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[Csr]

The fact that there are so many overwhelmingly positive impressions of OR from jurnalists, enthusiasts and regular folk and the fact that there are so many big companys and content creators that are on board does suggest that the product is more likely to be a success.

That doesn't mean everyone will like it, some people might not care at all about vr, some might find it isolating and others might not get past the feeling of neusea. I think that what vr offers is more likely to make someone put up with the downsides of the technology than reject it.
There is ofcourse the possibility that it bombs hard for some reason but to me that possiblitity seems low. I honestly don't understand how can someone be certain about the failure of OR given just the so many positive impressions.

 

[Solid Samus]

I wasn't talking about star citizen, I don't remember talking about it or referencing it. Considering a lot of consumer PC come only with a shitty graphics card and you need to a high frame rate for VR to work etc. So there is that.

You need software outside of games to attract mainstream audience.

I was just using it as an example to say, "not all VR applications will be taxing on hardware". Most PCs are capable of producing simple visuals at high framerates. And considering my posts in here and in basically every VR thread I come into I don't see why you felt a need to stress that last point, I'm aware that VR is/needs more than games LOL, acutely.

 

[revolverjgw]

There are factors that make me worry about how this is going to catch on. The horsepower thing especially... I know too many people with pathetic PCs because they're content with tablets, and to run the best things on CV1, you're gonna need a real PC. But certainly this thing has incredible appeal and people react to it like nothing I've ever seen. There's some technical hurdles right now but there's tons of potential. My house was a circus over the holidays with swarms of people clamoring to try the DK2. Nobody complains about its resolution or how it's isolating or whatever the fuck, they just ask me where the hell I got this black magic device and how much it cost. And certainly for me its the most exciting thing I've seen in all of entertainment since I first played the NES in 1986.

 

[rjc571]

They'd better hope Morpheus takes off first, so Rubin knows what popular VR game concepts to copy.

 

[Riposte]

All of them.

It will start slow (not Google Glass-slow) and it will definitely reach hundreds of millions.

How long will it take? Maybe 5, maybe 10 years.

So it won't be the biggest story of 2015?

EDIT: I think the biggest threat to VR are mobile devices. They are pretty much working in opposite directions, with VR being closer aligned to desktop/console side.

 

[Puppet Shadow]

I know very little about VR, but will the PS4 and XBox One have VR games? Without consoles supporting it I can't see it being that big, at least in the foreseeable future.

My reasoning (and I may be wrong) is that you need an expensive (powerful) PC to achieve good results. I don't see people that game on consoles or phones migrating due to the cost.

 

[silvermember]

I was just using it as an example to say, "not all VR applications will be taxing on hardware". Most PCs are capable of producing simple visuals at high framerates. And considering my posts in here and in basically every VR thread I come into I don't see why you felt a need to stress that last point, I'm aware that VR is/needs more than games LOL, acutely.

I thought this topic was about OC making a splash in 2015 and not whether VR will eventually succeed since it has all the time in the world aka between now and infinity.

 

[InaudibleWhispa]

Price and hardware power needs are temporary problems for Oculus's mainstream success. Nobody is denying that its first year will sell only to gaming/VR enthusiasts with powerful PC's. But as Palmer pointed out today on CNET's panel, hardware with the same specs as the first consumer Oculus headset will be $30-50 in 4 years time and it won't be hard to power at all.

So it won't be the biggest story of 2015?

Yes. Biggest story /= best selling hardware/software. It's the first viable, commercially available VR headset... that'll be huge news regardless of sales. Every game site will be reporting on it as they would a console launch. It'll be all over TV, the news, talk shows, papers. The technology's wow factor alone will ensure its a huge story, regardless of how many people can realistically buy and use it.

