Several companies have a new category listed on their E3 website pages. This category is shown as "Virtual Reality > Xbox One", effectively confirming the possibility of Xbox VR products being shown at E3. So far, 4 companies have added this category to their pages, including Rebellion, Maximum Games, 3DRudder, and Readily Information Company. Between this and all the recent rumors, it would be very surprising if some kind of VR headset or software for the Xbox One was not shown at E3.

Source - Rebellion
Source - Maximum Games
Source - 3DRudder
Source - Readily Information Company

 

[FAST6191]

A while back I was watching an E3 stream, sitting on it so I would keep the connection rather than getting in late. They had a bunch of people talking about what was to come and if I had been properly playing E3 buzzword bingo they would have appeared almost prescient. In this case it was everybody has to show "second screen" functionality, they all did. Does this mean VR is to be on my bingo card this year?

 

[tranceology3]

The sudden popularity of VR will be its downfall. Even if it isn't a gimmick like motion controls (I think it is), the sheer number of different solutions will bury it for sure. How many are there now? PS VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens (then again, that's AR), Google Cardboard (or was it discontinued for good?), a bunch of iOS and Android ones - there's too many cooks in this kitchen.

Um...VR is not some kind of piece of hardware, it's just a new way to entertain or take us away from reality (Like Books, TV, Movies, 2D Video games, etc..). VR is here now, and is the next big thing - it won't fail; however companies can fail at trying to capitalize on it. There is a very strong demand for it, so the companies that do it right will be the big leaders!

 

[Viri]

Last year's Microsoft E3 show was neato. That Minecraft game on the table was kewl as fuck! What ever happened to that, anyway?

 

[Foxi4]

Um...VR is not some kind of piece of hardware, it's just a new way to entertain or take us away from reality (Like Books, TV, Movies, 2D Video games, etc..). VR is here now, and is the next big thing - it won't fail; however companies can fail at trying to capitalize on it. There is a very strong demand for it, so the companies that do it right will be the big leaders!

No, it's not. It's a TV that you strap to your face. And it's not a revolution either - I've heard and seen the same song and dance before, this must be at least the third time VR was supposed to "revolutionize life as we know it". It comes back every ten or so years, like a distant cousin with a gambling problem, and then leaves once he realizes that you're not going to give him any money.



This is literally the VR pitch you're giving me. From 1991.

 

[sarkwalvein]

It comes back every ten or so years, like a distant cousin with a gambling problem, and then leaves once he realizes that you're not going to give him any money.

Not sure if I fully agree but that analogy deserves a like.

 

[Foxi4]

Not sure if I fully agree but that analogy deserves a like.

Don't get me wrong - the concept of VR is great. We're just not going to get there with goggles and wiggle sticks. Drill a hole in my spine and tap me straight into the Matrix, then we're talking.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Don't get me wrong - the concept of VR is great. We're just not going to get there with goggles and wiggle sticks. Drill a hole in my spine and tap me straight into the Matrix, then we're talking.

As it is now I see three main problems that would make it difficult to be a success:

1. High cost.
2. Inconvenient. Too many cables.
3. Many implementations. Not standardised.

I think those the can be overcome in a few years.

 

[tranceology3]

Don't get me wrong - the concept of VR is great. We're just not going to get there with goggles and wiggle sticks. Drill a hole in my spine and tap me straight into the Matrix, then we're talking.

Let me guess, you are one of those people who knows what VR is like at it's current form, but hasn't tried it; and if you have tried it, google cardboard does not count!

VR right now produced by Rift and the Vive ( my fav ) is extremely compelling and fun. The best part about VR is that it's not limited to a single experience, but in fact unchained to allow almost an infinite amount of experiences, especially as tech get's better and new add ons are created. VR will just keep evolving, and that's the best part, unlike traditional 2D screen experiences, you hit a wall a lot quicker, and we are almost there with life-like graphics coming from PCs - I mean heck we have 4k monitors now that have pixel resolutions almost indistinguishable from real life - when using the right size screen.

At this stage we have developed VR good enough to play games and enjoy them, but there is still years ahead to allow to do more life-like experiences. The VR you bring up from the 90s was never commercialized anywhere near affordable. Now you can get VR for a fraction of the cost but 1000x more immersive - The VR in the 90s was concept VR. We are now at the stage of commercial VR. While VR may not appeal to you, right now the demand is skyrocketing for it, and when you have more demand, more money, the tech will evolve into some very cool shit a lot faster than you think.

 

[Foxi4]

Let me guess, you are one of those people who knows what VR is like at it's current form, but hasn't tried it; and if you have tried it, google cardboard does not count!

VR right now produced by Rift and the Vive ( my fav ) is extremely compelling and fun. The best part about VR is that it's not limited to a single experience, but in fact unchained to allow almost an infinite amount of experiences, especially as tech get's better and new add ons are created. VR will just keep evolving, and that's the best part, unlike traditional 2D screen experiences, you hit a wall a lot quicker, and we are almost there with life-like graphics coming from PCs - I mean heck we have 4k monitors now that have pixel resolutions almost indistinguishable from real life - when using the right size screen.

At this stage we have developed VR good enough to play games and enjoy them, but there is still years ahead to allow to do more life-like experiences. The VR you bring up from the 90s was never commercialized anywhere near affordable. Now you can get VR for a fraction of the cost but 1000x more immersive - The VR in the 90s was concept VR. We are now at the stage of commercial VR. While VR may not appeal to you, right now the demand is skyrocketing for it, and when you have more demand, more money, the tech will evolve into some very cool shit a lot faster than you think.

