Virtual Reality is a gimmick that's not going to catch on

I don't think personally every single gamer out there is going to play through VR headsets. Now don't get me wrong, i do think a lot of people will enjoy this. But overall, i think gamers will reject it. It's only going to give an alternate perspective, but not improve it.

It doesn't really change the way we play games. It only changes your point of view and how the player can control the line of sight. The game is still the same. It does hold potential for some games, but it won't suit every game i think. Among the Sleep is a game that is perfect for this i feel.

In the end i think it's going to be an accessory for gamers, but not much more. For those who want to get it, i won't stop you. I just don't buy into this imho. I do think it has other applictations as virtual tourism, selling houses, etc. But for gaming it's only an add-on than a game changer.

What do you guys think? Am i wrong?

I agree with you. VR obviously works to see in a first-person perspective, but not every game is like that. That alone makes it so that VR will not be the ONLY way to play. Also, people complain about motion controls where you only wiggle your wrists. How would those people feel after 20 minutes of constantly moving their heads and necks?

i don't know how a FPS game would work with either

@The_Last_Ride: I don't think anyone thought that VR was going to replace monitors. It offers a level of realism that hasn't really been previous achieved by frankly anything before, but as you guys mentioned it's not ideal for every type of game. First Person games are obviously ideal, as well as vehicle "sim" type games (racing/flightsim/spacesim) and not every game is one of these. Nobody is going to buy a VR helmet to play Civ V.

Unless you mix in motion control as well, you're right that it doesn't change the -way- you play. There's nothing you can do in an FPS with an Oculus that you can't do just as easily (if not easier) with a monitor, KB and mouse.

What it -does- do, though, and really well is give you another level of immersion that is crazy impressive. Yes, it's very ideally suited for games like "Among the Sleep" or other "Ethan Carter" or "Dear Esther" type games.

While it's true that I'd say it doesn't give you any real advantage in normal FPS titles, the important distiction from the last big innovation that was going to change the face of gaming (motion controls) is that it doesn't put you at a disadvantage. Playing an FPS with a mouse/KB and VR is easy and intuative to someone who already knows how to play with KB/mouse alone. I was playing Alien Isolation with my DK2 and I remember hearing a noise behind me. I turned around to look right at it (half mouse turn, half head turn) and it turned out to be a non-hostile android, but I remember thinking how incredibly cool that was because I didn't even think about it. It wasn't like I was turning my character around to see what was behind me, it was like I heard a noise and I looked at it and I didn't realize that was what I had done until after I had done it. That is pretty amazing.

Moving your head and neck is not a big deal because unlike holding your arms up constantly with motion controls, you already hold your head up and "look" at your monitor without VR. The "looking" aspect of VR doesn't wear on the user (at least, it didn't for me) but of course the weight of the helmet -is- a factor. I've played for hours at a time without issue, though. I couldn't say the same for a Kinect game.

What I hope is that future games will be designed with a VR option in mind, and that like what they tried (and failed) to do with Kinect was come up with games ideally suited for the format. I think this -can- make for some unique and amazing experiences that you can't get with just a monitor.

-Byshop

i do agree with you, or you agree with me :P?

Anyways i do think there's a market, but i don't think it's for everyone.

It can't become an industry standard, since 20% of the population can't see 3D and about 40% gets dizzy/headaches with it. Also it can't be used for long stretches by anyone. It will remain a gimmick.

i think it's going to fall into the same market as motion controls and 3D. But i do think there's a bigger market for this than the ones i mentioned though

Pretty much this. I would regard the Kinect "revolution" as a failure but I think that even though this will never replace how we game this will be a much bigger deal and "VR games" might take off in a way that Kinect games never did. Even just browsing the Oculus Share directory for all the crazy little games that people have put together as exclusive titles is really, really fun. I couldn't say the same thing about the various motion control games that I've played. Everyone I've let try my VR headset so far has thought it was damned impressive, from friends my age all the way up to my wife's dad who normally is pretty unimpressed with anything computer related.

VR will probably be a niche, but I think it'll be a big niche like the sim genre.

