Devils Advocate: Is VR right for Gaming? Is Gaming right for VR?

Victor Omega

Victor Omega

Member
Loosely based on another VR thread.

Is Gaming really the right media for VR? It's seem that VR is more of a short term experience which doesn't really contribute to the current high price needed to play.

Tangentially, It seems VR in the gaming spectrum, we will be stuck with beat saber like games with the hopes of a "Ready player One- like" experience in the distant future (if the technology allows us.

But an annually VR AAA franchise like Cod, GTA, fortnite, and half life Alyx will be once in a blue moon.
 
It's great for gaming cheaply. I think the Quest is more or less the perfect version to support it in terms of current demand / economics (and even they are falling very short right now).

Personally, I don't think people want to be in VR that long. Shorter games are more popular because that fits people's play habits in VR. They typically don't want to play something like Skyrim, or really any long AAA game at great length. Shorter, arcade style games that can sell for cheap are a better fit. Demand is still relatively low, so a cheaper system is also better.

We haven't really seen Quest turn out any major first party games, but they have a few minimal acquisitions. I don't see the demand skyrocketing but maybe it'll slowly turn around with Quest 3 and 4 if they can get some better first party stuff.

I think Quest also supports alternate uses better, like web browsing, limited work / meeting use, exercise, portability. VR will need all of that to make the case for more use.
 
I personally don't care for it for two reasons:

1. I'm one of the few that get terribly sick after using it.

2. I don't care to have to dress up when i want to game. I like just turning on my PS5 or Switch and that's all.
 
The right game can be really a transformative experience. The sense of immersion is next to none. Bring on the full dive.
 
Games games games. idk how a bunch of 40yo gamers don't get this when it's been that way their whole lives.
 
VR has always been the end all for gaming, in my opinion. Ever since I was a kid, the ultimate video game experience was some kind of VR application where it put you inside the game world.

For me, it's not that VR and gaming go well together, it's that gaming and VR were always meant to go together, and we've only recently been able to make that happen.

On the other hand, if you never thought about VR like I did as a kid, and it's not something you've always wantedor you're just not interested, then you're opinion would be entirely different. And that's okay, flat screen is still there for you. VR is not your creepy uncle trying to violate you.
 
Well, even taking in consideration only games built for flat screen, it allows to immerse into them, and to elevate to square or cubic value the possibilities of interaction with the game world, and making the interaction the most intuitive and natural possible (if done well, obviously).
To me, just dive into the game world would be enough to want it, but the potential expanse of interaction and gameplay that could be done will be able to really unleash any kind of movement and control of the virtual environment. But that will be possible only once certain obstacles will be solved.
 
As an avid gamer, I genuinely can't understand why any other likeminded gamer wouldn't enjoy VR. I've had more fun with my PSVR2 than I've had with gaming in general in a long time. To the point where I'm actually struggling to motivate myself to play flat screen games atm. Plus, it's super fun watching friends and family enjoy having a go as well.
 
For me, tourism has always been the kill vr app. I'm a big baby when it comes to flying so anything that can get me to more places in the world, im up for. I love seeing other places, hate getting to them.

Games are a close second to me
 
Markio128 said:
As an avid gamer, I genuinely can't understand why any other likeminded gamer wouldn't enjoy VR. I've had more fun with my PSVR2 than I've had with gaming in general in a long time. To the point where I'm actually struggling to motivate myself to play flat screen games atm. Plus, it's super fun watching friends and family enjoy having a go as well.
Click to expand...

A lot of gamers throw on the same game every day as a decompression after work. They might buy other games but 90% of their time is overwatch or destiny. Or maybe nice grinds like genshin or stardew with a podcast on.

VR is part game and part actually doing something. Even if you are seated playing a chill vr game, there is a bit of "okay here we go" as you grab your headset and get settled. Even that 2 minutes is a lot more prep than starting up a regular game. A lot of people don't even want to get up to change discs now. This of course compounds greatly the more stand-up and physical a game gets.

Now if you are someone who has been itching for something new for the last 15 years, it's amazing. Tons of people want the same thing though. And they defintely don't want any extra steps or even the slightest physicality added on to it. Even gyro aiming meets huge vitriol because it would slaughter sticks but requires movement.

If I am going to play vr after work, which is rare, I am not going to play something super physical. Hell no. I'm going to choose the most slow chill game I can get. Like a seated session of NMS of GT. Weekend is the time for vraf games than have me standing, reaching, and making fast movements.

Still, I take your point that people lashing out at vr are sketch. More believable to at least recognize the potential even if it's not for you. Just about everyone who is into games any deeper than a single-genre habit should be at least interested in seeing where it's going.
 
