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[IbizaPocholo]

Survey says half of developers consider VR market on decline or stagnation

Developers speaking to the Game Developers Collective seem to think the VR games market has hit a roadblock, even with this year's launch of the Apple Vision Pro.

www.gamedeveloper.com

The Game Developer Collective recently conducted a survey about virtual reality games. Of those asked, 56 percent find the market is "currently declining or stagnating."

38 percent believe the latter, and 18 percent the former. Conversely, 23 percent find that the market is growing modestly over time.

As with consoles, the price of VR headsets are a significant barrier of entry. The PlayStation VR2 has been hobbled by its initial $550 cost, and while Sony has yet to make a price drop, Meta has repeatedly lowered the prices of its Quest headsets (or made cheaper ones) to bring in more buyers.

Where do developers think the VR game market is right now?
In that same survey, 88 percent of developers said the VR market's biggest enemy is its "limited audience reach and market size." Other listed factors included difficulty in making comfortable, immersive experiences (38 percent) and a lack of funding or financial opportunities (35 percent).

Will your studio ever pivot to VR?​

Of the developers not already making VR titles, 53 percent think their company will never pivot to VR. 13 percent think it will happen in the next five years, followed by between two and five years (6 percent), and one to two years (4 percent).

 

[adamsapple]

Oof, that 56% figure is damning, but not surprising.

 

[reinking]

This news makes me sad...

 

[TrueLegend]

My VR collecting dust. It just feels a bit dystopic.

 

[Ironman_Bad]

Quest 3s is about to change that

 

[Danjin44]

Because they are fucking over priced and not everyone can play VR without getting sick.

 

[Puscifer]

I mean the price of entry and not to mention different quality standards have kept me away from it. Psvr coming to PC seemed like a slam dunk but it came and went without much fanfare

 

[Wonko_C]

My VR collecting dust. It just feels a bit dystopic.

My Quest 2 is the opposite. Its face mask started peeling a while ago due to overuse.

 

[Laptop1991]

Cool tech, not enough top games and the headsets are too pricey in the end.

 

[TrueLegend]

My Quest 2 is the opposite. Its face mask started peeling a while ago due to overuse.

Lol I have Quest 2 too. What do you play on it.

 

[Wonko_C]

Lol I have Quest 2 too. What do you play on it.

Mainly PCVR games and VR mods/ports. I only use Quest native for the exclusives.

 

[lh032]

the problem of VR is not easy for entry.

You need to buy the VR set seperately
You need some setup and actual space for it.
You need to wear the VR set all times to play VR games. i believe most people dislike wearing something on the head long term.

 

[Romulus]

I mean what were the numbers a year ago? Probably not very different. It's not going anywhere for a long time.

 

[Cakeboxer]

One thing i don't get about VR is, why does noboby port old p&c adventures to VR? High quality games are already there, all you have to do is draw the "point of view walls" and make it 3D.

Games have a good lenght and the graphics are no match for a Quest 3. I would love to play Sam&Max, Day of the Tenetacle and more in VR.

 

[Loomy]

Developers: VR market is in decline. No point making games because people aren't buying them.
Gamers: I don't want a VR headset. No games for it.
Developers: VR market is in decline. No point making games because people aren't buying them.
Gamers: I don't want a VR headset. No games for it.

Headsets are ridiculously cheap for the hardware in them these days. Unfortunately, aside from Meta, no one seems interested in making them cheaper and more accessible.

Sony dropped the ball so fucking hard it went all the way to the Earth's core with PSVR2 headset.

 

[ArtHands]

mostly on PSVR2 side since Sony has stop manufacturing it early this year. Not PCVR and Quest where they have various upcoming major exclusives

 

[thekillergreece]

Because they are fucking over priced and not everyone can play VR without getting sick.

I don't think they care about Vision Pro 2.

 

[ahtlas7]

Here is how VR gaming works for me:
Get out my Quest 3
Put it on, discover batteries dead, curse
Take off, put on charger
Forget about VRing
Agreed it’s declining.

 

[Alan Wake]

I've always been curious but never curious enough to pay that kind of money. Maybe if there were a few killer apps but I've just never found any, apart from Alyx. I think this goes for a lot of people.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Three factors before this can really get mainstream, IMHO:

1. No Motion Sickness whatsoever
2. Form factor must be extremely light/elegant
3. Hardware power needs to become far greater

I think we're still a long ways off, sadly. But I hope these indie devs continue to try and continue progressing the medium forward little by little over time.