-Byshop

yeah i agree with that

I think it's moving more and more in that direction thowards VR gradually over the next 5-10 years or we will see an explotion of popularity if someone makes one killer VR App that everyone just must have) I believe vr will be used for alot of things in the near future, not only for gaming but also for movies, virtual tourism as OP mentioned and also other things like doctor apointements, checking out a car you wanna phurcase etc... there is one car dealer that actually has started doing that allready with VR in mind iv'e read somewhere.

Samsung has a consumer version ready called GearVR that will probably not be used for the intention of playing games but more for viewing movies in 3d, looks really cool that VR movie theater they have btw.. You can watch a 3d movie on the moon with the earth far off in the distance, it's pretty neat, they also have alot of other different backgrounds like a full sized imax cinema etc.. Heard something about Apple will jump onto the VR bandwagon as well and they will most likely focus on same things as samsung i would guess.

Oculus and Morpheus are different though, they got the hardware power and expertise to make the most incredible VR games the world has ever seen, and they will do it. It's all about the "waiting game" and marketing strategy right now, it's a good thing those mobileVR headsets hits the market first to make some hype around VR for the average joe and not just gamers.

It's gonna succeed this time around you guys, it's not just a gimmick, the founder of playststion Kazuo Hirai said in an interview that it has been one of his biggest dreams to make virtual reality to work with playstation, i think it has been a long term plan for Sony, even ps move for ps3 was sort of a preperation for Virtual Reality on the PS4. I think VR is gonna be huge. Sony will most likely start this whole VR era for consoles with some highly immersive,intutive and sophisticated new ip's made from the buttom and up for VR. Just wait and see;)

People said the same thing about 3D movies back when Avatar was the hot stuff.

Anyway, if Sony is gonna revolutionize VR and make it the new way that people game, then they're gonna have to wait until at least the PS5 comes out. Too late for the PS4. VR didn't come with the PS4 which means that once it's released it's automatically just an accessory. And as history has shown, video game accessories generally don't tend to be game changers. They're rarely if ever utilized to their full potential, because the user base is already split up to such a degree that those implementing the technology are too afraid of alienating the established user base. This is one of the exact reasons why Kinect wasn't a game changer. By the time it came out, there were enough 360's on the market that Microsoft wasn't gonna come out and make everyone who already bought a 360 have to shell out a bunch of extra money for Kinect. This means that very few games were actually gonna use Kinect in a way that was actually a critical game-changing paradigm shift. It got relegated into an optional thing for games. And the games that absolutely required Kinect were usually shitty games that no one cared about.

Same thing here. Maybe Sony has a chance once the PS5 comes out, but it's too late for this to happen before that. The PS4 is already out, which means that any VR technology which is released for the PS4 is instantly relegated to "superfluous add-on shit that I have to pay a bunch of extra money on." And that's niche territory. If Sony wants their VR tech to revolutionize gaming, then a niche gaming experience won't cut it. They've got to fully embrace this right out of the gate.

And look...didn't Microsoft try to do that with Kinect on the X-1? Look how that turned out for them. Even when they tried to make it a necessary part of the X-1 experience in order to avoid splitting up the user base and relegating the technology to niche category, gamers just largely chose to flock to the PS4 instead. Thus forcing Microsoft to backpedal and start selling X-1's without Kinect.

I'm not saying that VR can't be the new paradigm shift that revolutionizes gaming, but the odds are against that happening. There's a catch 22 happening here. Developers are gonna be hard pressed to utlilize the technology to its full potential without an established user base, and it's gonna be really hard to get an established user base without the games to justify the purchase of the new technology.

I don't know what people like. So I'll just wait and see....

I think you are spot on. VR as it is right now is just and will be a gimmick, its like motion controllers and motion cams like Kinect.

The Rift is pretty great but it just can't beat sitting down in front of a screen playing a game. Not to mention that the rift quick becomes kinda annoying to have on, it gets a bit sweaty and also you get absorbed into the game and dont really notice that you have people around you, so if you like to have "facecam" be social with friends and family you are out of luck and that can become a nuisance.

I disagree. It's the next step in gaming on a revolutionary scale. Kinect, simple motion controls and other peripherals are gimmicks. To say VR is a gimmick is like saying 3D gaming was a gimmick in 1995. Something that lets games be deeper, realer and more immersive isn't a gimmick.

I can understand your lack of faith in current VR technology, but I think in the future it really will change the way we play games.

I agree, it won't be an industry standard, but if they do it right, it won't just be an add on either!