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Markio128 said:
As an avid gamer, I genuinely can't understand why any other likeminded gamer wouldn't enjoy VR. I've had more fun with my PSVR2 than I've had with gaming in general in a long time. To the point where I'm actually struggling to motivate myself to play flat screen games atm. Plus, it's super fun watching friends and family enjoy having a go as well.
Click to expand...
That's the point: aside the hassle of wearing a headset (which anyway will become a simple pair of goggles in the future) and some potential mild discomfort due to long sessions with straps on the head, whoever enjoys videogaming, should obviously enjoy videogaming PLUS immersion and EVEN MORE gameplay and interaction possibilities. It's not that there is some minus (in theory, because for now, VR gameplay development is severely limited and tamed due to potential motion sickness), so any resistance towards VR is usually just the inerthia of those who aren't willing to properly try something new, or the more concrete aspects of money.
We can reasonably be sure that for anybody the more is the better, so, once the hassles will be gone, and will be possible to play a game on flat or on VR, playing on flat would not theoretically make sense.
 
Crayon said:
A lot of gamers throw on the same game every day as a decompression after work. They might buy other games but 90% of their time is overwatch or destiny. Or maybe nice grids like genshin or stardew with a podcast on.

VR is part game and part actually doing something. Even if you are seated playing a chill vr game, there is a bit of "okay here we go" as you grab your headset and get settled. Even that 2 minutes is a lot more prep than starting up a regular game. A lot of people don't even want to get up to change discs now. This of course compounds greatly the more stand-up and physical a game gets.

Now if you are someone who has been itching for something new for the last 15 years, it's amazing. Tons of people want the same thing though. And they defintely don't want any extra steps or even the slightest physicality added on to it. Even gyro aiming meats huge vitriol because it would slaughter sticks but requires movement.

If I am going to play vr after work, which is rare, I am not going to play something super physical. Hell no. I'm going to choose the most slow chill game I can get. Like a seated session of NMS of GT. Weekend is the time for vraf games than have me standing, reaching, and making fast movements.

Still, I take your point that people lashing out at vr are sketch. More believable to at least recognize the potential even if it's not for you. Just about everyone who is into games any deeper than a single-genre habit should be at least interested in seeing where it's going.
Click to expand...
One thing I can agree on is that it won't appeal to the typical lazy-ass gamer, though there really is very little effort needed. My PSVR2 is always plugged into my PS5, so all I need to do is grab it and put it on my head.

But at the end of the day, it isn't designed to replace standard gaming, just compliment it.
 
Not all games would work in VR and they don't need to. However, after playing Resident Evil 8 in VR I can't imagine playing it any other way. It adds several new dimensions to the experience really.
 
Gaming is great for VR.
I see a lot of potential. Some high budget Rogue Squadron type game would be awesome, or Titanfall style mech game, or a big first person open world RPG.
The problem is that VR is expensive and cumbersome so the audience is small, which means almost no one is going to invest a AAA budget into making a VR game. For now the best option seem to be hybrid games like Re8 and GT7 which can be primarily sold to non VR players and can get the sales to justify their high budgets. But I do think the medium can be pushed even further with AAA games that are truly built from the ground up for VR.
 
Seems like VRs biggest problems for both gaming and non gaming uses is how long it takes to jump in and out of it, how isolating it can be, and how much of a commitment you have to make attention/time wise. IMO it's at odds with the way people typically engage most media today. These are the real hurdles to mass adoption.

Watch the average person- hanging out in a room of friends talking and sharing while on their phone playing a game while watching a show on netflix in the back ground, or the average pc gamer who has youtube guides on while playing a game and sporadically stopping to check their phone or any one of their 20 open tabs on dual monitors.

I know it might seem like Heresy from an immersion stand point, but I think VR will need to overcome these problems for more wide spread appeal, and VR UIs need to change to offer in game app overlays with things like Instagram, YouTube, twitch, IM, discord, video chat, and other social/media features. I'm imagining small hovering screens that can be interacted with while you play the game. So I can talk on the phone or video chat while playing. Or stop real quick and flick over to a YouTube guide. Some kind of bridge to how people actually consume media now a days.

Hey Sony, or any PC manufacturers listening- please make a VR headset app store with Editable UI overlays and apps features that can be embedded in/over our VR experiences.
 
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VR needs to become more comfortable to use.
that's the biggest issue VR has.

standalone headsets are ultimately the end goal. we need standalone VR headsets that are lightweight, powerful, and take no skill to set up.

we are almost there in the High End enterprise market, now this has to slowly trickle down to the entry level consumer market... and once it gets there VR will become more and more popular.

the absolute full on ultimate future of VR does have to be in mind-controlled games tho. full immersion.
this does sound very scifi of course, but there are technologies that go towards that future.
 
