VR Isn't Going To Be Mainstream Until 3-5 Years, Companies Are Over-Investing Right Now

According to Daybreak's CPO, Virtual Reality won't be truly mainstream until three to five years from now and companies are over-investing right now.

[LavaLampGoo]

That sounds reasonable. They arent cheap and however fun we've had be game changing tech in the past that didn't live up to the hype. Hopefully VR won't burn out though, I'd like to see it doing well

[Eonjay]

But thats not what she is saying here. She is saying that it IS game changing but that it will take some time to catch on to main stream. She predicts 3-5 years She even says they are looking into how it can fit to their genre. But that makes sense to me. Gamers are always ahead of the curve. Don't worry. Like she predicts, mainstream will catch up with up. Personally, I believe that the best applications of VR will always be gaming regardless of where mainstream wants to take VR.

[Zenbaby]

Well if they didn't "over-invest" now. It would fade away. So I don't really think it's over-investment. They're testing it and learning. I think and hope it will pay off.

[Scatpants]

I'd like to see a VR compatible TV show where the viewer can skip around to multiple vantage points in the scene. only problem would be hiding the cameras so they can't be seen from other perspectives.

[freshslicepizza]

the guy from oculus also said this. once the prices come down it will be very mainstream. right now it's going to get a lot of shovelware and the technology will be a bit glitchy but get better over time. pubsihers will not commit to aaa vr games until there is enough hardware out there. so until then it will be smaller games and vr 'support' to regular games.

[Retroman]

Nothing more than close up 40in tv on your nose.

[danny818]

VR will be dropped faster than the PSVITA. Seeing that wearables didnt really take off i see the VR tech going the same route

[hirobrotagonist]

Look at Danny the tech analyst over here

[Imp0ssibl3]

It's true, this is just the first wave for enthusiasts but I don't see this going mainstream for quite a while,

[Garethvk]

The issue with this is all it will take is a VR only game that becomes all the rage, more powerful and cheaper hardware. I would expect some real price adjustments come Christmas as companies will be pushing to get more consumers on board.

[Alexious]

You're talking about a killer application. Indeed, it would help adoption immensely, but I don't see anything like that on the market or even on the horizon for VR.

[Scatpants]

I don't think you're going to see price cuts by Christmas, but probably next Christmas for sure.

[Garethvk]

I wonder if one falls behind the others in sales or if new stuff is announced at E3 that will be in stores by Xmas I could see a few. A drop in video card prices poised by new releases may help.

[PixelGateUk]

That's a fair view, it's not like the tech is cheap. Always takes awhile for new stuff to catch on

[TetsujinFranky]

For so many years, all we got was something bigger, but not exactly new, so it makes sense for some to push VR as much as they are doing since it's something different. I honestly don't see it become big in the near future, you need to spend quite a bit of money to get started on VR, and these costs aren't justified by the titles that have been announced so far

[ApocalypseShadow]

The reason why it's not going to be main stream anytime soon is because the main stream aren't being targeted to begin with. The core, the *gamer*, is being targeted. Her saying it is a captain obvious statement.

VR has to build a solid foundation to survive. And you can't build it on individuals who's attention span jumps around. Nintendo learned that with motion and mainstream running to tablets and phones. Once you build a great foundation, then you build a house on it.

Gaming started with a core group of gamers who wanted to play virtual games.they grew up and continued to play and had kids who saw that and played too.Sony expanded that idea that its okay to be an adult and play games.casuals always came in after the fact of core gamers already being there.they never were the ones leading the charge.and once that foundation was built on core,gaming will never die.it may change,but it's never going away.

That's why core gamers and journalists are being shown the product, not casuals. And second, wouldn't you as a developer jump in at the ground floor to establish yourself as a leader in VR? If you make great VR products at launch, that builds gamer trust to make them repeat customers of your product.That's why Epic and Crytek are trying to establish themselves as leaders in VR software now. So that other companies use their software to make VR games before anything else.