 

[Josman]

I built a PC just for the Oculus Rift, while I think it is something revolutionary and that will change the whole entertainment industry, I'm not blinded, I also acknowledge that it's potential mass adoption will be limited or "bottlenecked" not only by the price of the hardware required, but also the lack of hardware standarization , because despite having the money and intention to buy, few people know how to build a PC with the correct specs for an optimal experience, they could end up buying expensive laptops, expensive desktops with crappy GPUs, low tier steam machines, maybe having a shady vendor who knows shit about selecting a good CPU and GPU build them a PC, and this also applies for non-gaming applications where you still need such hardware, Oculus could be benefited more by "Oculus Machines" than Valve with their Steam machines. This is where Project Morpheus has Oculus beaten, despite having worse hardware.

 

[IllumiNate]

Reading this thread is so draining. The ignorance is outstanding.

 

[Solid Samus]

I thought this topic was about OC making a splash in 2015 and not whether VR will eventually succeed since it has all the time in the world aka between now and infinity.

I don't think the technology needs to become ubiquitous or even a big mainstream success for it to be the biggest tech-related story of 2015.

 

[jmizzal]

VR is gonna go the way of Ouya

 

[Saucycarpdog]

They'd better hope Morpheus takes off first, so Rubin knows what popular VR game concepts to copy.

Oh good, sending some preemptive strikes in for the inevitable "VR wars". Fanboys already thinking ahead.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

The device isn't even out yet and we already have lots o full-fledged games with native support.

Try again.

What are they? Don't be mean, be helpful!

 

[silvermember]

I don't think the technology needs to become ubiquitous or even a big mainstream success for it to be the biggest tech-related story of 2015.

Isn't one or of them a prerequisite to being the biggest tech story of the year"? Btw 3d printing might have the spotlight, according to other sources not involving a guy working at Facebook with a financial incentive to use some hyperbole to gain some free PR. As they say throw a few hyperbole to make fans excited.

 

[InaudibleWhispa]

VR is gonna go the way of Ouya

A $2 billion backed game-changing piece of technology with massively positive developer and industry enthusiasm is going to go the way of an $8million crowdfunded and technologically insignificant piece of hardware that nobody gives a shit about? Seems totally logical.

What are they? Don't be mean, be helpful!

Here's a list of full games with/getting Oculus support: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_Oculus_Rift_support
Not including the 500+ experiences/demos on Oculus Share.

 

[King_Moc]

What are they? Don't be mean, be helpful!

There's a list here: http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-games-list/

It's not complete though, just from a glance I can see it's missing Alien Isolation.

 

[JesseZao]

Something to actually get excited about in gaming!

 

[MrxDemix]

Based on my limited experience with it, I think it will be. Nothing has wowed me more in recent years.

 

[Raitosaito]

I think we're complaining in a bubble here about how VR won't catch on, as all the complaints are a mirror of complaints that currently exist about video games.

- You have to use a peripheral!
- You enjoy it alone at home.
- It's expensive.
- I can get the same experience in another x y z medium that already exist.
- Only a niche will like it.
- The market for it is not that big.

I mean just looking at it, all of that you can throw back on video games itself, and that as its own industry is doing perfectly fine diversifying itself and surviving. Occulus may become huge, or just become big, but it'll never be irrelavant again. Or at least VR isn't going to be. It has made its splash and it is here to stay.

 

[Krejlooc]

It is very likely that CV1 will be shown off at GDC in 2 months, and that the product will ship around august/october parsing the sly comments from Brandon Iribe, Palmer Luckey, and Jason Rubin today. Considering Oculus' past history with CC and DK2, these dates seem to line up.

 

[QaaQer]

Affordable home VR is the most exciting 'new' technology since the internet.

I don't know how long it will take, but VR will definitely change the world just like the radio, the TV, personal computers, the internet and cell phones have in the past. It is right there with those things.

Maybe if vr was holodeck level stuff, but slapping a screen &some headphones to your head, not even close to those other things. Well, except for maybe cellphones in 70s.