@MarcRecon: i only think it's an add on at best

Time will tell! lol

yeah, but i think other tech parts of the world will get more use out of it tbh

I've been saying this for a long time. It's 3D part 2. I think it's a great peripheral that can increase user's immersion in *certain* games, but on its own it's nothing particularly revolutionary or impressive. When you combine it with literally a bunch of other VR-peripherals it gets a lot more impressive, but then it's even that much less feasible for the regular consumer. It will be great for enthusiasts and I hope games will work to support it, but I personally will not use it and from what I gathered from talking to my friends - they don't really plan to be getting it either.

Personally, I hate wearing anything on my head. That alone is a big detractor in immersion. Furthermore, I can't share what I'm seeing with other people unless I bought 2-3 extra sets just for guests and stream my image to their screen (if that's even possible?). I've only gotten brief usage of it, but I definitely found the experience straining and far from something I'd want to wear on my head for large gaming stretches. And unless I'm mistaken, you'll need an enthusiast rig if you want to use it in the first place so that already puts a huge limit on its audience.

it's not going to work for regular games. They're perfect for horror games though

@KHAndAnime: They might not be revolutionary but we have never seen this great VR headsets before ever for that prize. The VR headsets might not be revolutionary but some of the games will probably be.

You can share what your seeing on the Sony Morpheus btw with your friends on a secondary screen when your in the same room. Probably gonna work on consumer version for the Rift as well.

Nobody has tested out the consumer versions of any of these VR headsets and nobody has tested out a fully VR game yet either so it's a little to early to jump to conclusion.

@MrGeezer: I think it will sell either way, if Sony really believes in the Morpheus and want this to happen it will happen. Sony are in such a position that they can pretty much command developers to do what they want.

Interesting how VR was seen as just a "90's relic" a few years ago, and yet today it's become the "future". There isn't much difference between the Oculus Rift of today and the Sega VR of the 90's. The only way the Oculus won't face the same fate is if it has the necessary "killer app" software to justify the hardware.

Yeah, it has more potential with more technology. But the market isn't that much different

@The_Last_Ride: The market is much bigger now and don't forget, back then there was no Internet so people had a hard time getting information about the product.

I don't think the market could be more different now. The social networking potential VR has is crazy... think business meetings or distant friends/relatives gathering online. I don't think the VR we have available right now is the future, but with better tech, high resolution screens and speedier and better exploited internet connections, it sure as hell is a step in the right direction.

Honestly I think games are only a small part of what VR will be able to change

The product is niche, it's not going to be for all core gamers. No casual gamer is going to get this either

You are right, it is a niche market right now, but think about all the people who hasn't bought a PS4 yet? im sure Sony will sell PS4 VR bundles in two-three years. Also think about all the people like me who has a ps4 but not a 3dtv, or lets put it this way, what about all the people who do not have an i-max cinema in their own livingroom? Those VR cinemas on the rift are mindblowing they say, think about what Sony can do in this area with Sony pictures and all?

I believe the morpheus will start as a niche product but over time the morpheus with the ps4 will be allmost as popular as the ps2 was because of the dvd drive.

This is what i think about when i take a look at what Sony has accomplished in the past and what road they are about to head in the not so distant future.

Sony walkman - tape

Ps1 - Cd

Ps2 - Dvd

Ps3 - Blueray

Ps4 - VR

I think VR for Sony is just a natural step for them to take if you take a look at what they have done in the past. They are allways one step ahead of time.

I think the casual crowd even non gamers will get this product because they will get a 3d i max cinema in the comfort of their own living room and gamers will get this product because, well.. they can experience the wrath of Kratos in God Of War etc... :)

Edit: Im telling you guys, this time around it's not just a gimmick.

Yeah, but didn't PS2 start out with a DVD drive straight from launch? It wasn't an add-on, it was fully integrated into every unit right at launch, which means no splitting up the user base. Same with PS1 and PS3. PS1 had CD drives right at launch in every unit, and PS3 had Blu-Ray integrated into every unit right at launch. That's a big difference. Sure, I'll bet Sony is gonna SELL VR bundles in the next two or three years. But think of how many PS4's they'll have sold by that time. Two to three years from now is three to four years into the console's lifespan, Sony will probably have easily sold more than 50 million PS4's by that time, all of them without VR. At that point, no one developing the major big-selling PS4 games is gonna use Morpheus in anything other than a superficial capacity, because telling people that they NEED Morpheus is gonna cut out on a whole lot of sales.

