VR.. What do you think really. Fad, dying, misunderstood or bubbling below the surface.

[cpbtrading]

I debated if to get VR or not.. My thinking is, I'd be sick, motion sickness etc.[knocked out]
So I never bought into it. I didn't think it was the next big thing, but that said, it looks amazing.
Or, are wrap around screen setups, better ?

I have two monitors, one is just for side things not the game I'm playing. I play solely on a 42" monitor, that's it. I like having my stuff around me and be able to get to it easily. VR could be a problem there perhaps ?

Anyway, came across this, cut to the chase ie them talking about it. Just made me wonder what you all thought.


This link is playing up, so just in case... skip to 36.45

[video=youtube_share;nJP7n0a9LXc]https://youtu.be/nJP7n0a9LXc?t=2214[/video]

 

[Mu77ley]

VR is great, and just getting better as developers are starting to actually release games rather than just tech demo toys.

It was never going to be a big mainstream success due the the hardware costs involved in supporting it, but even then Sony knocked it out of the park with PSVR, which sold over 2 million units in a year: https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/07/sony-sold-2-million-psvr-units-in-over-one-year/

The biggest hurdle to PC VR right now is the bitcoin miners who have driven high-end graphics card prices through the roof...

 

[kilvenny]

I went to VR last November. I am struggling now to play in 2D. I too had concerns over being motion sick, but after working my way in gradually with short sessions and avoiding moves that induced nausea. After a couple of weeks the nausea stopped and I was able to add back in the moves that previously were causing nausea. Unless you have tried it, its very hard to describe how good the experience is. The graphics may be slightly worse but your eyes adjust. Last night my wife tried it for the first time just watching ships land in ED in a station, she's not a gamer or a fan of my tech chasing childish gaming pastime, but even she considered it like you were there. The fact she sat there for thirty minutes I think is telling.

I think the tech will be niche for a while yet, but for sit down experience games it is the next step.

Cheers

A convert.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

VR is currently too expensive for mainstream, as the prices drop, and the requirements also drop, it'll become more popular.

VR now is basically what we've been waiting for, for like 20+ years. Lol

I doubt it's a fad, or dying. It's not like 3D TVs, or curved screens.
It's just a slow start, held back by GPU prices.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

I'm basically waiting for the price to drop on headsets. I took part in a VR game a while ago and really enjoyed it. Dying to see ED in VR.

 

[Frank]

VR is a fad in the same way that a HOTAS controller is a fad. Not everyone is going to have one, and if they do it will be for playing specific games.

If you've tried out a headset and you are still swithering then maybe it's best for you not to buy any of the current generation. The technology isn't going to disappear, and it will all get cheaper and better in the future. And as an added bonus to all of us VR pilots who dissuade another headset purchase, there are more people out there who aren't taking advantage of the spacial awareness that VR gives you. I mean I'm an old man with arthritis and the reactions of a snail. I need the edge that VR gives me.

If this whole VR thing does turn out to be a fad then you're better to have bought one of the PC headsets than the Sony. Without Sony support the PSVR becomes a brick. Even if the the PC versions are starved of official support, you can always make your own games using Unity, or VorpX existing games.

 

[[VR] Merkir]

Here's one way I could describe what I think... I doubt I'd be playing ED if it wasn't for VR. It's almost like it's a different game in VR, for me at least. Call it maximum immersion if you like.

 

[Mr_sukebe]

A few thoughts:
- Right now, the VR headsets are far from perfect. Their resolution is a bit "meh" and they require a fairly serious investment in kit to get them to run at sensible frame rates. The good news is that we have several new technologies that should hopefully address them, including higher res headsets (e.g. the Pimax), foveated rendering (which should facilitate the running of higher resolution devices), Vulkan (which might free up resources) and newer graphics cards. Clearly it's not going to be free, but it'll get better
- I've yet to come across a non-cockpit game that I think is worth the effort of VR. Most seem to be lousy teleport shooters. Just NO. The good news is that the cockpit games I've tried (Asseto, Dirt, Elite, DCS, IL2 and even Euro-truck sim) look fabulous. My preference is DCS, which is just stunning in VR.

I now hate flying on a monitor. VR really does elevate it for me.

 

[govny]

put it like this:
after you have tried a driving game, a flight simulator or ED in VR, you can't even think to play them in any other way.
VR has ruined my gameing experience, I can't even play games on a monitor anymore.

 

[ArchEmperor]

put it like this:
after you have tried a driving game, a flight simulator or ED in VR, you can't even think to play them in any other way.
VR has ruined my gameing experience, I can't even play games on a monitor anymore.

Yes, the feeling and immersion is so vastly superior in VR, that it gets weird to play on monitor again. But then again, it is a matter of getting used to the two in parallell to each other for different tasks.

It is like my bubble++ invention for programming: It just makes you never wanna go type things on a keyboard as a coder ever again. It is just too immersive and intuitive to just move the bubbles in VR, merge them and get working code works not even looking at the keyboard. All in VR and HoloLens.

