Will VR Gaming Achieve Mainstream Success?

VR has been a long time coming and now that it's finally here its time to make a few predictions. Will VR win big or fail hard?

[PhoenixUp]

I doubt it. There are too many obstacles for it to be adopted by mainstream developers and consumers

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

I agree.
As I've said before, I believe the current form of VR is, at best, a fad that is only gaining any real popularity via riding off the backs of Sony and their own iteration of the tech, the PSVR, and that it holds better uses outside of home video gaming.
Medical science, rehab for the physically challenged, a part of theme park attractions, movies, and other things like that are all places where the current form of VR would work many more wonders, compared to home console gaming.

The best I can say for it, in its current form, is that it will be a stepping stone towards true VR.
The kind you'd see in The Matrix or Sword Art Online, albeit less invasive and without all the mind-traps and death.XD

[KiwiViper85]

Ye death is a major drawback.

[PS4Gamer1984]

Can we please stop with these stupid VR and Matrix comparisons.. Ok yea, "Now feautring the Matrix VR! Blue pill/red pill sold seperatley." lol come on, lets be real here.

Its almost as stupid as saying "I wont drive a regular car, I will just wait until flying cars come out like in Back To The Future." Get back to reality

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

@PS4G
Why should we?
We're a LOT closer to a flying car AND neural-link VR than you assume.
There is already medical science out there that allows both a blind man to see again via VR tech hooked surgically into his brain, AND headsets that can read the signals in your brainwaves, without invasive procedures, that can then transmit said brainwaves to MOVE A ROBOTIC ARM.
Those are just the first steps; we've come a LONG way towards unlocking and integrating with the potential of the human mind through digital technology.

Within the next 50 to 100 years, that neural link VR shit's happening.

Heck, we may be seeing the fore-runners of it in as little as 20 to 30 years from now, if someone smart enough to make it happen decides to get serious about it.

So enjoy the fad-like VR of the current day while you can, because I'd bet it'll drop from popularity even before the fast-approaching successor of it hits us in the face.

And the only reason we don't have flying cars yet, I assume, is because someone out there realized that humans are enough of a threat to themselves, and others, with GROUNDED cars as it is.
Why multiply the threat a thousand-fold by adding high-altitude drunk driving, followed by terminal velocity crashes from the air, into the mix?XD

[Ding]

..

[_LarZen_]

I belive VR or AR will achieve mainstream success. But it could be years away from now. And most likely it will be the mobile industry that will push it to becoming one.

[KiwiViper85]

I hope not.

Or at least, I hope it doesn't affect traditional console gaming. I'll be gaming on my TV, with a controller in hand for the rest of my life. Don't take that away from me.

[SegaGamer]

I would like both to stick around and i think they easily could.

[cyber_daemonx]

Wonder if you'll be saying that when MS announce vr for scorpio.

[KiwiViper85]

Absolutely, I have zero interest in VR, regardless of console preference.

Gaming as it is, is completely immersive to me, while still being able to see my kids walking into the lounge, or hearing them cry in their beds. Being cut off from reality is not appealing to me in the slightest.

Feel free to bookmark these comments for future reference.

[cyber_daemonx]

Well thats your decision. You ever tried vr? The immersion knocks normal tv gaming into a cocked hat tbh.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

Not everyone who voices concern for a move by Sony is trolling for Microsoft you know.....

[xDealtwithIt]

Because MS is the only other company that has VR coming right cyber? You can now attach any smartphone to a headset and get VR.

And I love the new buzz word "immersion". Let's me know that maybe you are the one who hasn't tried VR.

[Aenea]

I dunno how old you are and how long you will be still able and wanting to game, but am sure that in the next 20 to 40 years tech will be evolved enough that you can play games on VR without any issues. No motion sickness, perfect graphics (nothing holding it back), wireless, nothing heavy (as easy to put on as regular glasses), perfect hand tracking without the need of controllers, etc., etc. It will be in such a way that you would not even notice you would be using a headset except that it has actual 3d with depth perception.

Give it a bunch more years and once science knows how our brains work we might get even better tech.

I find it odd that people do not like that idea at all and are stuck in the way things have always been.

It's also quite a given that at some point in the future we will not even talk anymore about resolutions and fps and such. The limiting factor now is power of the devices running the games and what they are displayed on. It will get to a point where the limiting factor will be time and money that's spend on the game and not the tech limiting it.

[Aenea]

"Being cut off from reality is not appealing to me in the slightest."

