VR experiences are best when they're brief, says Sony boss

With PlayStation VR soon to debut, Sony chief Andrew House cautions investors that the current state of VR tech is best suited to short, simple experiences -- not full AAA-length games.

[Gazondaily]

Errrrr what?

"I tend to liken the VR experience more to something like a theme park ride, in that it's short, but it's very intense and it's very enjoyable,"

Errrr.... yeah this doesn't sound good at all. I'm hoping for immersive gaming experiences for proper core games. Like playing Elite Dangerous for some time. Not casual crap.

[MasterCornholio]

Doesn't sound good for any VR to be honest. However Sony does have games like Rigs so we will find out if playing VR games for a long time will affect people in a negative way.

@below

Id rather wait for people's opinions first before deciding to buy this accessory. While I'm extremely interested in VR I want to see if the general consumer has any issues with it.

@moldy

Well Microsoft seems on board with it so it can't be all bad.

Anways I remember when people said that dedicated gaming consoles would be a fad and look what happened.

[demonddel]

Hey when you try it out come back and share your experience with us

[freshslicepizza]

sounds like a rather expensive investment to play short tech demo's. do we have another 3d gaming fad on our hands? i think once the technology is better and vr becomes less expensive is when we will get immersive full games. right now it looks like either an afterthought to add vr or small tech demonstrations that aren't really full games.

[Sonyslave3]

Ms is on board with Vr but they not investing their on money on occulus isnt their.

[donthate]

I'm getting a Rift, and pro VR, but this doesn't sound good at all. This is my biggest concern with VR in general, that the headset is uncomfortable, and the experience is short.

I hope it isn't a fad, because shelling $600 for a headset and another $200+ for a graphics card isn't chump change.

edit: OMG, Andrew House further says "they can offer simple mechanics and experiences" about VR. Dang! Simple mechanics and experiences? F! When your president says that, and the lack of VR showing during E3, it seems like VR is winding down instead of turning into the year of VR.

[MachuchalBrotha316]

@slave, MS is in fact working on VR with other partners, just not their own headset atm. Before someone disagrees please do a quick search. I believe IBM and Samsung are some of them...but its there.

[lastking95]

Lol you've hated on MS in the past suddenly you're now saying anything they're into to must be good xD

[GTgamer]

Go look it Up Vr isn't meant for long periods of gaming or your definitely gonna have a bad time I'd say probably 2 hours but let's be real have yall ever seen a let's players play with Vr for more than 30 minutes shiiiiid I haven't it's always brief game sessions for all devices. But we shall see in the end.
Edit- ok so one guy played Vr for 25 hours straight and the other for 48 hours I'm pretty sure that hazardous to your health but when psvr drops someone (not me i care about my health) see how long they can last.

[Errorist76]

There are several 6-15 hour games already and people have no problem playing them. Still I doubt people will really want to dive in those headsets for days after days like they do with normal RPGs for example.

[GTgamer]

Most definitely

[bunt-custardly]

Yep it's a pretty placid comment to make aimed at damage limitation for those who can't stomach or learn to overcome motion sickness.

Nice one Housey.

[Obscure_Observer]

"We're also researching VR, so we have the core technology. Long play sessions are an issue"

n4g.com/news/1926028/nintendo -didnt-show-the-nx-at-e3-to-avo id-imitation-miyamoto-talks-vir tual-reality-plans

That´s why Nintendo will stay away from VR Gaming. For now.

[OpieWinston]

That's where the consoles VR doesn't seem like a doable thing.. You need a beast GPU/Rig to run experiences like Elite Dangerous in VR. And Stock PS4/X1 can't do it.
Maybe Neo/Scorpio will be able to but certainly not launch systems.

[Obscure_Observer]

@OpieWinston

Both Oculus and Vive minimum gpu requirements are the GTX 970 or AMD R9 290

Neo custom GPU is something between the R9 380X and AMD R9 290
Scorpio custom GPU is something between the R9 390X and GTX 1070

So yea, Scorpio can run VR games without problem

[_-EDMIX-_]

You're hoping for immersive experiences but that has already been confirmed to be happening anyway there are a couple of high-profile games that will be using VR.