 

[Robb]

Not surprising to me. It’s cool tech, but I don’t want it at home.

 

[Cakeboxer]

1. No Motion Sickness whatsoever

Thsi will always be a thing for some people, i remember friends getting sick while making 360s in Descent (1994).

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Quest 3s is about to change that

 

[pasterpl]

Not surprised with this. Have played with VR for long time, but it will always be a niche market. Completely lost interest in it (and I used to own 4 headsets - oculus, htc, psvr and valve index). It is a gimmick. With most games being crap with few good ones.

 

[Kamina]

It was always a niche product, despite the promising technology and despite what fans wanted.
Now that doesn’t mean it needs to stay there, but as long as it is a pricy add-on with limited quality games it won’t change.

 

[Sakura]

I think the potential is there, but the hardware isn't yet.
Motion sickness needs to be improved somehow, and the devices need to be more user friendly.
Like the Quest 3 is really uncomfortable without an after market strap (and even then...), and if you wear glasses there is a good chance you'll want to buy lenses so you can see.

 

[StereoVsn]

For me personally the issue is that there is no decently priced hardware that either isn’t Meta or random Chinese vendor.

I ain’t buying Meta shit and I am also not paying a lot of $ to a vendor with crap return policy and potential privacy issues that’s just as bad or worse vs Meta.

Steam headset is old, expensive and clunky to setup. Sony PSVR 2 headset is also somewhat cumbersome with its PC adapter, tethered cabled and no support for eye tracking on PC, plus the “sweet spot” issue.

And there are no games I am particularly interested beyond maybe couple Meta ones (Asgard’s Wrath) and VR mods for say Cyberpunk or running through Skyrim/Fallout 4 again.

 

[consoul]

Half of them think that. The other half don't.

How many think the console market is stagnating?

 

[nemiroff]

I'm a flight simmer, having the time of my life in VR. Getting my new headset this week.

But yeah, VR technology moves relatively slow for the mainstream (Meta Quest has done really good though). VR has a bright future, it's inevitable. But for the big masses, enticing form factor, real competition and solid cheap hardware might take a few years yet..

 

[N1tr0sOx1d3]

If more developers like Capcom actually provided the scope for both flat and VR then I’m sure the uptake would be much higher, because let’s face it, VR is unbelievable, putting you inside the world.

 

[Majukun]

would not say decline, but stagnation yes, definitely

 

[Neolombax]

Price for entry is too high for me personally.

 

[MayauMiao]

Entry barrier for VR is too high and not enough VR owners around to warrant devs to create AAA quality titles for it.

Its made worse with no one go to VR peripheral without worrying the unit might end up abandoned a year or two after release.

 

[Xtib81]

The day you can play AAA games day one in VR, it will have a market. Until then, it is condemned to do poorly.

 

[Klik]

Well its still a gamechanger gor racing games

 

[Walter Matthau]

Gaming seemed like the natural gateway into VR because that’s the way it’s always been portrayed in classic media, but I think the reality is that most people won’t adopt it until it becomes a viable and preferred method of consuming traditional entertainment content like TV and sports.

Price is one factor holding it back and the other is convenience.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I think if you ran this survey across gaming in general you would see a similar result.

 

[GoldenEye98]

The core issue is that most video games are not based on reality...specifically the movement.

A super realistic first person view is actually a limitation unless for very specific genres.

 

[Schmendrick]

That field doesn`t have any heights it could decline from.
It was always a niche thing, and looking at the hard and software that`s where it will stay for the forseeable future.

 

[StueyDuck]

well when all they do is make exclusives in an already small market, of course it's shrinking.

It was never gonna work for big massive AAAs, at least not initially, but Meta is doing a good job at killing the market too.

 

[Kvally]

Three factors before this can really get mainstream, IMHO:

1. No Motion Sickness whatsoever
2. Form factor must be extremely light/elegant
3. Hardware power needs to become far greater

I think we're still a long ways off, sadly. But I hope these indie devs continue to try and continue progressing the medium forward little by little over time.

