try one recently and it sounded like a mixed bag in practice. Lots of problems with people feeling sick, not having glasses that fit under the goggles etc.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#15I don't know. Author complains devs are targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games. But my instinct is that only "hard core" gamers are going to want to stick a thing on their head (that they had to pony up large amounts of dosh for, BTW). I also believe in The Market. With the number of years VR headsets have been one the market I am quite confident no one somehow missed a lucrative genre. I see a lot of…
Fairly confident 2D games are still missing many genres which will eventually become lucrative; never underestimate creativity.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#16I am not a gamer but was absolutely fascinated by a VR game on Oculus GO that I can't even find anymore.
In the game, I was essentially a metal sphere that could "jump" and float through a huge maze. It was a puzzle game.
Tried a ton of games on more modern headsets and never got into them. Zombie games, shooters, sims, etc - nothing came even close to the fascinating experience of that colossal maze.
So in my view, VR games have moved in the wrong direction. From games that explored the new opportunities VR offered to trying -- and failing -- to match the console game experience.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#17I don't think it's a content issue as much as a comfort issue. Literally everyone I know who bought a VR headset, high-end or low-end, has said more or less the same thing: It's impressive, but it starts to hurt after an hour or so. Hard to get and stay immersed when you're in physical discomfort.
It's also way harder to jump in/out of a game session. I have to take a dramamine, clear the area, put on the damn thing, make sure my focal calibration didn't get messed up, then actually play... and if something beckons me mid-session it's a chore to take off the headset and put it back on again.
Versus with regular gaming, if my phone buzzes or the laundry goes off, pausing the game and putting down the controller takes two seconds.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#18I don't know. Author complains devs are targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games. But my instinct is that only "hard core" gamers are going to want to stick a thing on their head (that they had to pony up large amounts of dosh for, BTW). I also believe in The Market. With the number of years VR headsets have been one the market I am quite confident no one somehow missed a lucrative genre. I see a lot of…
It's interesting to me that you compare VR and Guitar Hero as they are very different. VR is nothing but isolation. Guitar Hero and the other Band game at least made it where more people could participate at the same time in the same location. One pulls you away, while the other attempted to include more people.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#19The last thing I want to do after working all day is to come home and put on a headset and be disorientated. That isn't my idea of fun, or entertainment and there are many people who feel the same way I do. There isn't a single thing any of the tech companies could do, or not do, to make me a VR or AR user. I don't care how realistic it is, how lightweight the headset is, or how well the tracking works. I just don't want to put on a headset, and I never will.
Re: Why VR Games Still Haven't Taken Off
#20I can't stand wearing regular glasses, imagine that bulky thing...