Support NeoGAF

[adamsapple]

It Might Be Time to Admit the Great VR Experiment Has Failed

Some people love VR, and can’t get enough. Most people don’t.

www.howtogeek.com

• Some sources suggest that the VR market has stagnated, with declining headset sales and not enough games to convince newcomers to jump onboard.
• Barriers to VR adoption persist, including space constraints, cost, the threat of motion sickness, platform fragmentation, and a level of effort that asks a lot from the consumer.
• VR still has enthusiast appeal, and likely will for many years to come, but cracking the consumer market even with entry-level headsets looks set to be a challenge for a while yet.

Developers Paint a Grim Picture​

A survey conducted in late 2024 by the Game Developer Collective reported that over half of all developers asked consider the VR market to be in decline or stagnant. Only just short of a quarter of respondents thought the market was still growing.

VR's Limitations Haven't Gone Anywhere​

It’s often the case that a technology’s limitations become less pronounced as time wares on, but that doesn’t seem to have happened with VR. Perhaps the most obvious limitation that potential VR owners will need to overcome is that of space.

If You're Not Onboard by Now, When Will You Be?​

If you’ve already got a VR headset and you’re happy with it, I’m envious. But for the rest of us, it’s worth asking the question: just what is it going to take to get on board?

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I think it’s hard to convince people to buy hardware for $30-40 indie-ish games. I love my VR. I use PSVR2 on PC and PS5. Also bought the Quest 3s with some change I had laying around.

 

[coffinbirth]

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I do like VR. I think it has a lot of potential. Resident Evil 7 and RE 4 Remake are good examples of how to maximize the VR experience.

There are plenty of good games, but they shouldn't be limited to FPSs.

There are great games, but of course, if you release garbage like Horizon or Call of the Mountain or Playstation, which doesn't support its team, it won't advance.

 

[Sybrix]

I would like to play Half Life Alyx.

I do not want to pay $500 - $1000 for equipment i'll only use for a few select games.

I brought the first PSVR years ago, i used it for a month then left it to gather dust until i gave it away a couple of years later.

The software for VR is nowhere near at the level to justify the price for the hardware. And if it isnt by now, it never will be.

Let it die.

 

[Aesius]

VR was unleashed upon the masses 10-15 years too early. Maybe 20+ years. Unlike virtually every other media consumption device, it was never an iterative tech. You really only get one shot to convince the masses to strap a headset onto their heads, obscuring their vision of the real world, and it was wasted on an experience that was at best a fun novelty and at worst a cumbersome headache-inducer. Casual users tried it once, didn't like it, and have mostly written it off.

It was always going to be this way, of course. Companies wanted to monopolize the market, or at least not be late to the game. I guess it could still succeed in the future if someone puts out an incredibly lightweight wireless device that does 8K per eye or something. But until then, VR headsets are incredibly niche devices and market IMO.

 

[Davevil]

 

[Ovek]

It's a toy. VR isn't good for productivity other than some very niche exceptions and full motion gaming makes most people queasy very quickly resulting in people using VR a couple of times and then never again.

My Quest 3 is relegated to being used for YouTube when I've got my fat ass on my excerise bike.

 

[diffusionx]

Regular videogames have been basically stagnant for a decade at this point. When VR hit the scene it felt like a totally new paradigm, and it is. It opens up playstyles and immersion on a level that is just impossible otherwise, similar to how 3D made certain types of games possible. But, people dont want to strap a headset to their face and it seems like these companies have no clue how to overcome that.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

I was incredibly hyped for VR.

Then I tried it, I felt sick.

Every time I played VR I feel sick

There’s only a handful of games where my head and body movement is the only thing that can move me in the game that don’t make me sick.

As soon as I have to use a stick to move my character I’m done for.

 

[Magic Carpet]

My Quest 3 is relegated to being used for YouTube when I've got my fat ass on my excerise bike.

Beat Saber will get you moving more than that exercise bike. It makes me sweat. Get a silicon face thing so you can wipe it down.

 

[Fbh]

Yeah I've always been interested but it's just too expensive and I worry I'll use it for 2 weeks and then it will gather dust.

The market fragmentation doesn't help. As I've mentioned before, if I could get a PSVR2 and play GT7, Half Life Alyx, Asgards Wrath, That Batman game and a few more I might get it. But to do so I'd also need a meta quest and a gaming PC.
VR is too niche to afford having the few truly notable titles spread around like 3 different ecosystems.

