310°

VR is Failing with New Editions of Popular Games such as Doom and L.A. Noire Bringing in Few Players

When the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift launched in 2016, virtual reality seemed to be the future of gaming. But as those who’ve purchased pricey VR platforms can tell you, despite the revolutionary tech, there’s not much in terms of new games to help justify making the plunge on new hardware.

Neonridr2342d ago

well it definitely doesn't help when these devs are trying to block out a large chunk of the VR playerbase by having hardware checks in place.

S2Killinit2342d ago (Edited 2342d ago )

The article is clickbait anyway. If anything VR is only catching steam. Firewall looks to reinvent FPS genre, Ace Combat is incoming and developers are getting to learn the ins and outs. I think the future of VR looks bright.

Neonridr2342d ago

Firewall looks great, but I don't know about reinventing the FPS genre. FPS VR is an entirely different genre on its own anyways. And even more so if it's a multiplayer game.

But yes, VR seems to be doing well and there is a lot of healthy content on the way for both PSVR and PC.

S2Killinit2342d ago (Edited 2342d ago )

Agreed. I didnt mean it would replace FPS, it would be a wholly different type of FPS as you mentioned.

ApocalypseShadow2342d ago (Edited 2342d ago )

S2,this article is speaking 100% about PC VR and not PSVR and its games.

And, the article does a poor job of comparing PC flat screen gaming that has over 40 years of a foundation to PC VR that only started out for consumers over a year ago.

Even if it was a current Steam comparison, it still wouldn't be fair. I'd bet that when Steam first started, a lot of games didn't have many players per hour or whatever this measurement is in that beginning.

I would suggest the article writer compare PC VR to PC flat screen gaming when PC VR gets a few years under its belt and the HMDs are inexpensive to buy.

It's like trying to compare touch screen phones or a specific touch screen phone in its first year on the market compared to how many consumers were using flip phones in that same year. It wouldn't be a fair comparison.

zb1ftw7772341d ago

Not really no.

VR has a niche market, but still it's niche. No more, no less.

The common man can not justify purchasing VR in its current form. Let's look why -

- not affordable to buy a new PC and a VR setup. Simply not affordable.
- not powerful enough to be interested in a playstation vr setup. It is underwhelming compared to PC VR.
- not enough room in the house. Average roomsize in a common house is not big enough for VR.

VR for the common man is an extremely bad investment.

If the common man doesn't buy a product, it will never be mainstream. If a product isn't mainstream, it is niche.

VR is not making itself accessible to the common man, don't delude yourself. It has a LONG way to go.

Babadook72341d ago

Yah on the pc side this might be the case. Psvr is a godsend tho

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 2341d ago
RauLeCreuset2341d ago

@Apocalypse Shadow

So many detractors have these attitudes like they're expecting a wireless room-scale experience at resolutions identical to current gen flat screen games for little cost, as if the tech is going to evolve to that point without people investing in it.

ApocalypseShadow2341d ago

Yeah. It surprises me on how some gamers can't understand how a product starts out. They seem to expect overnight success for any new thing or it's a failure.

I've watched for over 35 years as games went from simple text and dots and lines to the graphics we see today. And one knob or button and joystick to the controls we see today.

Some can't even see how some things take time to grow and had to start from somwhere. And were expensive to buy initially but then became cheap to buy but still high quality.

I don't understand some people. PC VR will keep growing, get better and become cheaper to buy destroying nay sayers assumptions guaranteed.

maybelovehate2342d ago

Still so far to go. Until locomotion feels good in vr games, it is more just a tech demo instead of a real gaming platform.

S2Killinit2342d ago

Whatever it is its great. Im totally enjoying my time with VR, and its only getting better from here.

maybelovehate2341d ago

I enjoy VR as well. It is my primary development platform right now. But sadly the locomotion is still a huge hurdle. Making games were the player is confined to a small zone is fun but so limited. Making games with locomotion cuts out 90% of the audience do to motion sickness. And even the player who don't get sick it still feels wrong. It will get there one day.

xenz2341d ago (Edited 2341d ago )

@maybelovehate «I enjoy VR as well. It is my primary development platform right now.» Nice attempt at trying to sound credible, but you just come off as a guy that have 0 experience with the platform.

S2Killinit2341d ago

@maybelovehate
I see what you mean but if people thought like that we wouldnt have gaming to begin with. I remember when games were so blocky that you got headaches if you played for long hours, people used to get seizures because of the blocky patterns, and yet people also loved those games. That’s why we are here.

So, I find it difficult to comprehend when gamers downplay how awesome VR is. I want to shake them and say “come on man” its virtual reality. Its finally doable! How amazing is that?? But then i hear some comments or reviews that act like VR should be toe to toe with regular gaming for it to be even acceptable. SMH is all i can do.

rainslacker2341d ago (Edited 2341d ago )

lol. For someone who claims to develop VR to say that 90% of the audience gets motion sickness just shows that you aren't in the field, or you just like making up stuff to try and make a point.