 

[M0nochromatic]

It's perhaps one of the most exciting advancements in technology I can think of that's actually beginning to happen. The way it can potentially change so many different ways of life, from education and research to general entertainment and media consumption, is astounding. It's certainly not going to change every single facet of the world overnight, but it will eventually.

Once I have one and a good enough machine to run with it, I want to take it and show it off at a local library or my campus computer lab just to see the reactions of people who aren't familiar with it, or are unsure of its viability.

 

[Solid Samus]

Maybe if vr was holodeck level stuff, but slapping a screen &some headphones to your head, not even close to those other things. Well, except for maybe cellphones in 70s.

that's very reductive.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

Bigget by default, with no console or handheld hardware launch I think

Unless Nintendo go third party or something

 

[Dr.Acula]

VR is like the Wii. You try it, you instantly get it. And like the Wii, VR is a little underbaked. When I first tried Wii Sports, I thought two things. 1: oh, this isn't 1:1 movement, and 2: holy crap, this is remarkable.

When I tried a Rift I had similar thoughts. 1: oh, there's some lag here, some screen-dooring, some blur... but 2: holy crap, this is remarkable.

The Rift needs to cross that barrier from "I get what it's trying to do, it's not 100% but it's fun," to "this is a fully realized implementation of a brand-new, unprecedented technology."

I don't think we have that in 2015. Does FB and the market stick out this years-long gestation period for VR?

 

[Maastricht]

Think I'll build a new PC when the consumer version launches. Can't wait for the VR future!

I am in this corner ... !

 

[VindicatorZ]

Maybe if vr was holodeck level stuff, but slapping a screen &some headphones to your head, not even close to those other things. Well, except for maybe cellphones in 70s.

You haven't tried any VR yet have you? The rift IS Holodeck level stuff, at least in the visual aspect. If you require Haptics and other physical feedback , you may not be satisfied in your lifetime. But Holodeck level of immersion is just around the corner. By "slapping a screen to your head."

 

[Seanspeed]

slapping a screen &some headphones to your head

I really can't wait for you to try it, going in fully prepared to find every possible thing wrong with it you can, and then being blown away by it.

 

[mrklaw]

Aw shit. I hope he's right and it releases this year.

I'm buying either Morpheus or the Rift day one, which ever comes first.

I might need both depending on price, and what exclusives Sony comes up with. I assume most PC experiences will end up on morpheus, but performance will be better on my PC for games - video or other experiences may work equally as well on both

 

[Marty Chinn]

You haven't tried any VR yet have you? The rift IS Holodeck level stuff, at least in the visual aspect. If you require Haptics and other physical feedback , you may not be satisfied in your lifetime. But Holodeck level of immersion is just around the corner. By "slapping a screen to your head."

No. Just no. The OCR isn't that good. It doesn't help to entice someone by overblowing the experience. They'll try it with expectations that won't be met.

 

[J-Rzez]

Of course it will be the biggest story of the year if it launches this year in mass quantities and a good price point. It is probably the next real jump in gaming since going 3D. People wanting new experiences, this is what will give it to them, even if it is playing the same old style of games we've been playing now for a decade.

Just get this stupid thing out already, with that pretty screen, and at good price. ($299.99 or less). I'm fine with paying more for it, but i'm not everyone else.

I will say I'm very disappointed that they had no launch date given for this from CES. I didn't want to have to wait until E3 or whatever for this to go down since it didn't happen here.

 

[Auto-Reply]

In my head, I already can't imagine ever playing a racing game without it.

 

[Skittles]

He's right, only thing that remains to be seen is if the story will be about the biggest flop or biggest success

 

[Leb]

No. Just no. The OCR isn't that good. It doesn't help to entice someone by overblowing the experience. They'll try it with expectations that won't be met.

Honestly, I think you're underselling it. I was at divinity school studying for my master's when we went on a seminarians retreat and had the opportunity to try an Oculus Rift prototype. A week later I had renounced my studies and my faith and, well, the rest is history.

