Has VR and 3D failed again?

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So I was searching for a replacement touchscreen for a client's laptop and recalled that I had similarly not seen much from 3d displays or virtual reality companies of late. No new hardware, no games that percolated up into the public awareness (Resident Evil 7 was nearly two years ago at this point, stereoscopic games were never amazingly popular but seemed to fall off a cliff after 2012), no real buzz in any conventions or events, if I look today there are still some gaming focused vendors that list VR fairly prominently but I have to go out of my way to find 3d screens and films and so forth. Both of those technologies have been seen as fads in the past; things that rise up, only for the market, current technology or something similar to smack them back down. In this case 2012 saw a massively successful crowdfunding effort for the Oculus Rift, a couple of years later Facebook of all people purchased the company for some 2 billion, a month or two back though the second iteration of the device was cancelled, and nobody mentioned whatever the big tech company equivalent of creative differences is which leads one to wonder if it is more that it is not seen as a viable project any more. Throughout it all many other big tech firms released hardware and attached industry luminaries to it and have similarly gone somewhat quiet.

Ordinarily for a thread like this we might have a look at possible stats and some reasoning for things, however a discussion of the mindshare the likes of virtual reality and 3d displays occupy at present is what we shall seek to find and contemplate here.

While reasons are not going to be delved too deeply into did the rush to include DRM and proprietary connectors/software/features cause you concern? Did any content find itself massively improved by it? Did you invest into any VR or 3d setups, only for them to gather dust? Did you get the motion sickness some experience or were you spared that (or selectively spared that)? There are all sorts of cool things (6:45 if you want to skip) researchers are doing so is such tech likely to remain that? Is it just that it was an expensive peripheral that not everybody had? If it has failed again do you expect to see it back sooner than the usual 20 year cycle as tech just needs to get that little bit better?

This is part of series on GBAtemp where we have some discussion of aspects of the game industry, game design and related topics. Previously we discussed the last game skill you unlearned.


You are then invited to talk some about the current state of VR as well as stereoscopic 3d in games.
 

Hells Malice

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VR never entered the mainstream, which is effectively the requirement to become commonplace. It's still sitting too high for average consumers to buy and use the technology. But it's doing just fine where it is. It's thriving, and lots of very cool games have come out to show what VR is capable of.

It's still early, and with the technology being so fresh it's not hard to understand why devs creating "big" titles for VR may be taking a more cautious approach to try and properly utilize the technology. Plenty i'm sure are also waiting for a bigger boom before they jump in. But as it stands it has done very well for itself. As I said before, seeing two giants like Google and Microsoft endorse and support such a movement is a strong indication they believe and understand the capabilities of VR, and that we're more than capable of realizing them.

As for 3D by itself, that has always just been a fad that swings in and out. It doesn't contribute a whole lot and is a very difficult tech to create for. I don't really forsee 3D monitors really being a big thing any time soon.
 
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FAST6191

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people who don't own a VR headset, don't keep tabs on the Oculus Store OR Steam VR. If you did, this wouldn't even be a question.

Is that not much like saying if you had trawled moddb, X3 forums... then you would not have said space sims were dead between 2003 and 2014?
 

urherenow

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Is that not much like saying if you had trawled moddb, X3 forums... then you would not have said space sims were dead between 2003 and 2014?
Probably. I don’t play SIMs, so I couldn’t make an intelligent comment on the subject. VR, however has always been interesting to me. I still see stores sold out of the Rift a lot, and good luck getting extra sensors for it anywhere but online... I only waited this long because $600 when it was introduced was too damn much. $350 now, and it seems I’m not the only one who thinks it’s worth it. And, there is a steady stream of new content.
 

aofelix

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I think VR's main issue is big studios apart from Bethesda not actively supporting it with VR ports of their games.

A good VR port of a title is guaranteed around 1M sales I'd say which they may just think isn't enough. However as VR expands, that title will still be very relavant and pick up a very steady stream of VR revenue.

For example, anyone buying a VR headset in 2-3 years time is DEFINITELY going to pick up Skyrim VR & Beat Saber & Lone Echo etc. They're just classics. Much alike how Nintendo will never need to price cut BOTW, Mario Kart, Smash Bros or Odyssey [until the generation ends].

A few developers are definitely missing a trick in not investing in VR ports of their games now.



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From an indie perspective, developers are doing great jobs at experimenting with the tech but they're not solid enough in Art direction/Lore/Character Design/Story; which sadly severely lack in a lot of smaller VR titles. If you want to build a top tier franchise, you need these things and it can compensate for being a crap game (I mean look at Uncharted 1 and how bad the platforming and performance is).


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Still, VR offers some of the BEST gaming experiences of ALL time.