I think what Sony means is that smaller experiences can be a bit more creative and tailoring to the actual VR concept as opposed to adding a virtual display ie replacing an analog stick . consider a game like summer lessons sort of does something like that that is not even to say a longer version of something like that wouldnt be just as fun it's merely saying at this stage in time that is something that will likely be more interesting than just the headset replacing an analog stick in a normal game.

Mind you, why do people always ignorantly read stuff like this as if it's an either-or? Sony is not stopping Developers for making longer games that's merely their stance on it other developers can create whatever they feel like it.

[Timesplitter14]

From my experience working with the Oculus and GearVR, I can say I feel the exact same way as Andrew House. I can't imagine a standard 6-12h VR game ever being a good idea. It's not even a question of hardware not being mature enough yet; it's really just that it doesn't suit the medium. The theme park ride is a great analogy.

Don't get your hopes up with Bethesda's DOOM and Fallout 4 VR games. They're actually more like VR minigames, where you don't move around and just point at things: http://www.theverge.com/201...

VR is still young and some companies are still tempted to try things that will never stand the test of time (like third person VR games, VR movies or cutscenes, VR games with movement input instead of movement being handled by walking around with the Vive, etc, etc.....). Just because a major player is doing these things doesn't mean they're a good idea. AAAs make mistakes, too

[Ark_]

Imo it's just marketing speech to adjust the expectations upfront. I think the actual problem is, that publisher cant justify to spend the money right now needed for AAA VR experiences. There is just no market yet to sell enough copys. For the beginning it'll be mini-games, rail-shooters, storytelling experiments, themepark-rides and so on.
That said: I strongly believe that there is a market for VR and it will grow over the next years. More AAA titles maybe due with the next generation of headsets in 2-3 years. It's a perfect fit for simulations allready.

(And to be honest: I also don't think the PS4 could handle AAA-titles properly. That's why they release the NEO. - I know, nobody on N4G wants to hear that ...)

[Trez1234]

Cmn septic, don't use every stick to beat sony with. Vr isn't supposed to be played for long hours and its a known facter.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

They just don't want any Lawnmower Man incidents, that's all.

[uth11]

that way you don't puke! :P

[Rookie_Monster]

Man, this news is making me thinking about cancelling my PSVR preorder. I specifically preordered one in hoping to play 6 plus hours real AAA title games and not the same Kinect/Move/Wiimote style of Gimmicky games. This news hit me hard. :(

[Sonyslave3]

Gimmick comfirm :(

[demonddel]

Yes sir

[PizzaSteve]

VR is a gimmick. It will fad away like 3D did.

[MatrixxGT]

The problem is the unit itself. 3D comes and goes but one thing stays the same. You need to wear special glasses to see it. And what happens after a 2hr movie? Well I'm disoriented as fuck with a massive headache. The 3ds doesn't require glasses I still can't play with it on for long periods. ( see, short experiences)

I haven't tried VR but sitting for hours on end with a friggen face helmet on doesn't seem that much more appealing.

I hate that these companies push this stuff on gamers like we're Guinea pigs to test new tech because there's people that will just buy it regardless.

There's only so much you can trick your eyes and brain before your overloaded. I have a feeling this is going to be a nightmare in the mass market. People are going to over do it and start getting sick and nauseating and wanting to blame Sony because they overdoesed on VR.

[KingTrash]

Try it and then tell me it's a fad. I tried the HTC Vive at a friend's house a couple weeks ago and I never wanted to leave. It's absolutely amazing....mindblowing. It's not going anywhere. It's only gonna get bigger and better.

[BossBattle]

I've tried VR and it's not impressive to me. It's definitely not for everybody. Nothing beats playing on a TV. Playing twitch shooters will prove that VR isn't for ordinary gaming. All of that along with the side effects of VR just makes it a no go. Sony said some of their VR games are just an hour long.