 

[cpbtrading]

It is interesting to see the replies.
I think VR would be great, but waiting around is probably going to be better, let the tech mature a little, perhaps.

Although..

One game I would love to play in VR is ETS2, that may be the game that eventually gets me to buy one.

 

[Frank]

When you said "it looks amazing" did you mean it was an amazing experience when you tried it, or did you mean the concept of it sounds amazing?

The best way to have an opinion on VR is to try it out. If you can't get along to an Elite meetup for one of the VR-vangelists to stick your head into a bucket of elsewhere, then go to a computer shop and ask them if you could try a headset.

 

[milligna]

A shame lame clickbait thumbnails on youtube aren't over!

 

[cpbtrading]

When you said "it looks amazing" did you mean it was an amazing experience when you tried it, or did you mean the concept of it sounds amazing?

The best way to have an opinion on VR is to try it out. If you can't get along to an Elite meetup for one of the VR-vangelists to stick your head into a bucket of elsewhere, then go to a computer shop and ask them if you could try a headset.

One go with it, but not really playing a game, just moving things around, can't remember what it was called the game/software/whatever/demo.
But I thought even with that brief go, I'd be motion sick for sure within a fairly short period.

There was a headset back in the early 80's, sort of architect type aid for building/design. I think it was on Tomorrow's World or a similar show. Even back then I thought to myself, what it would be like to experience it, even though I didn't back then of course.

I will keep an eye on it and the games like Elite or indeed ETS2 are games that really benefit from this type of thing.
Horror games on the other hand, would have, well, player soiling problems if they were really good, I suppose..

 

[rp198419]

Without VR, I wouldn't even bother to play ED. The grind would drive me up the wall.

As it is, VR has kept me in the game for over 1,500 hours.

The cost of Oculus is now about £1/day for the first year. You can pay that for a packet of crisps.

 

[PhanttoM]

It's not going away. But unless there are big price drops, it's more likely to simply remain a niche product.

How big or small that niche will be, is the more realistic question — for comparison; TrackIR headtracking for flight/driving sims and millsims has been around since 2001.

I have a Rift and I don't use it. Resolution and field of view is too lowfor my standards. I use my TrackIR and a 32" monitor instead.

 

[Frank]

One go with it, but not really playing a game, just moving things around, can't remember what it was called the game/software/whatever/demo.
But I thought even with that brief go, I'd be motion sick for sure within a fairly short period.

There was a headset back in the early 80's, sort of architect type aid for building/design. I think it was on Tomorrow's World or a similar show. Even back then I thought to myself, what it would be like to experience it, even though I didn't back then of course.

I will keep an eye on it and the games like Elite or indeed ETS2 are games that really benefit from this type of thing.
Horror games on the other hand, would have, well, player soiling problems if they were really good, I suppose..

I've never played a proper horror story game, but when the DK2 first came out they had a VR-ed version of Half Life 2... Ravenholm was quite an experience <nervous grin>

Playing a not-really-meant-for-VR 1st person shooter really toughened my stomach for any VR experiences. I even enjoyed one where you swing from building to building like Spiderman.

The gamesmakers are getting better and better at reducing VR sickness, and good solid tracking helps as well. I hope you can enjoy it in the future.

 

[znôrt]

I debated if to get VR or not.. My thinking is, I'd be sick, motion sickness etc.[knocked out]
So I never bought into it. I didn't think it was the next big thing, but that said, it looks amazing.

vr is a fad because industry and market 'intelligence' make a fad of absolutely everything faddable.

today vr is still a niche toy / luxury thing. this much has always been clear unless you are an addict to marketing bullcrap, or otherwise a senseless and clueless consumer that just chows ahead what he is getting shoved. the day headsets weight no more than ordinary prescription glasses, are affordable to the masses, and you can actually use them for work (not gaming) say 5 hours straight, then you'll see monitors reduced to a tiny fraction (both in size and number). that day is still quite a bit ahead though.

myself i've never been a fan of multimonitoring. even as a software engineer, spending whole days (and nights) staring at screens, i only seldom used a two monitor setup. two+ monitors systems have their evangelists in the sector, with profuse explanations on how it boosts 'performance'. which is also a fad out of what is mainly a personal preference. as you can see, fad is the coincidence. we just can't have enough of it.

 

[DoctorDanny]

Aside from Elite I havent seen a single game that makes me want to even consider sitting in the living room with a huge contraption strapped to my face like some sort of social misfit.

That being said, there's some games that are perfect for it, like Mechwarrior Online, this still dont have VR support.
I can't help feeling it's a fad really.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Aside from Elite I havent seen a single game that makes me want to even consider sitting in the living room with a huge contraption strapped to my face like some sort of social misfit.

That being said, there's some games that are perfect for it, like Mechwarrior Online, this still dont have VR support.
I can't help feeling it's a fad really.

MechWarrior 5 will have VR support apparently.