For one of my university essays I'm collecting data on how people perceive the current state of consumer level virtual reality peripherals and all that, and I figured Facepunch would be a site where the users would most likely have some pretty strong opinions on the subject.
VR goggles, and especially their motion controls will not replace the standard day to day workhorse that are the monitor, mouse and keyboard, and controller, but as a method to enhance immersion with a surprisingly large amount of games it'll do wonderfully. Really, it'd be perfect for open world first person games ala Skyrim, or even first person GTA V
It's a very expensive gimmick.
[QUOTE=prop_physic;50211875]It's a very expensive gimmick.[/QUOTE]
It is a gimmick, but it's the good kind of gimmick; one that actually adds to gameplay and immersion rather than it just being another thing being bolted on. It is definitely too expensive for truly mass market appeal however, and it has a long way to go before you can find it commonly in the house of the layman
I'd be cool with it becoming the norm for video games, but motion controls have run their course.
There is also the issue that many developers don't know how to handle gameplay in them, such as forcibly taking away the movement of the camera, or basing the game in third person which sort of defeats the point, but I'm sure those are just regular growing pains, and we will evolved them out of common use as we experiment further with them
Be aware that since this is a forum of predominantly gamers (and I'd guess specifically PC), you're exposing your data to selection bias. Whether this is a problem depends on the objective of your essay I suppose.
Gaming is used as a big selling point in the advertising of the peripherals but I think their biggest potential is in education or other interactive media like museum exhibits etc.
+ I don't think VR/motion controls in gaming is a gimmick anyway, there are gimmicky mechanics in those games but if the game revolves around and is made better by motion controls then it aint a gimmick.
[QUOTE=optimussentinel;50211894]I'd be cool with it becoming the norm for video games, but motion controls have run their course.[/QUOTE]
[I]shitty[/I] motion controls have run their course
imprecise or easily confused stuff like the Wii and Kinect are pretty much worthless, but controllers tracked at the sub-millimeter level across an entire room definitely have a place in gaming.
I'm mostly into stuff like platformers, shmups, and fighting games these days, not genres that lend themselves well to VR, so this particular facet of gaming will likely pass me by.
tried an oculus rift at gamescom, felt nothing about it though my friends loved it
[QUOTE=optimussentinel;50211894]I'd be cool with it becoming the norm for video games, but motion controls have run their course.[/QUOTE]
The Vive and soon-to-be Oculus controllers are positionally tracked controllers, not just motion controllers. They're seriously something else to whatever consoles right now are using. It's all too easy to think they're just a gimmick when you don't combine them with a VR headset.
One day I get up from the bed and realized this is the day of tomorrow!...
Just getting old
I have pre-ordered a Vive. I am, however, concerned of its future. The whole issue with people VR being a peripheral means developers will always be marketing to a fraction of PC gamers when they go for VR. If people hold off on buying VR hardware, the developers will have little reason to be creating large projects for VR. I think we're in a deciding time where we find out whether games for VR will stay short tech demos or if it'll grow from here. On top of this, there's huge room and need for innovation at the moment when it comes to things like [i]"How does the player move in our game?"[/i].
I recently saw a video on Microsoft's old Kinect announcement and the things they said Kinect could do are remarkably similar to what the Vive is said to do. The positive side to that, though, is that [i]everyone[/i] I've heard of who actually try it, immediately become believers - which I really don't think was ever the case with the Kinect.
I'm really fucking hyped though. So sad that I ordered late, I'll probably get my Vive in late May.
VR is like those old pre-smartphones phones. They works, but the best is still yet to come. So save yo money for later
i wont care about VR until there exists a multiplayer VR mech game and it's good
I think VR can allow for an extremely immersive way of playing games, with the addition of some more physical peripherals like (obviously seamless) full-body motion tracking and specialized controllers.
these specialized controllers may do things like mimicking the player's firearm in FPS games, and something like that would in that case be able to allow for real-time animation of the firearm when coupled with fully-body motion tracking, and obviously act as the player's firearm in general.
basically - I don't have anything against VR hardware itself, and I think it can be even more immersive than it currently is.
I don't have anything to say about games, for now.
Where's the option for I want to use VR but fuck paying 800 fucking dollars for something that doesn't even have any really strong titles.
[QUOTE=Mort Stroodle;50212830]Where's the option for I want to use VR but fuck paying 800 fucking dollars for something that doesn't even have any really strong titles.[/QUOTE]
See, problem is that too many companies are actively trying to make shovelware to capitalise on it instead of making the goggles functional for games that already exists and would benefit greatly from. I'm sure that they could pitch the code that makes it work to the respective owners of the game and negotiate a cushy royalty out of it if it drives up sales
VR is in a good point where now we have some good competition, but in my opinion it's still to early to buy in. The technology can only improve at this point and while what we have is still very good, it's safe to say that consumer generation 2 will be a much safer buy.
I am interested in it and have a capable PC and all, but I think there are better things to spend my money on right now. Once we get to the point where almost every new major game release has VR support though, that will probably change. I want to see omni-directional treadmills be perfected, too.
I feel like it's "the fad" going around, just like 3D was a couple of years ago. Just another gimmick.
I'm interested in getting a Vive but the price point is really driving me away from it
I'm interested in the idea. But I would have to both upgrade my PC and get a peripheral to go with it. I just can't drop that kind of money right now.
On that point, I don't see anything that has absolutely "wowed" me into getting VR. I need to see more games making use of it before I can get fully on board with it.
I have a google cardboard headset, and I am immensely fascinated by exploring google maps with it. I spend a lot of time just exploring the world with it, and looking at 3D panoramics and stuff. I don't have any cardboard games on my phone cause I'm not interested. I'm just really interested in the "virtual tourism" aspect. I think someone could make a killing making 3d panoramic tours of other countries and natural landmarks. Maybe I could get a 3d camera and do a series of youtube videos here in DC. That'd be neat. Go to lincoln memorial, washington monument, capitol, etc.
Problem is, the national mall is being renovated right now so it looks like shit.
I feel like as of right now, it's too limited control-wise. For rail-shooters and job-simulator type shit it's fan-fucking-tastic, but for any real adventure-type game? It's not happening yet.
I wouldn't get one until the technology really catches on and improves quite a bit first.
[editline]30th April 2016[/editline]
I'd like to try it out if I ever got the chance though, but I wouldn't buy into it right now.
As much as I understand how fun it is, having tried it, I worry more about the implications to society.
Wait a few years for the tech to become more refined. Pretty much like EVERY OTHER technological innovation ever conceived.
VR is neat but I can't afford it :frown:
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.