[Automatic79]

This is the reason I am taking a wait and test for myself approach to VR. Also, why hasn't Sony, Valve or Facebook put out sku's allowing gamers to test VR for themselves. Best buy, Gamestop and Toysrus are all prime locations to have consumer awareness. If VR demo's have been placed in those stores then I apologize in advance but last I checked I have not seen.

[2cents]

Most large Curry's in the UK have the Vive on Demo.
Check the website, they might have a list, if ur in the UK of course :)

[Errorist76]

Doesn't Best Buy demo PSVR right as were speaking in the US?!

[_-EDMIX-_]

??? Have you tried looking that up? So basically you're suggesting they do something that you haven't even confirmed yourself? Best Buy currently has PlayStation VR for you to try.

If you're going to criticize something at least be thorough and finding out if the thing you're criticizing is actually really not happening as opposed to just wild guesses. It does not help your point.

It doesn't mean Sony or valve or Facebook or doing anything wrong it just means you haven't read enough research or just too ignorant to find out if those things are true or not.

Also why would every single store mentioned even have it?

You not seeing it doesn't mean it's not there that literally might be the most ignorant thing I've ever read 😂😂😂

All it merely means if it's not at the specific location you might have been to.

[sho0ok]

Maybe because it isnt something known to him that they do these kind of things from the start...

[2cents]

Uh-oh...

Not for me then.

Oculus here I come...

Edit: Also what does he mean by this generation of VR? Is he putting vive and oculus into the same category? Id accept gearVR and google glass being in the same boat but not the two big boys on the block.

[DeadlyOreo]

He's talking about VR in general, not just PSVR. So "Oculus here I come" doesn't make much sense.

[2cents]

I don't drink my kool aid from Mr House.
I choose to decide for myself. I've tried Oculus for about 2hours and I had zero issues, so hearing this makes me highly suspicious.

Its clear he is doing his best to set gamers up for what PSVR can offer. I don't think he is in a qualified place to quantify what Oculus and Vive can achieve on a much higher budget.

So Oculus hear I come, makes complete sense to me because I want the best VR experience not the entry level VR headache vomit ride. What House has said just gives me doubts as to what PSVR can deliver compared to the big boys.

When I get a chance to try PSVR I will be able to better judge which is greater, but from the looks of it, House has already confirmed this.

[shuvam09]

He is talking about easing into the VR world...
He didn't talk about games not being of AAA quality, but that they should be experienced in short bursts...
It just a wannabe writer misinterpreting stuff, like most other articles on N4G...

[2cents]

I get that, I just don't agree with the fairground analogy. Im not paying neo+camera+move+psvr money for a fairground ride!

Oculus or Vive could give me a richer experience due to the software nature of pc that will go way beyond just a ride. If all they want to make are cheap thrills then I'm not overly keen on laying out that sorta mullah.

[mogwaii]

He's talking about all the short tech demos disguised as games, have a look at the release list, theyre all short games except for rigs and eve which are just arena shooters and the prices reflect that.

[gamer7804]

the demo at best buy , battlezone wasn't very good. looked so old. Maybe they will have better games when neo arrives, but if VR is meant to be immersive, you should be able to play it for atleast a couple of hours, about a movie's length.

[_-EDMIX-_]

? What? So maybe they'll have better games this fall? You do know that Neo is releasing this fall very very likely right? You do also know that is not going to have exclusive games right? So how is this even relevant?

[paulogy]

That's fine until the novelty wears off. I think the market will determine what it wants. If we have another Wii-like explosion where everyone is getting into VR because it is so fresh and new, and a lot of people are playing games for the first time that way, then yes they'll need short mini games with simple mechanics. Once that first wave fades, I suspect it's going to be the core community that wants meaty games keeping it afloat. So hopefully we'll get a mix of both.

And I'm fine with the intense games being short, and the longer games being more low-impact. Simple mechanics like playing a strategy game where the board looks like it's on a table in front of you, and you grab and move the pieces yourself, could be played for many hours and remain comfortable, I would imagine.