I'm not saying that VR won't catch on, I'm saying that VR HMD's have been around for longer than you think and it will take many years before they become a staple of every household. It's definitely not going to happen in this generation of hardware, perhaps within 10 years when it's more affordable and less clunky. And no, there have been VR headsets available to the average consumer before, this isn't the first "VR craze" we've been through.

 

[tranceology3]

I'm not saying that VR won't catch on, I'm saying that VR HMD's have been around for longer than you think and it will take many years before they become a staple of every household. It's definitely not going to happen in this generation of hardware, perhaps within 10 years when it's more affordable and less clunky. And no, there have been VR headsets available to the average consumer before, this isn't the first "VR craze" we've been through.

You honestly believe we had a " VR craze" like we are having now in the past? Cmon....think about it, EVERY big time game company is jumping on board with VR because it is now a REAL product...not a cheap, gimmick that took advantage of the definition of Virtual Reality... e.g. Virtual Boy.

After playing the game on the Vive, The Gallery - Call of the Starseed, I was so lost in the game that when I stepped out of VR I thought, Holy shit! I totally forgot I was in my living room. That right there proves that VR is finally compelling enough to trick the mind and give you presence - basically transport you to another world. Never in the past has there been a product that was affordable like the ones we have now that was compelling enough to deliver presence - it was all just a proof of concept that a computer can do rudimentary VR. As skeptical as you might think that VR is still not ready, believe me, it has broken through, it is now 100% a commercial product. I am now switching most of my money towards VR content rather than 2D content - but of course that still depends on the content.... Like please, oh please Rockstar announce Read Dead Redemption 2!

 

[Foxi4]

You honestly believe we had a " VR craze" like we are having now in the past? Cmon....think about it, EVERY big time game company is jumping on board with VR because it is now a REAL product...not a cheap, gimmick that took advantage of the definition of Virtual Reality... e.g. Virtual Boy.

After playing the game on the Vive, The Gallery - Call of the Starseed, I was so lost in the game that when I stepped out of VR I thought, Holy shit! I totally forgot I was in my living room. That right there proves that VR is finally compelling enough to trick the mind and give you presence - basically transport you to another world. Never in the past has there been a product that was affordable like the ones we have now that was compelling enough to deliver presence - it was all just a proof of concept that a computer can do rudimentary VR. As skeptical as you might think that VR is still not ready, believe me, it has broken through, it is now 100% a commercial product. I am now switching most of my money towards VR content rather than 2D content - but of course that still depends on the content.... Like please, oh please Rockstar announce Read Dead Redemption 2!

Uhh... Yes? We did? I don't know how old you are, but I lived through the 90'ies, I've lived through Diamond Edge, 3Dfx and S3 and I've seen VR as "the next big thing" before. The VB was just one of many HMD implementations, other more expensive ones featured full colour LCD's and headtracking, much like the Oculus does. Admittedly the resolution was sub-HD, but the principle was exactly the same. The VFX-1 was one such headset:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFX1_Headgear

...however they've existed long before that, too. In fact, they date back to before the first consoles came out and were prominently used in arcade machines. Hell, even the Famicom and the Master System had their own 3D headgear, which was their cheapo version of immersive 3D based on shutter technology. I've seen this before, a zillion times, this time around the tech is just better.

 

[tranceology3]

Uhh... Yes? We did? I don't know how old you are, but I lived through the 90'ies, I've lived through Diamond Edge, 3Dfx and S3 and I've seen VR as "the next big thing" before. The VB was just one of many HMD implementations, other more expensive ones featured full colour LCD's and headtracking, much like the Oculus does. Admittedly the resolution was sub-HD, but the principle was exactly the same. The VFX-1 was one such headset:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFX1_Headgear

...however they've existed long before that, too. In fact, they date back to before the first consoles came out and were prominently used in arcade machines. Hell, even the Famicom and the Master System had their own 3D headgear, which was their cheapo version of immersive 3D based on shutter technology. I've seen this before, a zillion times, this time around the tech is just better.

I am 34, and have lived through the 90s. I will agree that there were attempts to commercialize VR, but it wasn't compelling enough, it was entirely a gimmick. Yes the "principle" is the same, but the effect is WAY more dramatic and immersive! VR is very simple - the idea that is, but its the technology and cost that is challenging to make it work or not. Like you said, VR will eventually take off, and I believe this is the time it will (the tech is finally here), because I own, use and am still in AWE struck every time I go in VR! (latest game being Pool Nation for the Vive - damn that game is incredible - just like real life pool!) I am not bashing your opinion I am just stating mine, and while I keep purchasing content to go into VR, I feel VR is totally worth my money, and judging by the users that own VR as well, they are in LOVE and are buying it all up. As you recall from the 90s, remember how the internet started? No one got it, everyone said it was pointless, who would use it? We had internet (more like remote PC communication) in the 70s-80s and people probably laughed at the concept, but it wasn't ready until mid 90s entering the 2000s. That is exactly what is happening here with VR. Sure, VR was useless at the concept, gimmick phase, but now it's ready, and it will only grow.

 

[Ra1d]

I feel like the VR will stay strong this time and will keep evolving. I have to admit that it will take time to perfect it though, since there is a limited amount of games that will actually work well with VR, walking/running games just make me not feel well if I use an actual controller and don't move myself, and those walking platforms like Omni are expensive as hell, 700$ VAT and Shipping not included, if you add both, that's easy 1000$.

1800$ if you include HTC Vive, not to mention the 1000$ pc = 2800$, a bit expensive to fully enjoy VR games, which are not cheap either. I am looking forward to seeing how companies will solve this. Because aside from being epxensive Omni is huge as well, there needs to be a smaller solution.