No developer is gonna divide the user base up like that, and cut out sales from the tens of millions of PS4 owners who don't have Morpheus. And no way is Sony gonna have the balls to have Morpheus bundled in all PS4 sales from that point on. Best case scenario is that gamers have the OPTION of buying PS4 bundled with Morpheus. And in that case, a hell of a lot of new PS4 buyers are just going to choose the stand-alone unit that isn't bundled with Morpheus. There's no way around it, no VR technology on the PS4 is going to be anything other than a gimmick. By the time this VR tech is a reality and is available on store shelves, the PS4 will have already sold so many units that using the VR to its full potential is going to alienate too many pre-existing PS4 owners. So, most games that utilize the tech will only do so in a superficial capacity (it might make the game a bit cooler, but you certainly don't need it). And the few games that require it because it's that critical a part of the experience are gonna be the games that few people care about in the first place (expect a whole lot of shovelware).

Next gen, MAYBE. Hell, maybe the Oculus Rift could be a huge game changer. But that's on PC. If any current VR tech is gonna revolutionize gaming, it's gonna be the Oculus Rift. And even then, I doubt it...lots of major developers seem too reliant on multi-platform sales. That is to say, a substantial amount of the major PC games are also released simultaneously on current consoles. So, unless the consoles also have an equivalent VR technology that allows the VR games to be utilized to their full potential, a hell of a lot of console developers are gonna hold back on VR too. But yeah...though it's like, I think the Oculus Rift has the best chance of revolutionizing gaming (especially since PC gamers use their PCs for other things, so VR applications other than gaming stand a better chance of getting Oculus Rifts into people's homes.

But Sony's VR? Get back with me when the PS5 is about to come out. Because it's too late for the PS4. Sure, Sony's VR tech is gonna be released on the PS4, but PS4's VR tech is never going to be anything more than a gimmick. The PS4 user base is already split up too much, and it's gonna be worse by the time Sony's VR tech is actually on store shelves. Regardless of how good the Morpheus is, it's just gonna be too much of a hard sell to get existing PS4 owners to buy a Morpheus. Way too many PS4 owners are just gonna choose to not buy games that require Morpheus, and that's gonna keep developers from using Morpheus to its full potential on PS4. It's just gonna be a gimmick. VR might be the future of gaming, but I don't think current VR tech is gonna cut it, and DEFINITELY not Sony's VR for the PS4. If Sony's VR is gonna change the way that people game, then they have to integrate it into every unit right out of the gate. Just like DVD on PS2, or Blu-Ray on PS3. And that simply has no chance of happening until at least the release of the PS5.

Well, the thing about VR in video games is that most people would expect a certain level of immersion to actually make it worthwhile.

That sort of thing just isn't possible with a normal home setup.

May as well just waste your money on a 3D TV.

With the way things are going now with this technology crack addiction, who knows? People are becoming more and more anti social with each other as it is, with their heads buried in their smart phones and tablets. Might as well ignore mommy and daddy and the rest of your family at home while you're gaming in VR, hypnotized by 3D goggles.

For me, gaming will never go further than me looking at a TV screen or a monitor. I like to still be aware of what's happening around me, no matter how good the game is.

Not a game changer? Have you ever used Track IR with a flight sim? Go play and try to be successful in a dogfight while having your view locked into quadrants instead of being able to keep track of your target at all times by moving your head.

The situational awareness it allows is absolutely a game changer, and VR will go one step further in immersion. I won't say it will be a game changer for all genres, but for some it will be a massive benefit to the gameplay so I'd say it would be.

People still play flight sims?

Point being, you're still talking about a niche audience. This stands the greatest chance of success on PC, but consoles? Hell...even flight sims are a niche genre on PC, they're all but nonexistant on consoles. Same with RTS games like Warcraft. If those genres are essentially dead on consoles because keyboard/mouse support isn't worth bothering with, then how the hell is an already niche genre like flight sims supposed to change gaming when it requires cutting edge video game tech like modern VR goggles?