[Lilrizky]

I think this is a good thing.

When I get my PS VR, I do not expect it to be a replacement to be PS4 experience. A majority of my games will still be played on there while the PS VR is more of an addition to my regular experiences, which I'm excited for.

That's not to say there won't be long experiences available on the headset. Resident Evil 7, Gran Turismo Sports, Dreams and Ark: Survival Evolved all look to be fully playable on the device.

*I'm going to give Witcher 3, Uncharted 4 and Last of Us a second playthrough on cinema mode, see if I enjoy the experience better or not :)

[Errorist76]

The resolution will be drastically worse (actually half, compared to the full 1080p screen) so why would you do that?!

@Christopher

No,sadly you're wrong. Just because each eye has 960*1080 resolution those don't add up to 1929*1080. They add up to 960*1080 stereoscopic!

[Lilrizky]

Like I said, I'm going to give it a go. I'm going to see whether immersion outweighs resolution, see where my preferences are.

[Christopher]

Actually, the graphical quality will be worse, but the resolution will be 1080p60fps x2 (one for each eye). They have to lower the quality of the graphics, not the resolution.

[Errorist76]

But why should it be more immersive?! The screen might seem big but there is low resolution like I said and the graphics still won't seem 3-dimensional.

[amiga-man]

Errorist there is far more to display technology than just resolution, Sony have been working with the tech for decades, the display in the PSVR compares very well with the competition, I suggest you look a little more into the displays the different devices are using before making such sweeping statements.

[Errorist76]

@amiga man

At least read all the comments and try to understand what I was hinting at. I wasn't bashing the displays quality at all. I was talking about the fact that I don't understand how playing a non-VR game on a 960*1080 screen should be more immersive.

Edit: btw I agree that Sony's screen tech isn't just comparable, it's even superior to the actual competition in all regards exact pure resolution.

Apologies accepted. Exciting times are coming :)

[amiga-man]

Yes I see what you're are saying, I got the wrong end of the stick, accept my apologies.

[Antifan]

Terrible PR. If the games are just glorified demos and 'experiences' then it isn't worth core gamers time and money.

[TwoForce]

Well, VR going to have a long run. But still i can not wait for the future.

[ShadowKnight]

Resident Evil 7 is probably the only full real game in VR

[Errorist76]

There are several out already, like Edge of Nowhere by Insomniac for example, but others like Farpoint for PSVR are simply still in development. I know like with any new console I'm gonna wait the first year until I buy!

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed. Despite the game not being tailor-made for virtual reality in terms of being exclusive or anything like that it's so far one of the biggest virtual reality titles to ever get announced if people Factor it is the first time a huge full-fledged game will be officially using a virtual reality device at launch day and date.

I'm pretty sure Resident Evil 7 is going to be lots of people's first virtual reality game in regards to full fledged. I still plan to get PlayStation VR around lunch just for the display functionality for titles like Fallout 4 and no man's sky. Lol I can at least pretend until they update one of those games to run in virtual reality in regards of function.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Edmix

Sorry to break it to you

http://n4g.com/news/1922988...

I understand your passion man, i really do. But, thing is what it is. PSVR is not a top tier VR device like Rift and Vive. Those two requires more power from the machine to function (R9 290 or GTX 970)

PSVR was developed to suport the ps4 hardware which is weaker in comparison (since it sports an AMD HD7870). So what i´m trying to say, is that House is only trying to be clear about what one can expect from the PSVR games and experiences.

You see, there are some VR AAA titles with 20/25 hours of gameplay reviewed by the midia which gamers can play for hours without any health issues, like the VR RPG Chronos.

I could be wrong, personally i really wish for the PSVR to run Chronos and Elite Dangerous VR. But appears that´s not seems to be the case here.

Peace.

[_-EDMIX-_]

"PSVR is not a top tier VR device" never stated it was....irrelevant.

" i really wish for the PSVR to run Chronos and Elite Dangerous VR. But appears that´s not seems to be the case here"

yet...RE7. Sure bud.