 

[kiphalfton]

I do like VR. I think it has a lot of potential. Resident Evil 7 and RE 4 Remake are good examples of how to maximize the VR experience.

There are plenty of good games, but they shouldn't be limited to FPSs.

There are great games, but of course, if you release garbage like Horizon or Call of the Mountain or Playstation, which doesn't support its team, it won't advance.

Console exclusivity is bad enough, but headset exclusivity is awful.

RE7, RE4, RE4R, and RE Village are perfect examples of how to give the middle finger to people. PSVR2 is especially egregious case, as it's not even BC with the original (compared to Quest).

 

[Lokaum D+]

too expensive to go mainstream it was faded to fail

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If Meta/Oculus didnt have deep pockets to keep it going, those VR branded goggles would had disappeared years ago. What you'd have left are smaller brands and PSVR.

 

[Schmendrick]

VR never got out of the "there are 1-2 cool games I want to play to then never use the thing again" niche.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I'd wait until Valve shows what they have on offer with Deckard, shit might be lit.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Was it expected to go mainstream?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I would buy a PSVR2 for a cheaper price because I know I would not use it often. Being wireless wouldn't hurt.

It would also need to have Ace Combat 8 be fully functional in VR.

Ace Combat and Gran Turismo would probably be enough for me.

 

[Insanemaelstrom]

VR is trapped in catch 20 situation. To entice customers it needs system sellers, which require good budget but that requires funding which publishers aren't willing to do because there aren't enough users.

What we are left with is, a technology with tremendous potential hampered by most games being tech demoes( with admittedly good and creative ideas) and very few actual games.

It is a shame VR is on decline. Gt7 on psvr 2 is the most next gen experience I have personally experienced this decade

 

[Ovek]

Beat Saber will get you moving more than that exercise bike. It makes me sweat. Get a silicon face thing so you can wipe it down.

I do need to give it a try tbh.

 

[bender]

I just find the headsets too cumbersome to want to use on a regular basis. They need to be something more akin to glasses/goggles.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

My biggest gripes? Motion sickness and the struggle to attain the sharpest image.

But there is something to be said about how cumbersome it is to setup for each session and how it dominates your attention in order to play (I.e. can’t check your phone, answer the door, or cuddle while playing).

I still believe there is something awesome to VR that could go mainstream, but we’re just not there yet.

 

[schaft0620]

PSVR and PS VR2 needed to be $100 and it wasn't possible.

 

[Wonko_C]

And the cycle repeats: New year comes, VR titles dry out, then come the news articles spreading doom and gloom. VR youtubers then procceed to make their own counter-argument videos.

A few months later new games are announced, showcases hype people up, and starting the holidays high-profile titles release, youtubers hype them up like "this game is going to get people into VR!". Then the new year comes and the cycle repeats.

 

[Jinxed]

There's not enough good games for it. It's fun and all but it's pretty much Indies and low development games.

The day an open world with current gen graphics is out, especially a MMO like Everquest or WoW, is the day I'm totally embracing it

 

[hussar16]

Ps messed up by resetting and the pv1 games not being able to play on pv2 messed it up nobody bought it. They were good altenative

 

[Pedro Motta]

Well, it's hard work, but it's well worth the experience in my opinion.

 

[rodrigolfp]

"the most obvious limitation that potential VR owners will need to overcome is that of space."

BS. Most of the best games you can play while siting down.

 

[Fess]

Yeah, like 5 years ago.
I love VR but we should’ve understood that it was doomed as soon as it was clear that the A teams at the AAA software houses didn’t jump aboard.

 

[KXVXII9X]

While I think the VR industry is slowing down, games like Batman Arkham Shadows gives me full confidence in VR's potential. Gaming, and entertainment in general are in a rough place atm. I don't think it is something purely due to VR being a failure. In a time where risk taking is getting rarer due to trying to meet ever increasing demands, things like VR and other innovations will slow down.

It also doesn't help much of the VR development is being done by indie studios. Some VR indie games are great, but they aren't enough to always carry the VR industry. Even AAA games aren't selling as well. Batman was given free for a lot of new users. I think people are being more cautious with their money these days to invest in newer technology.

 

[Wonko_C]

I just find the headsets too cumbersome to want to use on a regular basis. They need to be something more akin to glasses/goggles.

Would you say once it gets the size of the MeganeX or Bigscreen Beyond, with the price of a Meta Quest 3 make you use them more often? Or it needs to get smaller?

 

[KXVXII9X]

too expensive to go mainstream it was faded to fail

It is cheaper than a Switch OLED though to get access to most VR games. PCVR and PSVR on the other hand...