Locomotion doesn't cause motion sickness in and of itself, it's poor implementation of locomotion which disorients some players to experience something akin to motion sickness. If someone gets motion sickness, it's likely to be across the board, and not just due to movement, as the feeling is caused by a disjointed feeling between perception and what the body feels. That tends to be persistent from any movement, not just traversal within a scene. It's also usually short lived, as people who experience motion sickness at first, often do get over it after a few uses, which is why moderation is important for new users until they know how it affects them. Those that continue to have problems, probably aren't using VR at all for the long term. It's not to say some games can't induce it, but that's usually because the developer goes too far to try and make a game more "fluid" through movement, instead of realizing that VR itself is the motion that is usually all that is necessary.

There are plenty of games with some sort of locomotion that seem to do fine. To claim that it feels wrong to other players(the assumed 10%) is just hyperbole without any real statistical backing given the variety of games that already sell.

maybelovehate2341d ago (Edited 2341d ago )

@S2Killiinit: I agree with most of what you said. But it is still makes it feel more like a tech demo. Which is fine for this stage. It is basically a tech demo. VR is going to be so amazing one day and getting that teaser now is really awesome. And in my opinion getting locomotion right isn't that far off, just need to give the senses some feedback of movement. We are experimenting with variable fans and vibration right now that really help. It is settle but enough to make the user feel like they are actually stopping which helps immensely. Now the issue is making it available to enough users that you can program around these kinds of things. Baby steps.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2341d ago
Neonridr2341d ago

I just wish more games supported both methods. I mean no reason not to give players options. I get that some people get sick and VR is still relatively new. But forcing people into using say teleport only is not going to win over many gamers. People like the option.

RauLeCreuset2341d ago

I think they're starting to realize that. I would hope Skyrim learned that lesson for everyone. Choice is key with VR. Teleporting was never my thing.

maybelovehate2341d ago

True, but it is hard to program for both of those scenarios since they are nothing alike when creating ai and physics etc.

Profchaos2341d ago

Skyrim feels like they finally nailed it if you use move controls and modify the default settings

sampsonon2341d ago

i take it you didn't play Resident Evil psvr then? lol

frostypants2340d ago

VR is doing just fine as a display alternative. Not sure how a particular type of display support dictates whether it's a tech demo or not...

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2340d ago
alb18992341d ago

I keep saying that VR has potential but doesn't worth my money or my time right now.

yeahokwhatever2341d ago

there's a lot of really good content for VR. its a different beast. its really up to designers to get up off their asses and stop trying to shoehorn VR into classic-controlled successful games for a quick buck, and instead make new compelling experiences like Super Hot. A hyper-realistic trap shooting game for instance would be incredible. There are plenty of things that lend themselves perfect for VR. Classic FPS is not one of them.

zaspohuspi2341d ago

I quit working at shoprite and now I make $35h - $80h...how? I'm working online! My work didn't exactly make me happy so I decided to take a chance on something new… after 4 years it was so hard to quit my day job but now I couldn't be happier. Heres what I do, •••••••••>> http://4u.fyi/4k9

plmkoh2341d ago

We need Mario Kart in VR. Anyone who has played the short experience in Tokyo will say the same.

kevnb2341d ago

Vr is at the point where they should be focusing on niche games that the people who bought these things will like, casual gamers don’t have vr yet.

Show all comments (48)
70°
8.0

Review: Arcade Paradise VR - Gamer Social Club

Laundry, cleaning and classic arcade games all in glorious virtual reality

Read Full Story >>
gamersocialclub.ca
Babadook720d ago

Should this be in the PC section?

130°

PC VR On Steam Is Actually Growing, Not Shrinking

It's sometimes claimed that PC VR usage on Steam is shrinking, but here's why that isn't actually true.

Read Full Story >>
uploadvr.com
bunt-custardly35d ago

Good, silence the naysayers who talk bollocks.

Tacoboto35d ago

The context in the article is kinda like the discussion of MAU metrics. Manipulation of figures to get it to say what you want it to.

I.e. "The proportion is shrinking, but there are more players so it's actually not shrinking!"

Crows9035d ago

That's not like mau metrics ....

If there's 20,000 players and only 10% use it and then there's a jump to 40,000 and 10% are using still using it then....there's been an increase because 10% of 40k is higher than 20k.

That's an actual number increase of people using it. That's growth.

Tacoboto35d ago

MAU is used to reference engagement or growth in a game. The conversation is muddied because people want to talk about sales instead of player count. How is this not like that?

Growth can mean and be two different things. Growth of quantity, or growth of proportion. People in finance and accounting will never look at 2% in one instant and look at 2% at a later instant and say "Hey look, growth!" That's a joke, to be frank. The 2% is more than the earlier 2% but that 98% remainder also grew.