 

[Seanspeed]

He's right, only thing that remains to be seen is if the story will be about the biggest flop or biggest success

The Rift's success or failure won't be decided in 2015.

 

[Hoo-doo]

I expect it to remain a very niche item that launches with pretty low fanfare.

It's not going to blow up into the mainstream like some people here think it will. The gaming PC requirement alone will prevent that from happening instantly. I expect more from project Morpheus in that regard, seeing as it will hopefully be a plug-and-play experience.

 

[Solid Samus]

I expect it to remain a very niche item that launches with pretty low fanfare.

It's not going to blow up into the mainstream like some people here think it will. The gaming PC requirement alone will prevent that from happening instantly. I expect more from project Morpheus in that regard, seeing as it will hopefully be a plug-and-play experience.

VR doesn't innately require a high-spec gaming PC (if it did Morpheus wouldn't last too long lol), depends on the application which as I've said in here can/will/must be far more than just high spec video games.

 

[Qassim]

I expect it to remain a very niche item that launches with pretty low fanfare.

It's not going to blow up into the mainstream like some people here think it will. The gaming PC requirement alone will prevent that from happening instantly. I expect more from project Morpheus in that regard, seeing as it will hopefully be a plug-and-play experience.

Most PC games don't require high end PCs to run at high frame rates and high resolutions. Console ports and other "high end" games are small fraction of the PC gaming market.

 

[Hoo-doo]

VR doesn't innately require a high-spec gaming PC (if it did Morpheus wouldn't last too long lol), depends on the application which as I've said in here can/will/must be far more than just high spec video games.

I never said it was solely about specs. It being tethered to PC gaming is just never going to allow it hitting that mainstream regardless.

The average household is losing interest in big bulky desktop PC's at an insane rate over the last few years, at least, that is my experience.

 

[Seanspeed]

It's not going to blow up into the mainstream like some people here think it will.

I don't think anybody expects it to blow up in the mainstream immediately in terms of sales. I think it will have a big splash though, and it will get people talking and eager to try it, especially when word of mouth starts to get around. This is why its imperative that Oculus keep demo'ing it as much as possible, especially after release. The only way we're going to stop all the hostility towards it and ignorant statements like 'its just a screen and headphones strapped to your face' is by people actually trying it and realizing how much more it really is.

The road to actual mass adoption is obviously a longer one, which could be 5, 10 or maybe 25 years from now. But this is still the most exciting tech to come along in a long time. I mean, cell phones were practical and great, smartphones were a fantastic idea and I love my phone, but VR in your own home is more exciting if you ask me. Its a dream man has had for a long time and we can finally do it to a level that is both extremely impressive *and* affordable and practical enough to have in your home. That's huge. I think we'll look back at 2015 in 50 years time and think about this year the same way we now look back on 1976 as the year that personal computers came into our lives.

 

[mrklaw]

I never said it was solely about specs. It being tethered to PC gaming is just never going to allow it hitting that mainstream regardless.

The average household is losing interest in big bulky desktop PC's at an insane rate over the last few years, at least, that is my experience.

So buy a smaller, more living room suited box. I hope that if VR takes off, you'll get more AV style prebuilt PCs coming along, designed to work well with VR.

 

[Hoo-doo]

I don't think anybody expects it to blow up in the mainstream immediately in terms of sales. I think it will have a big splash though, and it will get people talking and eager to try it, especially when word of mouth starts to get around. This is why its imperative that Oculus keep demo'ing it as much as possible, especially after release. The only way we're going to stop all the hostility towards it and ignorant statements like 'its just a screen and headphones strapped to your face' is by people actually trying it and realizing how much more it really is.

The road to actual mass adoption is obviously a longer one, which could be 5, 10 or maybe 25 years from now. But this is still the most exciting tech to come along in a long time. I mean, cell phones were practical and great, smartphones were a fantastic idea and I love my phone, but VR in your own home is more exciting if you ask me. Its a dream man has had for a long time and we can finally do it to a level that is both extremely impressive *and* affordable and practical enough to have in your home. That's huge. I think we'll look back at 2015 in 50 years time and think about this year the same way we now look back on 1976 as the year that personal computers came into our lives.