"i really wish for the PSVR to run Chronos" LMFAO! This?

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Yet...its running RE7? LMFAO! Um....ok bud...O_o?

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Mind you, Elite Dangerous on VR wouldn't be impossible.

PSVR has this bud. Its why its able to function without needing such GPUs like the PC VR devices need as those devices are not also helping in processing information.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

Yet Resident Evil VII can be played in full VR on PS4....sure.

[Obscure_Observer]

I´m sorry, but it´s not :(

It´s just a glorified demo that shouldn´t even be in the final game.

http://n4g.com/news/1922988...

[_-EDMIX-_]

? WHAT? LMFAO! Who said the demo was ALL OF REVII? Do you read post?

https://www.engadget.com/20...

but what is "not"? lol buddy, seriously learn to read as I'm not even sure what your post even means.

Of course the demo isn't going to be in the final game.....where in my post did I say anything remotely near that?

"I'm pretty sure Resident Evil 7 is going to be lots of people's first virtual reality game in regards to full fledged"

Where in that do you see me say REVII the demo is the full game?

Sony and Capcom both confirmed that REVII from start to finish can be played in PSVR.

Your post is completely irrelevant to what was stated by me.

(as most of your post are)

[Obscure_Observer]

First - No man, and i din´t say that. All that i said is true. It was a glorified demo AND won´t be present in the final game.

Second - I didn´t KNOW that RE7 is goin to be a full-fledged VR AAA game. But, did you just made a comparisson between the RE7 demo and Chronos a full VR RPG with 25 hours of gameplay? Really?.

Now, you should learn to replying others in a more respectful and educated manner because, all of it "your posts are irrelevant", "learn to read" comments seems childish, self entitled and unproductive from an educated perspective and discussion standpoint.

Peace.

[joeorc]

Andrew is just telling it like it is, VR no matter how advanced it will be will have disorientation effects on a user the longer you use it per single play session, until you can build up more tolerance to the disorientation effects of each person in how the body chemistry reacts to a VR stimulus.
Its akin to sea sickness..many people may get sea sick first time on a boat, but than can build up 👆 tolerance to the effects.

Now those disorientation effects can range from minor to severe depends on each persons ability from their own bodies to be able to build up a tolerance to those effects.

Now by making the games , Rather short bursts at a time about 2 hours or less you limit the single play session disorientation effects to be somewhat limited due in order for VR game design for developers to take into account of such effects on a user of VR so as to keep the game play shorter than extended.

Does that mean players cannot play extended user experiences on VR..no you can play for extended lengths of time, but your own body will tell you if you need to cut ✂ it short for a rest.

Its really. Not a problem with the technology as its more down 👇 to each persons own ability to absorb the disorientation. Effects of using VR.

Often times , the more you use VR, the longer you can use VR for extended times in the future. Now not always, but on average that's been shown by tests to be the case.
Andrew House is being prudent in informing gamers exactly why developers may make games designed as quick pick up and play experience that pretty much relates to game design when making games for a VR environment.

Any and Every VR Headsets will have this problem, because of how body chemistry reacts to VR based on each user..

[Errorist76]

All this is gonna be solved soon. There are things that are work...like having a visual reference point for example, or control the movement by head movement, not a stick. They even develop headphones that have electrodes that trick your brain into believing the body is moving for real. It's gonna be an exciting future!

[REDGUM]

Hi guys & girls. I have a question I was hoping someone could shed some light on.
Can you play a VR game on a normal tv?
By this i mean, say you've put in an hour or so of a VR game with headset, you take a break , come back to your favorite chair pull the leaver to recline & then you realize that you left the headset on the kitchen counter & can't be bothered to grab it. Can you continue with just controler & tv?

Might be a silly question but hey, silly people ask silly questions!

