Awkward...

[Sr.]

Editorial: Why VR Is Going To Be An Enormous Flop

 

 

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/06/17/editorial-why-vr-is-going-to-be-an-enormous-flop/#comments

[Lensman]

Lol

[eaglecash867]

LOL! I think we see that guy post here occasionally under an assumed identity. He often posts as if his last experience with VR was in 2015. That article is great for a laugh, and I think HP is probably laughing the loudest right now. :megalol:

[Whoa182]

It's funny how all these journalists were saying this for years because they didn't see an immediate explosion of VR. It's almost as if everyone forgot how new technologies improve and are adopted over time. I think this is partly due to iterations on consumer devices like mobile phones, TV's with slightly improved screens or whatever.

 

If you look at the trend, VR has been steadily growing for years and it's at the point now where it's going to really take off.

 

Look at Oculus Quest and how well that is doing. It's getting more interest from people in the past few months than PSVR got in its entire 5-year history and Sony sold around 6 million units in 4 years.

 

Now look at these! I've chose to compare keywords with the phrase "buy" in them because it implies strong intent to purchase. Meaning, Facebook are converting people from simply being interested to actually having their credit card in their hand so to speak.

 

Now consider how long it took for Sony to sell that many units. And how long it'll probably going to take FB.

 

 

And now look at the steady increase in interest for Quest vs PSVR!

 

 

I was just watching a video of Jesse Schell talking in July about the sales on Quest vs PCVR. He said that for every 1 copy sold on PC, they're selling 10 on Quest.

 

The future looks bright for VR. :)

[Eaglewings]

I seriously hope against the projection in that article.

when it comes to fightsim, vr is a very immersive add-on.

Much of the points cited as reasons for future demise of vr does not hold much water. Prices are becoming affordable and the level of vr development now is in many ways a whole lot different from the 3D TV.

My first try of dcs in vr killed whatever fun I was getting using trackir on a 2d screen so I am not one of those who just want to play on a regular 2d screen anymore.

Usability is more convenient for me without those cables running around, infrared headset and camera hanging on screen

 

Really been spoiled by vr that other sim I once loved but without VR support just do not get a sizeable amount of my playing time.

I do not play other game in vr so perhaps the appeal for vr could wear out over time on those games but for flightsim and race/truck sim, vr is a winner anytime.

For those who seek realism, vr in my opinion will always be a sought-after device.

 

 

It is worth adding that the wonders of vr is also being explored in other areas like medical, educational, etc. These other areas of use could drive its development further.

 

I would say VR is the future.

 

 

Sent from my H3223 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

[GunSlingerAUS]

Not all journalists felt the same way. Here's one piece I did back in 2014 predicting it was going to be massive, but in reality the uptake in HMDs has been much slower than I anticipated:

 

PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines.

Edited December 1, 2020 by GunSlingerAUS

[draconus]

Funny how the guy has no idea what actual simmers use and wear on their heads We are far from the usual TV guy: mouse, keyboard, HOTAS, head tracking, headphones (plus mic), rudder pedals, some even have full home pits... so if anything, putting VR on is like putting the pilot helmet on - immersion only rises! And rarely we care how it looks or how much it costs.

Edited December 2, 2020 by draconus

[TimberWolf]

I don't see how that original article is wrong. VR is still a niche product. So are flight sims. In the latest Steam survey, less than 2% of users have a VR headset, so that is hardly a ringing endorsement for VR.

[streakeagle]

54 minutes ago, TimberWolf said:

I don't see how that original article is wrong. VR is still a niche product. So are flight sims. In the latest Steam survey, less than 2% of users have a VR headset, so that is hardly a ringing endorsement for VR.

The original article compares VR to 3d TVs. 3d TVs came and went very quickly. VR differs quite a bit in that it was waiting decades for some technical breakthroughs to make the product small enough, light enough, and high enough in image quality to even be marketable to consumers, but now that it has crossed that line, it continues to improve and the market is still growing and adapting to new technology and consumer demands.

 

The market is still fairly small compared to smart phones and gaming consoles, but the number of quality and quantity of devices keeps increasing as well as the percentage of people that own them and use them. PC virtual reality is still way too expensive for most people, but the Oculus Quest series has the simplicity and pricing to drive right into the heart of becoming a mainstream technology product. Fortunately for us flight simmers, some companies still see the value of making a decent consumer grade PC VR headset and even the Oculus Quest series provides a link cable to provide a secondary PC capability.

 

It is still too early to say VR is here to stay. A more realistic comparison than 3d TV would be using motion controllers with video games. Wii was a massive hit because of its fantastic library of physically interactive games that also support multiplayer at a comparatively low price. Adults played the games at parties. Kids loved the games. People actually stood up and actively moved around while playing games. The amazing success of Wii led to PlayStation and XBox providing comparable control interfaces and games. Years later, Wii is long gone, XBox discontinued support for the Kinect camera used for its motion controller interface, and how many developers even bother to make games for motion controllers that most people don't have or don't use. VR support costs time and money. If the market doesn't pick up enough, most if not all game developers will stop making the effort to support it. But based on the push for Oculus Quest, I think the standalone headsets are here to stay. It is console and PC VR that remains in danger of going away. Why would anyone keep making VR games for consoles and PCs if most people don't have or use VR?

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by streakeagle

[Taz1004]

52 minutes ago, TimberWolf said:

I don't see how that original article is wrong. VR is still a niche product. So are flight sims. In the latest Steam survey, less than 2% of users have a VR headset, so that is hardly a ringing endorsement for VR.

 

It may be niche but he was wrong in saying it'll be a "flop"

 

And he was wrong in comparing VR to 3D TV.  Whether a technology succeed or not is not related to how cool it is but how business can make money off of it.  Business model.

3D TV had no business model as it offered nothing for content creators.  It just increased production cost so of course no one will support it.

But VR has so much more potential then gaming and 3D TV.  Imagine a stereo camera at stadiums for example.  And millions of people logging on in VR to watch sports events and concerts live.  That's billions of revenue for sports team and the league at minimal cost.

[eaglecash867]

Just a quick comment on 3D TVs and VR.  Watching 3D movies in VR beats any previous 3D movie experience, including the theatres, so maybe VR can be the way forward for that.