@ojmstr: But all of those were there from the start, VR isn't

Right now we are getting 3D goggles with head tracking and not VR. True VR can be seen on a flat screen.

I am afraid of what these 3D goggles will do to games. Few games benefit from being first person. The biggest problem I have with Mirror Edge is that it is in first person.

First person also is less immersive. Nothing is ruins immersion more than breaking or tapping the forth wall and first person does that all the time.

And what you describe here is exactly what a gimmick is, Motion controller was a gimmick, Kinect/Move cam was a gimmick. And the Rift will be a gimmick, it doesn't mean that it will vanish and there won't be some people who use it, exactly like with flight sticks and wheels, it will find a niche market but for the rest it will be like 3D is , just a fad.

Never said flight sims with VR would be a changer to gaming. I said that VR will be a game changer to sim gaming. Track IR already is tbh, but it only involves head tracking, doesn't cover the eyes.

The only thing keeping VR from becoming popular is cost of entry. Most systems before Oculus were cost prohibitive for almost everyone. Now that they are working on a device that can provide a true "VR experience" for a few hundred dollars, I am certain it will catch on... because VR is the next step in interactive media technology.

Traditionalists will balk at the idea of strapping a display to their face... but I've been waiting for VR in gaming since the mid-1990's.

Well not everyone buys racing wheels

I agree that it's odd that now is the time that VR has come to the forefront again, but I disagree that there's little difference between what was available now versus then. Back then I had dozens of issues with the tech. Poor display tech, big, heavy, and graphics that were inferrior to the arcade and even home PC games of the time. Today is a lot more like what I thought VR should have been like before.

@HipHopBeats: I can't argue that VR tech is anti-social by nature when compared to group activities like watching TV and movies or playing games on a TV. However, in this modern age I don't know if that's a big a deal as it once was. With the internet and damned near every game having multiplayer, physical proximity is no longer a requirement to be social. Video game arcades have all but ceased to exist in the US, as have internet gaming cafes and other such "congregation points" for gaming. Hell, most games have even dropped splitscreen support. The way things are going, I don't know if VR helmets being a "one person per room" experience is really a problem.

@wiouds: I don't know that I would call 1st or 3rd person any more or less immersive than the other. If by immersive you mean you get sucked in and forget you are playing a game, then I would call them different but equal, even though each game type uses different methods to achieve that level of immersion.

I totally agree with this, but this is also the counterpoint. VR can change the way you experience many different game types, but with the exception of sim-type games it doesn't give you an advantage, and even among those I would argue that only space/flight sims really get a significant benefit (racing, not so much).

The argument against VR being the next big thing is that it doesn't give you an advantage in any game type other than a few that are not mainstream now. I get that I while I really like VR and think it -will- take off (in its way) I don't disagree with this point.

What I'm hopeful for, however, is a whole new breed of game designed specifically for VR. Mobile and touchscreen gaming were once a minor diversion at best, and now they make up about a fifth of the gaming marketplace not because people figured out how to shoehorn existing games into a new platform but because they made entirely new games for it, and in that VR has a TON of potential.

-Byshop

It wouldn`t be realistic to sell the VR device with the PS4 at launch, it would just hurt the sales of the PS4, back when Sony sold the ps2 with a dvd drive everyone knew what a dvd player was, VR of todays standards is something new that most people havn`t seen the true potential of yet, most people havn`t even tried it out yet but those who have are most of the time blown away by it.

Here is something i copied and pasted from the latest review you will find on the net about the Morpheus > from Techradar.com "Seeing is believing, and having taken Morpheus for a spin there's no longer a doubt in my mind: virtual reality on the PS4 is going to be amazing".

What your saying about huge selling developers not getting into VR is not true though, take a look at the market right now, why do you think we see delays of huge selling titles all the time these days? you see AAA games getting pushed back months from release constantly and the reason is there are simply to many huge companys making AAA titles fighting over release dates. Hope non of you buy the execuse that they wanna polish their games more before release dates and that`s the reason alone they wanna push their games back? it`s all about time windows for release dates in order to capitalise more $$$.

Now in this time we live in and with so many heavy companys in the market it`s only natural to think that some of these companys are going to look at an other direction within the gaming industry and VR which we all know is coming is the right place to look and if i know that who is just a gamer, they sure as hell know it to.