Eonjay35d ago

Which is why Sony is putting PSVR 2 on it.

Abnor_Mal35d ago

I wish Sony would have given upgrades to many of their PSVR games for their VR2 system. Unfortunately for me their pcvr movement is not doing me any favors, hopefully there’s some kind of trickle down effect.

Eonjay35d ago

Sony would only be able to Patch its own games. Devs would have to go back and create their own patches. To be frank, whats gonna stop this from happening is money. Are they willing to pay to have a developer create the patch, QA to test...

Abnor_Mal35d ago

@Eonjay totally agree with what you said about third party devs and the cost, Q&A etc, but Sony could have updated Astrobot, The Persistance, Blood and Truth, and Farpoint. Have a few in-house devs work on DriveClub vr, and pay for an update for Rush of Blood and maybe a Shadow of the Colossus VR. I would love to play Borderlands VR on PSVR2.

shinoff218335d ago

Sure Sony mightve been able to help but reality is most of those titles were from 3rd parties.

ApocalypseShadow35d ago (Edited 35d ago )

What he's saying is that Sony should have lead by example. Instead, they haven't done shit bringing them forward and expected 3rd parties to do it themselves in bringing their own games. If Sony's not going to do it, why should they?

It's like when they lead by example in the creation of their games. Or lead by example when they make their hardware.

Hate to say it, but for PS VR 2, they are lagging big time. GT is nice. But if you're tired of sims, then there's just Horizon. I'd rather have Blood and Truth remastered at that level or a sequel than what they currently released. No chance of that though as they killed London Studios. Another bullshit move they made. About as bad as killing Evolution Studios to keep GT as their only racing game. I like Sony's platform. But I'm not buying their headset if they're not going to put in the effort like they do with flat games.

shinoff218335d ago

Exactly. I almost bought vr2 but it's the games missing. Sure that horizon might be dope but I'd prefer the full horizon, or last of us, Spiderman, something. Pay some 3rd party devs. I was hoping to get that fallout 4 but that's not happening now lol

shinoff218335d ago

Vr is dope. Idk know why people wanna hate. It's definitely a dope next step. Even if it's a sidestep. I really wish more developers would throw down. Imagine a last of us with vr, or a final fantasy game, all kinds of stuff. It would be incredible.

bunt-custardly35d ago

Praydog's FREE UEVR mod is working wonders for the PC VR community.

220°

The newly founded 'Flat2VR Studios' aim to make VR modding a serious business

The Flat2VR community is taking the next step and announced a studio that will develop and commercialize licensed VR ports.

Read Full Story >>
mixed-news.com
Profchaos61d ago

This is great news I love virtual reality and my psVR2 however it's clear that the current bespoke way of building VR games is not working. There's some great games that have been released Absol but they are few and far between and if they are native they are clearly lower in budget and scope then at least I would like. It's definitely jarring to.go from high quality games like Spider-Man 2 to the biggest VR releases like Arizona sunshine 2 and see the huge gulp in quality.

This company aims to streamline porting older games into VR and make them feel as VR native as possible.

And to be honest some of my favourite VR experiences have been traditionally flat screen games ported into VR like resident evil 7, 8 4, doom 3 with the aim controller or borderlands 2.

And I'm not saying that there isn't great native VR games to be found I'm saying more traditional games ported over would be very welcome we have decades of amazing games that we all love and VR presents an opportunity to truely bring us into the world.

just_looken61d ago

The floating hands wires climbing/tool sims need to go for sure.

But i want the sword art online vr now that would be awesome

Leeroyw61d ago

I just found my people. Massive vr fan here but I want to live in older more broader era experiences that were made for traditional gaming. But in VR.

just_looken61d ago

@Lee

Rollarcoasters would be something else in vr

aaronlif1059d ago

Yes! I hope they bring Doom 3 to PSVR2. I was happy to see it on PSVR but couldn't help but feel like they should have held off for the PSVR2 for that game. They had to substantially cut the visuals on that. I feel like a psvr2 version would be able to do it better justice. I've asked the company that made the psvr port if there was any plans to make a psvr2 version, they said no but that if they were asked by Sony to do it they would. I also would love to see Star Wars Squadrons get a PSVR2 version.

Profchaos59d ago

Yes squadrons I forgot about that one it was amazing to play online with flat screen gamer friends some of my favourite multiplayer moments

RiseNShine61d ago

Amazing news, there're so many forgotten gems out there, these guys have been consistently porting old games like Return to Wolfenstein, Quake 4, jedi knight, etc. Sounds great that they can earn a living by doing official ports, publishers dust off some old properties, gamers get great games in VR, we all win.

mudakoshaka61d ago

Awesome news! Which popular Steam and Switch game do you think is their first project?