Superhot VR - the most interactive and awesome shooter ever... basically you are a character in the matrix. Be prepared to Smash walls
Gorn - please mind furniture
Skyrim VR - IMO, the best RPG experience on the PC given you can mod it to hell and back, and import some AWARD winning DLC from amazing modders
Resident Evil 7 VR - the scariest experience I've had so far. Still haven't completed it.
Astrobot - the Mario of VR.
Firewall Zero Hour - the most fun and intimate online shooter I've played
Lone Echo - no words needed
Robo Recall
Beat Saber - the most fun interactive rhythm game whilst training to be a jedi
The Climb - now THIS is platforming
Space Pirate Trainer - better than every single arcade game in pancake/2D form


I can go on but basically, I believe SOME of the best experiences now reside in VR. The best horror game is a VR game. The best single player shortish experience is a VR game. The best arcade game is a VR game. The best rhythm game/experience is a VR game. The best shooter especially in regards to immersion is a VR game. The best wave shooter is a VR gamer.

There is a big difference between pressing triangle and grabbing a shotgun physically from behind your shoulder with one arm whilst withdrawing a pistol from your holster in a another and then physically shooting someone. Or grabbing a robot from the head and ripping it apart [Robo Recall].

Similarly in SkyrimVR PC, being able to say summon flames and then flames come in your hand and point them in any direction is WAYYY better than having to get open up the menu and equip it. Also I have a 65 inch TV and seeing a dragon on there was a tiny bit daunting.. but seeing a big ass dragon infront of your face is a completely different experience


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Some genres are obviously NOT meant for VR. Games like Divinity Origin Sin 2, Witcher 3 (third person games), Tactical RPGs, Football manager will probably always be better in 2D unless a very smart game developer can find tangible benefits to porting it to VR.



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Limitations are graphics and price.

I think the graphics are a non-issue. I would prefer a VR game to a 4k game. I have an RTX 2080, a PS4 Pro so I like 4k gaming... but I'd take a VR port of a title over a 4k experience any day.




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In conclusion, I don't see how VR is dead at all. Its just very inaccessible due to price and room requirements; hopefully Oculus will eventually fix that as they like to price their hardware very comfortably with a lot of software optimisation for weaker PCs and game bundles [the Current rift comes with like 8 games??? and ASW on a Rift works really well which means u can 45fps and feel like its around 90]





3D is dead tho.
 

Taleweaver

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Interesting topic (on VR, that is). And as someone who has yet to experience it, it's hard to give an opinion. So take this with a grain of salt.


My main problem is my desktop PC is just below the minimum specs for either. And that poses more than a personal problem. PC gaming got big on systems that also benefit work. Basically: gamers wanted to upgrade their PC saying that it was for work-related things. Potential gamers tried some games on their machine and sticked longer than they intended to. Unfortunately: laptops (and even tablets) have surpassed that. Plain old office workers simply have no reason to buy a dektop PC with the horsepower that a vive or oculus needs, which means the cost of entry is larger than "just" the device. It's the device AND a computer.
I'm fairly sure I'll upgrade PC's once this one wears down (which...admittedly takes years longer than back in the nineties :P ), and...no, sorry: I'm lying. Yes, some games look pretty fun to play. But the problem can be described in 3 letters: wii. Yes, I know: these things are miles and miles above the wii. The problem is that technology isn't why the wii "thing" wore off. When it comes down to it, gamers are lazy as fuck. I remembered the first time I took my wii to friends and the son just "flicked" the wiimote rather than bowling: all of the sudden it felt embarrassing making bowling moves on wii sports.
Likewise: it's only in commercials that a rainbow coalition of friends stands in awe as one robocop-geared guy spasms around to make something change on a television screen.

Now...sony at least has the right idea: it needs to be cheaper and plug & play. My nephews got one for st Nicolas a week back, so I might see it in action in a few weeks. they're enthusiast about it, but of course: that's children for you.

Either way: I think at worst, VR has "not succeeded yet". VR is this dream that's been thought up since the mid nineties. Technology has increased to a position where actual uses start to pop up (like virtual tours in musea). Perhaps that is the sort of innovation that will make VR really mainstream. I mean...about half a year ago, my girlfriend and me visited a technology park/playground thing. One of the few things that had a queue was a virtual reality parachute glide. The line would've been considered long even if everything had queues. in other words: people were willing to forego about a dozen other things, just to try out that virtual reality thing. So it's not like there isn't any interest in it. It's just not within reach (mostly meaning: too expensive).




On 3D, I can be short: be more specific. 3D in games is as standard as it can get. The 3D effect on the 3DS was a fad that has worn out. And the 3D on televisions is something I leave to movie fanatics (I have honestly no idea on that).
 
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