It's not hard to figure this stuff out.

[Imp0ssibl3]

I agree, but I also think that companies like Daybreak aren't fully positive that VR will catch at all, which is why they're not willing to invest much right now. Honestly, I'm not that sure either,

[gangsta_red]

VR is being marketed to the casuals too. Have you not seen the many mobile VR headset commercials that have been on TV?

Even McDonalds is getting ready with their own Happy Meal cardboard VR headset for kids.

"Sony expanded that idea that its okay to be an adult and play"

Wow...really? Sega expanded on that idea long before Sony did with their marketing of sports games, more violent games like Splatterhouse, Mortal Kombat and other mature themed games on their Genesis console.

[ApocalypseShadow]

No they didn't red. It is well established history that Sony pushed the idea that adults played games and expanded the market. And not kids playing Nintendo. You're old enough to know this without me telling you.

[maybelovehate]

I don't think anyone is over-investing. Very little AAA content being made at this point, mostly tech demo stuff and hobbyist. Insomniac is the only big studio jumping in and they specifically said it was to get a head start for later down the road. I think we are two generations away from it being mainstream. That said, I love it even now and highly recommend it if you have the patience to deal with growing pains.

[Alexious]

I suppose you don't suffer from motion sickness somehow...I've had plenty of that and can't even begin to think of suffering from it regularly.

[maybelovehate]

Actually I get horrible motion sickness haha. Can't do boats at all. But most of the VR experiences you don't have to worry about it. There are a few locomotion based games I cannot do, but most of them I am ok with.

[Alexious]

@maybelovehate: I got motion sick from every tech demo I tried on Oculus Rift & PSVR, with the exception of The Heist demo on PSVR.

[maybelovehate]

That sucks. I can definitely see how it would be an issue. I guess I got pretty lucky. I thought I would get horribly sick but I was even able to handle the jumping simulator which everyone says is one of the hardest to handle. Really the only thing in VR that makes me feel uneasy is stopping after moving. I am fine moving in any direction but when it comes to stopping I feel a bit uneasy. Not really sick, but uneasy.

[ninsigma]

How do you expect it to become mainstream if they don't invest loads of money?? If they just sat back and said "hey guys, mainstream adoption won't be there till 2019, let's hold off on pushing new technology until then", in 2019 we would be in the exact same place with vr as we we are now. By investing heavily now, the sooner better devices come out, the more people who have seen and tried the devices out and bigger possible market. It's gotta be done now to secure its future.

[DigitalRaptor]

To what level does anyone want or expect these companies to invest?

To a level that doesn't ensure better chances at success? VR just like any tech out there has its chances of failing, so a half-hearted effort is not what anyone truly interested in VR should want from these companies. First impressions really do count.

[hirobrotagonist]

This company doesn't have the prestige to make such broad statements like this. Yeah it won't be mainstream for 3-5 years, but that's all the more reason to start investing now. Companies starting now are going to have the chops to put out the best content years from now when all the "me too guys" game dev bros are jumping in just to make money. I completely disagree that anyone is over investing. The future doesn't just happen people have to create it and sitting around waiting for it to happen around you is a mistake. Anyone jumping onboard with VR development in 3-5 years is going to be at a disadvantage compared to those that had the courage to jump in now. HTC just poured 100 million into VR and it is a very wise decision.

I say this as someone who has worked in both the casual (mobile and console) and the AAA game industry for the last 11 years.

[DigitalRaptor]

Well said dude.

[hirobrotagonist]

Thanks man, I really think VR could be one of the best things to happen to quality indie developers and even though there's going to be some shovelware, I think overall it's going to do great things for the industry.

[amiga-man]

VR will go from strength to strength, and while I agree it will probably be 3 to 5 years for it to become mainstream VR's success is inevitable, every major tech company is now heavily involved in VR's development, LG, Samsung, Apple, Facebook, Amazon the list goes on and on.