I think word of mouth would have reached further already if it were that earth-shattering of an experience. Interest seems still completely confined to the reaches of the (enthousiast) gaming industry, despite Oculus pushing this device as hard as they've done.

Spending time on messageboards like GAF would easily give anyone the impression that it's going to be the big thing, but I don't think it'll translate to interest beyond insulated communities like these.

So buy a smaller, more living room suited box. I hope that if VR takes off, you'll get more AV style prebuilt PCs coming along, designed to work well with VR.

I hope so too, but I don't see it happening anytime soon if the requirement is still 'buy a PC'.

 

[TheHollowNight]

Having had the privilege of an Occulus representative come demo some games on the DK2 at the studio I was working at late last year, I can safely say that playing Alien Isolation and the Elite demo was absolutely mindblowing. Nothing, in all my 20+ years of playing games even comes close in terms of the sheer immersive experience.

So excited to get my hands on a consumer kit!

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Funnily enough, I think Sony's Morpheus will be out this year Autumn/Winter too. Will be interesting to see how the market fares for this new tech. Does Facebook have their own games division or will they relying on PC developers to pick up the slack like Elite: Dangerous, Star Citizen etc?

 

[Seanspeed]

The average household is losing interest in big bulky desktop PC's at an insane rate over the last few years, at least, that is my experience.

Yet the sales for dedicated gaming PC's and home theatre PC's are better than ever and growing still.

Along with the increasingly wide variety of options for smaller form factor PC's, I think we'll see less traditional office desktop computer setups(not that these are going anywhere anytime soon, I wouldn't want to live without one), and more specialized PC's, especially ones you can put in the living room. And as has been mentioned, VR isn't all about the super high end gaming experiences. Star Citizen and the like? Yea, those are going to be the realm of enthusiast gamers and their enthusiast level setups. But VR covers a lot more than that. You wont necessarily need anything crazy to still have a lot of fun with VR.

 

[Denton]

The song and dance with irrational sceptics in every VR thread is amusing, I admire Krejlooc's patience, so amazing.

 

[Seanspeed]

I think word of mouth would have reached further already if it were that earth-shattering of an experience. Interest seems still completely confined to the reaches of the (enthousiast) gaming industry, despite Oculus pushing this device as hard as they've done.

Spending time on messageboards like GAF would easily give anyone the impression that it's going to be the big thing, but I don't think it'll translate to interest beyond insulated communities like these.

Oculus/VR anticipation is buzzing pretty damn hard amongst the tech crowd, not just here on GAF or gaming boards. Word of mouth has absolutely already spread, and don't forget there is no actual consumer device yet. Just development kits that Oculus have discouraged people from buying unless they're developers, potential developers or just hardcore enthusiasts.

The larger word-of-mouth message will get around once there is that consumer product available.

 

[VindicatorZ]

No. Just no. The OCR isn't that good. It doesn't help to entice someone by overblowing the experience. They'll try it with expectations that won't be met.

I don't mean the DK2. I mean the CV1 and beyond. The DK2 is almost good enough. Super high quality VR is just around the corner. The main complaint will be "But I want to feel the world. I want to smell it. I want to taste it. This isn't a true holodeck." And thats true. But everything else will be quite close to what was imagined for VR. All the other holodeck stuff may never happen in our lifetimes, and it won't matter. They are going to nail the visual aspect.

 

[VindicatorZ]

So buy a smaller, more living room suited box. I hope that if VR takes off, you'll get more AV style prebuilt PCs coming along, designed to work well with VR.

I'm expecting this to happen. A bunch of VR Steambox style PC's, at a low cost in a few years that can run great VR. And of course in the future, onboard processing in the headset itself.