 

[ShirAhava]

VR Killer Apps

1. Vertigo
2. Erotica
3. VR Chat

I have more faith in FMV games making a come back than VR games at this point

 

[StereoVsn]

I'd wait until Valve shows what they have on offer with Deckard, shit might be lit.

The issue isn’t even hardware, it’s software. Personally I bought original Oculus commercial release. Played some racing VR games and Skyrim/Fallout 4.

Then there was virtually nothing as far as full large games go until Alyx.

I am not spending another $500-1K until we have bigger games available and devs aren’t spending $50mil plus until user base is larger. And that’s unfortunate because for all their faults, Skyrim and Fallout 4 with mods were pretty cool.

 

[bender]

Would you say once it gets the size of the MeganeX or Bigscreen Beyond, with the price of a Meta Quest 3 make you use them more often? Or it needs to get smaller?

That's much closer to what I'd prefer.

 

[Shubh_C63]

If someone is buying 1000$ tech, he expects AAA+ quality of experience and QOL.
Nothing new here, Need Uncharted 2 of VR, no wires, no sickness, less weight and half the price point. They learnt so much now they will try again in 2040 !!

 

[ssringo]

As long as Valve still believes in supporting it, I will too.

Day 1 on their next headset.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

I will buy any new headset that comes our way... Q3 an psvr2 are awesome and the people that say it's failed never actually played anything in these headsets..

VR won't ever replace regular gaming but VR gaming is incredibly awesome in itself.

 

[rodrigolfp]

I do not want to pay $500 - $1000 for equipment i'll only use for a few select games.

Pay $500 - $1500 for equipment that you use for gazillions of games (PC + Quest 2/3).

 

[Magic Carpet]

As long as Valve still believes in supporting it, I will too.

Day 1 on their next headset.

I'm hoping Valve will have special VR tools for developers to quickly and cheaply retool games for VR. The Unreal Injector gets partially there but still have to implement things like eye height placement and weapons controls.
It's possible to get all of it working but it requires so much fiddling around that I no longer bother with it. Simple tools/guidelines for this would go a long way to supporting in VR.

 

[rodrigolfp]

My biggest gripes? Motion sickness and the struggle to attain the sharpest image.

Quest 3 is your saviour.

 

[HallsOfMidwich]

I love VR. But I mainly play regular games that have been modded to VR. Rarely do I play built-from-the-ground-up VR games because.....most of them really suck.

 

[Sybrix]

Pay $500 - $1500 for equipment that you use for gazillions of games (PC + Quest 2/3).

Gazillions of games screams quantity not quality, most of these VR games i see on Steam have little substance.

There are a few games that would be worth the equipment, Alyx is the obvious one.

But VR is a gimmick that gets boring quickly.

 

[Jesb]

It’s an ultra niche product. I think a place like GFN and cloud is where it can grow since you don’t need a console or pc which significantly lowers the cost of entry.

 

[SirKicksalot]

John Carmack: PC VR "A Boutique Niche", Beat Saber "Far More Important Than Half-Life: Alyx"

John Carmack described PC VR as "a boutique niche", standalone VR as "the biggest win that VR ever had", and Beat Saber as "far more important than Half-Life: Alyx".

www.uploadvr.com

Lightweight mobile hardware is the key. Quest 3S is so close to that. 300 dollars, plus a good USB cable or a decent router/motherboard antenna for PCVR. I bought one last week. I previously used an original Vive and the difference is crazy.

 

[Bitstream]

If the lower price Quest 3 didn't kick off a wave of VR gaming, it's basically done for at this point.
In 1996 when games took a year or two to make from concept to shipping, we would have gotten some great VR titles.
In 2025 when games take 7+ years and the whole team gets laid off right after launch, it's a tough sell for any company to go all in on a full VR experience.

 

[MDSLKTR]

Alyx is still the best game of the decade.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Gazillions of games screams quantity not quality, most of these VR games i see on Steam have little substance.

There are a few games that would be worth the equipment, Alyx is the obvious one.

But VR is a gimmick that gets boring quickly.

For their price, is both quantity and quality. Plus tons of games not on Steam.

VR controls are less gimmick than flat screen controls for first person games.

 

[Astray]

The biggest issue for VR adoption is the space requirement imo.

You can adjust to a lot of the other caveats in a lot of ways, but no one is gonna move apartments or sell their house just to be more VR-friendly. It just isn't worth it.

With that said, VR is wonderful and I hope more people try it at least.