Judging by your post i think you are to caught up in wheter the Morpheus alone will sell just as much as the Ps4 or not which is obviously not going to happen because it`s a "new" tech that has just been introduced to the massmarket, and because of that you are claiming that it`s just gonna be a gimmick. Yeah sure it`s a niche product right now but from my point of view it is absolutley not a gimmick, VR is going to be huge in the coming years, not only within the gaming industry.

Oh. In that case, if you're just talking about being a "game changer" for a niche genre that most people don't really care about, then sure.

My point still stands. As far as gaming in general goes, VR (in its about to be released form) is going to be at best an insignificant footnote in gaming history.

Like I said, VR might be huge in the coming years, just not during the lifespan of the current consoles. You're gonna have to wait until next gen. Because when you're making a high-budget game that needs to sell millions of copies just to break even, you're not going to cut out a huge part of the user base by telling them that they can't play the game unless they buy a niche product that probably isn't exactly gonna be dirt cheap.

If the technology is going to be utilized in a meaningful capacity (as in, it's an essential part of the experience), you're NOT going to implement that in the big sellers that everyone buys. You're going to implement that in the smaller cheaper titles that are ALREADY niche games that most gamers don't care about.

This is precisely the same reason why big budget blockbuster movies tend to be pretty simple and kid-friendly. Including R-rated content or content that makes people think too much is a risk, because the risk is that too many viewers will just avoid the movie. Either because teens under 17 make up a significant amount of sales, or because making people think too much is going to alienate the many fans who simply want to waste time on a simple and cheap thrill. You can take a risk on the lower-budgeted movies, because a lower budget means a lower risk. But the BIG movies that everyone sees? For the most part, those movies are guaranteed to be PG-13 or lower, with relatively simple ideas and themes that can be understood by a wide audience and don't alienate people.

Best case scenario is that VR is adopted early (in a meaningful game-changing way) by niche genres with a relatively small impact and budget. That's testing the waters. If that catches on, then maybe this stuff will be implemented by bigger developers later. If not, then this whole VR thing just dies off completely. But any way you look at it, VR having a big impact on gaming in general is quite a ways down the road.

ALSO, big question: is there any good idea of how much this tech is gonna cost? I mean, sure, Morpheus' price probably won't be finalized until near release, but has there been any word on an approximate price that Sony is trying to achieve? Because that's also really important. If they get this to be cheap, then that increases the chances of it being adopted by more consumers. But if this ends up being like, hundreds of dollars, then that's the final nail in the coffin. Microsoft apparently WANTED Kinect to be a crucial part of the X-1, but that ended up being dead in the water due to pricing concerns. Whatever their plans were, the extra $100 addition to the price tag was enough to get droves of people to simply flock to the console that was $100 cheaper and didn't have Kinect. So, the pricing here is gonna be critical. Keep in mind that the PS4 "only" cost $400 at release. And it's not that unlikely that by the time Morpheus is on store shelves, it won't be that hard to find PS4's for around $300. If Morpheus ends up costing around $50, okay. But if we're talking something in the $100-$200 range, that's gonna kill this thing before it gets started. that'll be like, half the cost of an entire freaking console. Even if it sells pretty well, there's no way it sells well enough for all but a few niche developers from just deciding to treat it like a mere novelty. Hell, look at Kinect. Microsoft was so freaking confident in Kinect, but how many games (that people really care about) are coming out now because they REQUIRE connect due to it being implemented in a meaningful way? An extra $100 added to the price tag was enough to kill any potential that Kinect might have had.

@Byshop: It is not just being first person or third person.The game play of a few games is improved by the the game being in first person. AS I said the game play of Mirror Edge is more hurt by being first person, I am afraid that thee 3D goggles will make developers try to force first person into a game even if it will hurt the game play.

i think it works better for other technology tbh

Yeah ...The core gameplay is not gonna change ...

Actually it may share the same destiny as Kinect ....

I don't think it's going to be that bad

I think VR could be big but will require very powerful hardware to get there. When actually face to face with gaming characters and environments people are gonna want them to be convincing. I think it could do a lot for story-driven games. Although the stories are often commended plenty of people feel that the gameplay of Telltale games are boring. But suppose something like The Walking Dead was a VR game. The gameplay wouldn't need to be over the top at all, just being there in the middle of a story like that would make for great entertainment.