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VR Could Be More About Film Than Games, Oculus Says

"We don't know what the killer app is," Oculus said.

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The Oculus Rift got its initial funding on Kickstarter when it was pitched as "the first truly immersive virtual reality headset for video games," but it could end up serving movies more than games, Oculus VR has said.

"We've said from the beginning we're big gamers, and we started Oculus to deliver consumer VR and revolutionize games," Oculus VR's vice president for product Nate Mitchell told the L.A. Times in an interview at CES 2015. "But it may well end up being that VR is more about film than games. We don't know what the killer app is."

GameSpot was at CES 2015, where we saw a few new companies show off their own virtual reality devices. Some (as you can see in the video below) were better than others, but we found that the Oculus Rift Crescent Bay device with the new 3D audio, is still the most impressive virtual reality experience.

In November 2014, Oculus said that the consumer model of the headset is "months, not years" away, and that it will cost between $200 and $400.

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Avatar image for deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03
deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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So Morpheus it is. Not that I didn't already know that .

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >> people, with their assumptions, like to jump to conclusions awful quickly.

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deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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Great contribution there

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >> ...What?
Morpheus is only for PS4, while Oculus doesn't work on consoles...

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Avatar image for deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03
deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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I mean for VR gaming in general, if in fact oculus won't get the job done.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Meh, I'm waiting to see what Valve have in store for VR. I can wait.

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deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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Well at least give it a try, right? It might be good who knows.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >> I'd definitely give it a try if I was in a situation where I could test it out for free, of course.
There's suddenly a bunch of VR headsets appearing that I wish I could compare them all, instead of just assuming Oculus is best because it has the most popularity and best marketing.

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deactivated-5c0b07b32bf03

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I feel you there. There is no way I'm dropping a dime on any vr tech unless I get to try it extensively for free or at least a rental. and I don't want to have to go to a convention to do it either. Big thing is I want to know if it'll make me puke or not.

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freedom01

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freedom01  Moderator

<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> everyone is jumping on the VR tech, which is good, more competition

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> See, Oculus gets the most recognition because it was basically "first". Not first for VR in general (obviously) but for a more affordable VR experience that was also on another level compared to the expensive current ones on the market. However, since the idea has become so popular, more companies have come out and tried to make their own, which is great, yet people still believe Oculus is the best... FOR WHATEVER REASON.

I'd rather just not give into the hype and see for myself which one I believe is best.
Hoping that nearby tech places give demonstrations of all kinds of VR headsets in the future.

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> maybe because Oculus is the best? Did you ever think that? "For whatever reason". Wow, just wow. I suggest doing more research.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Oculus is the best? In what way? In comparison to what?
I'm sorry, clearly you must have used every VR headset in development right now.

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Chippiez

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VR movies... not in a hundred years...

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >> talk about boring. who wants to shake their head around violently just to watch a movie

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gregglle

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wow. what an informative article.......

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Arsyad00

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just make my SAO already!!!

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >> IF YOU DIE IN THE GAME, YOU DIE FOR REAL!

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DaVillain

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Enter the Matrix.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I'll take a blue pill, please.

Edit: Wait... what if I were to take both pills... at the same time??

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DaVillain

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Good question.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Would I switch between Real Life and The Matrix constantly?
...That could almost be SAO-like.

I'M GONNA MAKE A FORTUNE!

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >> that won't come in your lifetime. Sorry. Looks like you are SOL

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DaVillain

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Well if VR can let me watch Hentai, then I'm all in baby.

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deactivated-583276a1d2d91

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The right place for VR is in these bad B scifi movies.

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mkeezay22

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I really doubt the first killer VR app will be for movies, gaming is what makes VR so immersive, unless they plan on making a big budget hollywood movie with some crazy 360 degree view cameras so the watcher has complete freedom visually I can't see movies even being fun to watch in VR, and something tells me making an interactive movie would take a lot of the cinematic experience away from the film, VR will be a gaming centric technology first and foremost.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >> I truly hope VR will be for gaming first and foremost, but when they say things like this, it's as if they don't want to completely stand behind gaming itself. Putting their eggs in multiple baskets as it were, which would be fine, if they weren't trying to pretend that gamers were their main priority.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Honestly to me this just sounds like trying to make OR appeal to older audiences that don't play games, remember what's most popular will likely be dictated by developers, and most people developing for VR are making games, there are quite a few OR games coming out, and some that are already out with great native support like Elite.

To me the idea of playing games like Project Cars or NMS with VR sounds a lot more interesting than watching movies, and I'm sure it will be the idea of gaming in VR that takes off, simply because that's what most devs are doing.

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Too-DementeD

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Oh, I'm almost certain that the most popular use for VR tech will be for video games, but what you have to think about is Why did Facebook purchase Oculus? If you've read any of their statements or listened to one of their earning calls, very little of their Facebook's focus on this tech seems to be for video games, and more for "social interactive experiences".

I don't know if they talk more about that to show how it'll also appeal to non-gamers (as you said), and that they feel that they already have the gamer market secured, but they give off the impression that gaming is by far their primary concern.

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Saidrex

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Don't think so - when 3D came in - everyone focused on showing off 3D effects than making good movie, in result majority of 3D movies - total crap.

Won't be surprised if same happens with VR. And 100% sure it will die off same as 3D did.

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >> 100 percent sure? i don't think you'd be 100% sure about that if you actually knew what you were talking about.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >> VR and 3D are completely different, have you tried rift with a game that has native support?

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Too-DementeD

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Well the statement "Oculus' basis will remain as video games" seems to have gone swiftly out the window.

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Sl4cka

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<< LINK REMOVED >>

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zintarr

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Nothing beats a big screen TV.

Wear a trashcan on your head if you really want :)

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DuaMn

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<< LINK REMOVED >> In practive VR has a bigger view than any big TV screen. Living room TVs require you to be further away as TV size increases, because that's the equation: big room -> big screen. Visual quality is not increased by the screen size since most big TVs use similar resolutions like 1080p or 720p (4K is not that common yet).


In VR, you are basically zero distance away from the screen and your FOV is huge which makes you see more than any big screen TV can let you.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Whoah don't hit them with logic, they only understand hate.

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gregglle

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K

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Riverwolf007

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vr's killer app will be the same as it always has been. sitting in the bottom of closets gathering dust.

20 years of people not liking these things after buying it says hi.

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gregglle

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<< LINK REMOVED >> *NEWS FLASH* When's the last time you remember VR ever being on the market? There never has been! Atleast none that were worthwhile. Also. twenty years is a really long time. So long that technology completely changes. What may have not worked 20 years ago may work today. That's just common sense. But again, VR has never been on the market. So how can VR headsets be at the bottom of closets gathering dust. And didn't they try to hype VR in the early 90's when we were still gaming on sega genesis and before computer/internet was popular. VR is the next platform after smartphones which was after the internet which was after the computer which was after the TV, which was after the radio, which was after books. Now you may ask yourself "why, or how?" but you will see soon. Everyone will. Enthusiast, skeptics, and all haters a like.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >> What? it's killer application will be sitting in the closet? that makes absolutely no sense.

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