[joeorc]

That's not a silly Question, here is the simple Answer..normally. No you would not be able to do so unless the developer makes a functionality. In the output to not split the output into two image renders one complete render per eye..in other words picture 📷. Each eye getting a full render of the game per eye..thus the image would show the game but it would mirror in each half of your TV 📺 screen..lol

But in the case of PSVR, Sony has that little box that can not only output the game in its native PSVR environment. But you can also see the game on a regular TV 📺. At the same time a spectator's. Mode without being in a VR environment!

So you can play 🎭 those PSVR games just as you would anyother Playstation 4 Game..you just would have to make sure you have the PSVR external box hooked up to your TV 📺 and running.

But yes Sony infact thought of this so you can in fact play PSVR games without using the VR functionality if you want. But you would still need the PSVR hooked up in order to play those VR games, but you would not need to be wearing the headset..the game could be viewed on a regular HDTV 📺. Instead.

[REDGUM]

Cool. Thank you for the info. That is sounding more of a buy now for me. I doubt I'd play many games in VR as I'm not sure its a "me" thing. Still very interested in it though and maybe ill swing around but it's nice to have the choice to play VR or not. Thanks again.

[Goldby]

Depends on the game. There will be VR required aka Batman Arkham VR, VR Worlds. And then there will be VR compatible, GT Sport, Final Fantasy XV, hopefully NMS.

[Davemyrose592]

Very interesting concept, for instance I would not want to play an RPG in vr, however a 10 hour fps in vr I would love, god of war in vr sounds stupid but new call of duty or titanfall sounds epic, I will wait till next Christmas before I hope on vr, to many great console games coming out this fall/winter anyway

[Errorist76]

Fast FPS are most likely not going to happen unless they implement a totally different way of controls. Normal FPS controls simply don't work and just make you sick.

[jcnba28]

Gimmick confirmed.

[vega275]

Wow that's too funny. So people will only get short games. Hope they don't expect to get full price for those games

[Kabaneri]

Since when does Sony speak for the whole VR industry? Lol they havent even released PSVR.

[Errorist76]

They even develop full length games themselves. House just stated his opinion.

[stalepie]

d'oh

[mogwaii]

Its sounding more and more dissapointing, im seriously thinking off cancelling my pre order and waiting to see how this pans out but then again ive never been good at waiting, its a gamble.

[bleedsoe9mm]

man even sony is telling people VR is garbage for games .

[Gamist2dot0]

Yup. I'm gonna look forward to playing Ace Combat 7 and Battlefront X-wing for hours.

[thejigisup]

I can't tell whether he is trying to say that vr is only going to be offered in shorter experiences or that he genuinely believes that shorter is better. Many gamers are looking for something as close to sword art as possible. As much immersion we can get in a fully fleshed out world really is the dream. Give me an action RPG that i can lose myself in for hours.

[Stevonidas]

I JUST NOW tried PlayStation VR at Best Buy and I have to admit I was impressed! I only tried Into the Deep and EVE: Valkyrie but I can definitely see the potential applications in future games if done right. It's definitely not a gimmick, though it remains to be seen how gamers will handle long-term VR sessions. Who knows: VR may change gamers' habits. Either way I'm excited! Wish I'd preordered when I had the chance.

[joeorc]

@TangentialShark

[The budget PSVR will only be capable of short 10-20 minute "experiences" that may be fun for a little while, but won't offer the breadth of content of a AAA game. ]

Stop..just for the love of God..just shut up.
Lmao.

I just , do not get your drive to try to put out misinformation about something you have no real experience with.

And no , that's not what Andrew House is saying.

[Bebedora]

I can agree on this. Make it a sequential ride though. Some segments in between that makes you catch your breath. A puzzle in between. Sorry to say, but I think he is right. Best game I can see in the near future is an exploring game with dips between the action.
Interaction with the environment and such.

[lastking95]

This confirms my opinion as fact now. IT'S A FAD. RIP VR.....again

[TheGreatObserver]

I personally am not interested in VR in the slightest from anyone. I don't likeven the idea of screens hanging inches from my eyeballs. They are the only ones I will ever get so I tend to look after them as much as I can