2. Form factor needs to be no headset or glasses.

 

[Lord Malachite]

IMO, VR has a very limited audience. The price to buy a headset is a significant barrier of entry for many people. VR requires having a setup where the game can track you at all times to upkeep your immersion in the world. You can't just sit in a chair and be good to go like playing on a standard PC or console. VR can be problematic for people that have vision issues as they made need to wear glasses or contact lenses that might make it more difficult. And ultimately, the bang for the buck just isn't there IMO.

I have the original PSVR. I've enjoyed some time with it. But at the end of the day, it's honestly more trouble than it's worth to me. It's a nice, unique experience on occassion, but the setup, space required, and having to have the helmet on the entire time that I play is just a huge tradeoff I'm not fond of. It's much more relaxing to just pick up a controller and jump into a game. I find playing on a huge 4K set to be plenty immersive. I don't need 360 degree insertion into the game world. Wow it can be pretty cool, it also becomes tiring. I don't feel like I'm "playing" a VR game. It's a lot of energy I expend. Just not what I am looking for in a daily gaming experience.

The mass market seems to agree that VR is a niche product. For the many reasons I got into, I remain unconvinced that VR will ever become a mainstream, preferred way to came. It's possible, but if it does happen, it's a long way off. The technology needs to improve on many fronts including pricing, ease of use, and space required.

 

[Wonko_C]

This thread itself shows there is still misconceptions and myths about VR:

-"It's expensive". $300 is cheaper than a Nintendo Switch OLED. A console which is 8 years old.
-"It's a peripheral that needs a powerful PC or a console". Standalone headsets have been a thing for years now. Quest is just a console. a VR console.
-"It needs a big space and setup". Setup is simple: Put on headset, grab controllers, play. You can play most games sitting, you can also use a stationariy boundary which is 1.30m diameter. Last time I checked most of us don't live in capsule hotels.

When everyone keeps spreading such misinformation, it turns off people from even trying it. Which turns into less sales.

There is also this newer generation that plays to "zone out" or "relax". I will never understand that.
I grew up with concepts such as "challenge", "action", and "excitement". It's how the media of yesteryear sold gaming to us. VR gaming amplifies those. And as a bonus it is actually good for your body because you are able to move. (oldmanyellsatcloud.gif)

 

[poppabk]

Oof, that 56% figure is damning, but not surprising.

Not that damning if this question was asked of developers in general - where probably more than 56% are not making VR games and so likely have little insight. Would want that question asked just to developers actively working on VR games to get a reasonably accurate picture.

 

[Bojanglez]

More developers think it's growing than declining though guess it doesn't make for as good of a title.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

- Expensive add on
- Worse games than traditional games
- Brick on your head
- Can’t play together with friends and fam in the same room couch coop
- Need space to move around
- Most games seem skewed to first person. Not every gamer even likes first person games

So add it up and you got a limited gaming pool.

Right off the bat, a lot of gamers won’t do it as they don’t want to motion wave and have something on their face.

Think of it like eyecare. The trend is to be as least troublesome as possible so you got people doing contacts or laser eye. A lot of people don’t want glasses on their face. But the key difference here is vision is needed and the easiest cheapest route is glasses. VR is the opposite as it’s optional, requires it on your face and is additional costs making it more expensive.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Curious how Batman and the Quest 3s helps this. It's a killer combo, IMO.

 

[SportsFan581]

They certainly appear to be selling a decent amount of headsets. https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2024/videogames shows two Quest units above the standard PS5 for the year so far.

I still think they need to put more effort into the media side of VR. Everything from virtual film screenings to VR concerts and sports events so on - they've done a little of this but not to the extent they could have. I'm surprised the porn industry hasn't latched onto it more than they have with VR cams and that kind of thing, that's generally an industry that jumps on new technology first.

 

[Halo is Back]

It was always a niche market

 

[MarkMe2525]

This sector is still in it's infancy. Much like the early home computer market, there are large barriers to entry (in usability) that will keep the platform from taking off in the near future. Evolving tech will win out though, and I fully believe VR/AR to be the next computing paradigm in a decades time.

In my opinion, Meta's wrist worn neural link (or similar device) is the input method that will allow for mass adoption, much like the mouse for home computers. Being able to accurately control the software with subtle movements (that don't require line of sight with the headsets cameras) is a big deal.