Markio128 said:
As an avid gamer, I genuinely can't understand why any other likeminded gamer wouldn't enjoy VR. I've had more fun with my PSVR2 than I've had with gaming in general in a long time. To the point where I'm actually struggling to motivate myself to play flat screen games atm. Plus, it's super fun watching friends and family enjoy having a go as well.
Click to expand...
VR is awesome but the content just isn't there, we all go through that amazed phase and once the VR honeymoon is over and we've played through a bunch of experimental smaller titles we all just talk about how awesome this and that bigger game would be if there was a proper high budget VR version - but they never come.
The future of the VR industry is 100% in the hands of the bigger publishers and developers. As long as they're up on the fence waiting for the market to grow it'll just get bigger in short periods of time when new headsets arrives.
 
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Fredrik said:
VR is awesome but the content just isn't there, we all go through that amazed phase and once the VR honeymoon is over and we've played through a bunch of experimental smaller titles we all just talk about how awesome this and that bigger game would be if there was a proper high budget VR version - but they never come.
The future of the VR industry is 100% in the hands of the bigger publishers and developers. As long as they're up on the fence waiting for the market to grow it'll just get bigger in short periods of time when new headsets arrives.
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There are plenty longform, deep games to spend hours in if you're interested, unless all you want is big IP and studios attached to them. From the likes of Vertigo 2 (and other games of its ilk, from Alyx, RE8 & Boneworks to Bonelab & District Steel or the upcoming Into the Darkness & Stride's story campaign) to flight sims like VTOL VR, MS FS & DCS, to multiplayer FPS like Contractors & Pavlov or the imminent Breachers, to stuff like Grimlord & countless amazing VR mods of flat games there's a ton of existing & upcoming content beyond baby's first VR game big studios are hoping to turn into the next mainstream thing (that probably isn't going to be as good as staples like Beat Saber & Walkabout Mini Golf). You just need to look for it because the big VR enthusiast media aren't very good at covering all of VR & the gaming media aren't yet all in on it, though PSVR2 helped. I'm not even scratching the surface, there are more genres with multiple existing or upcoming entries, sims other than flight, adventure games like The Room, Myst or the upcoming Firmament, I retweet & repost VR game news here for lack of a general VR thread and it's a daily struggle to be up to date.
 
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Good VR is incredible. The problem is we have too many walled off ecosystems, so to get a reasonable quantity of quality content, you kinda have to own multiple headsets. You can't play Alyx on PS5 and you can't play Village on PC or RE4 without a Quest 2 (without mods?)

I don't regret jumping in on PC at all, I just wish there was more good stuff to play
 
Thaedolus said:
Good VR is incredible. The problem is we have too many walled off ecosystems, so to get a reasonable quantity of quality content, you kinda have to own multiple headsets. You can't play Alyx on PS5 and you can't play Village on PC or RE4 without a Quest 2 (without mods?)

I don't regret jumping in on PC at all, I just wish there was more good stuff to play
Click to expand...
There are stand out games on all platforms that the others don't have (so, just like flat games) but there are plenty enough if you just have one platform too imo. The least on PSVR2 since it's the one with the least amount of time in the market but it will get there too, ports are coming fast and hard.
 
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Alexios said:
There are plenty longform, deep games to spend hours in if you're interested, unless all you want is big IP and studios attached to them. From the likes of Vertigo 2 (and other games of its ilk, from Alyx, RE8 & Boneworks to Bonelab & District Steel or the upcoming Into the Darkness & Stride's story campaign) to flight sims like VTOL VR, MS FS & DCS, to multiplayer FPS like Contractors & Pavlov or the imminent Breachers, to stuff like Grimlord & countless amazing VR mods of flat games there's a ton of existing & upcoming content beyond baby's first VR game big studios are hoping to turn into the next mainstream thing (that probably isn't going to be as good as staples like Beat Saber & Walkabout Mini Golf). You just need to look for it because the big VR enthusiast media aren't very good at covering all of VR & the gaming media aren't yet all in on it, though PSVR2 helped. I'm not even scratching the surface, there are more genres with multiple existing or upcoming entries, sims other than flight, adventure games like The Room, Myst or the upcoming Firmament, I retweet & repost VR stuff here for lack of a better general VR thread and it's a daily struggle to be up to date.
Click to expand...
First, you're doing a great job listing the games coming out! 👍

Secondly, to be honest I think for me there needs to be more games like HL Alyx, Skyrim VR, Assetto Corsa, GT7, Moss - normal sized games with the quality and polish you expect when actually buying games, made better through VR. I'm not really into smaller titles with obvious lower budget unless they're super cheap or on a subscription service library.
I learned about Viveport today though. Seems great for VR at least on paper, 1000+ games at $10/month, that would keep the dust off my headset for sure!
 
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