Well, PSVR has the sidetone option so the microphone in the VR headset is not cancelling outside noises but actually let's them hear you. You can even change the volume of it. This will make sure you can hear your kids cry.

Also the whole being cut off can be solved as well, when the tech evolves they could create headsets that allow you to have parts of the headset see-through. heck it could even blend reality and VR images partly if you wanted (no, not AR), maybe even use the headset as a more flat screen but still with the 3d effect.

Don't just discount it yet as that you never will use it or that it never will replace gaming on a TV/monitor.

It's what people have said with many tech in the past, people said that sorta thing in the 80s about computers at home, about the Internet but also about mobile phones. It can change in a way you might not yet foresee or become so much easier to use that it totally makes sense suddenly!

[ShadowKnight]

I hope so. I'm having a blast with it.

[bunt-custardly]

Yes it will once the prices come down, the form factor is less obstructive and are like glasses and the visual quality is higher.

[sammarshall102]

No

[kraenk12]

You should have clarified: "No, not before the Scorpio has it"

[sammarshall102]

You must haven't read my older comments where I've said I'm not interested in VR AT ALL

[kraenk12]

It won't replace gaming on a TV but as a fascinating addition I'm sure it has the potential. It even has some of the casual appeal the Wii had imho...I've been reading several stories where parents or even grandparents tried it out and were so fascinated by it, they had to rush out and buy a PSVR & PS4.
It's just very accessible, even to non-gamers.

It's a new medium and even experienced developers need time to adapt and develop new game mechanics.
That's one of the biggest chances of VR imho...finally some new game concepts appear and even old and stale ones suddenly become exciting again!

Still it's going to take some time and things like "VR-arcades" or "The Void" are useful for the public to try it out. Most people who say they don't like or want it simply haven't tried it yet.

BTW in China VR already is mainstream and everywhere...they go crazy for it!

[kevnb]

It's going to take time.

[PS4Gamer1984]

Can anyone think of any other product like the PSVR that has got overwhelming reviews and 90% or more of people that actually try it were blown away by it but that product ended up failing? Not just in gaming but any product in history.

The closest I can think of is the Vita but even that wouldnt qualify because I dont remember people being neccesiarly blown away by it like they are with VR..

I will say this, as someone who has owned VR since launch, if VR dies then I would find a new hobby because I just cant imagine going back to a gaming world with just flat gaming as my options..

[sammarshall102]

Reviews won't help if it doesn't sell well enough

[kraenk12]

It's sold out everywhere...maybe not in the states but it's really to get by one here in Europe. Sony can't keep up with demand at all.

[fllysurfer]

It will eventually but a lot has to change before it does. First of all, the nausea needs to be resolved and not overcome (like it is now). Also things have to be cheaper and simpler, the industry and consumer would benefit from a standard. Having a VR set for each situation where content isnt cross device compatible is a huge turn-off.

[kneon]

You won't get applications working across platforms, VR or not. We don't have it now, VR doesn't change anything there.

[fllysurfer]

right, that´s why Oculus reversed their DRM policies. Also why people are already hacking PSVR to work with Steam.( https://www.reddit.com/r/PS...

[kraenk12]

I've watched countless of videos and most people, even those having bad problems with nausea first, were able to overcome it. You get used to it. Some people may have personal imperfections but that's not the rule.

[DEEBO]

VR is fun and can put the gamer in the game.

There is this game called holoball for psvr,simple game with just basic graphics on the flat TV but in HMD it is were the fun begins.
This is way better then 3d and I agree the motion sickness is something they need to work on but most games gets it right.
But when nightwing is 6 feet tall doing MMA right in front of you it's really hard to not want the next big thing in VR.
Try it 1st before you past judgement.

[Pantz]

Once more try good VR Porn they will see the truth.

[xDealtwithIt]

Not at this moment. Too expensive and the games at this moment are not engaging enough. The wow factor is there but wears off quickly. Give it a year or two, if it lasts.

[SaveFerris]

But it's gonna take money
A whole lot of spending money
It's gonna take plenty of money
To do it right child

It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, um
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right child

[blawren4]

maybe a couple more gens when the tech is wireless. I think mobile...or dare I say, the Switch(or New Switch) that may take this forward. It may not be as high of fidelity, but might be enough to get the job done. They are really the only tech making things wireless and mobile, and power is growing on mobile devices. To me, that is the key to VR's success or failure. If I'm going to have to be in front of my TV, then I'll prefer the TV.