VR is here to stay, anyone who thinks otherwise really isn't seeing VR's potential and how huge the market will become.

[Artemidorus]

Finally somebody with some common sense.
VR isn't ready but no doubt it will grow when the wheels start rolling soon

[Muzikguy]

It always takes time for things to catch on. Some things will, some won't. That the price of business. If you don't take gambles you don't get anywhere. As for the investments, I don't think companies are over investing. I think it's just because we are hearing about it. Investments also take time. It's the heart of the definition

[WeAreLegion]

I don't know about that. Based on the responses I'm getting from people who try my Vive, VR is going to be a big hit.

[hirobrotagonist]

I agree man, I got my vive like 3 days ago and it feels like I've already had it for weeks, it's truly an amazing experience. Also, anyone that has the vive or is getting it, make sure you try the budget cuts demo, I played through it 3 times already and I can't wait for the final release.

[WeAreLegion]

Haven't tried it yet. Downloading now.

[joeorc]

VR is on multiple prongs already of market adoption by these not just the companies that have investment into VR. But the Medical, science, robotic, engineering companies and universities but eve. Consumers are being prepped for VR adoption by indirect means already.

Its not about having to look to the future for VR Adoption..its not goint to have to be relied on if Playstation VR , HTC vive, oculusrift..its the fact its being adopted already in the medical fields an Science, engineering& robotics.fields.The smartphones people already have and use everyday will enable already general compute use VR..that can be used for entertainment of Movies and touring of remote places used at some already good VR gaming.

VR is an already established technology..mass comsumer Adoption is well on its way already with or without playstation VR, Vive or OculusRift.

VR has already been used to save lives in the medical field..so thats somthing that makes the technology already Viable.

[_LarZen_]

It's going to take a while before it's a mass market product. I'm just glad I have the possibly to get to play around with it from day one.

[Jag-T1000]

VR will follow the same path as the virtual boy.

[hirobrotagonist]

Nice troll

[kraenk12]

Why does everything always have to be mainstream?! We have to be thankful for every pioneer in that field and atm there aren't even any true worthwhile games out so that anyone is able to truly judge the situation right now.

[ElementX]

I think the whole VR thing is a gimmick at this point. Without tactile feedback you are missing out on a lot. I have heard people say they get headaches after a short time with the current VR goggles and they aren't comfortable for extended wear. I would still prefer to use a monitor or TV. Part of gaming is the social aspect that comes with playing with friends, even if it's just switching off. The idea of having to take goggles off every time I have to grab a snack or drink or use the bathroom sounds annoying. Heck you have to take them off to do anything. I'll probably wait for a future generation of the tech

[Elda]

Agreed!

[hirobrotagonist]

What you think is definitely incorrect. Have you tried VR? Also, the vibe controllers have amazing haptic feedback.

It's ok if you truly don't like the gameplay it offers, but calling it a gimmick is just flat out incorrect. I reminds me of when people said roomscale was a gimmick and now when I play a VR game with a standard controller it just feels severely lacking. At that point, I'd almost rather play the game on a much higher res monitor or TV.

[RosweeSon]

Well there certainly seems to be quite an interest from Sony's offering already pre orders have sold out and I'm hearing 5 million in America alone, considering its due in October that's barely 6 months, hardly 3/5 years mate a year or 2 but if it hasn't picked up massively/successfully by then they'll be on to the next big thing by then (3-5 years) it'll be 24K 4-5D 2160p with built in freeview... Something similar ;)

[SavingPvt_Highon]

Time will tell

[Elda]

I completely agree,only the die hards/minority will buy this contraption.I'm a gamer to the fullest,always buying games may they be indies or AAA but I'm not buying into VR yet knowing I've never tried it or really have the interest including the 400 dollar price tag is a turn off.Possibly a couple of years down the line if VR is a sucess & there are interesting games & a lower price tag I may hop on the VR train.I will take my 400 dollars & continue to buy games for my PS4.