No More Tech Demos, Sony's E3 Has to Prove VR Has a Future

Twinfinite writes "The time has come for Sony to prove that PSVR has a future beyond tech demos, and that starts at this year’s E3 press conference."

[skcej]

This. This. This. I absolutely loved Moss, but it came to a close just as it was starting to get interesting. Here's hoping we'll get more substantial experiences announced next week.

[IamTylerDurden1]

I hope we get more big games as well, but the attitude that PSVR is only "tech demos and experiences" is wrong. PSVR has more legitimate games than people realize.

Resident Evil 7
Wipeout
Dirt Rally
Skyrim
Eve Valkyrie
MOSS
Farpoint
Rez Infinite
Driveclub
Rigs
Battlezone
Arizona Sunshine
Robinson
DOOM

Big VR games like games like Golem, London Heist sequel, and Dreams are on the way as well. Fallout and Bioshock are rumored for PSVR also.

[Uken12]

VR is not good, it makes most people sick. It's not there yet. Give it more time. The fact of the matter is, it's a waste of money for most.

[ApocalypseShadow]

The article is overblown. Using the weakest releases to prove a point but leaves out good games and discredits games like moss because of its length.

I can understand wanting bigger games all the time. But you'll just set yourselves up for failure and disappointment.

Big games cost money. Developers need more players to spend that kind of cash. But good games are coming and announced all the time for psvr weekly. Just got to be patient. Calling smaller games and experiences "demos" are a disservice to gaming. Some longer games get boring and just fill space with fetch quests.

I can live with a smaller game as long as it's cheaper and random. That's how I buy games. Playing super hot in endless is never the same, games like pool in sports bar, raw data and the different characters, ongoing voyages in bridge crew, racing in wipeout, etc. Never get bored from random.

Nothing wrong with buying a one and done game like moss. But I can see how it could get boring to gamers who love action all the time. But if you buy random playing games, you'll never get bored. And if they get too easy, play them on hard modes.

But thinking Sony are going to drop VR when VR,AR and MR are entering every market from retail, education,real estate, science, medical, etc.,best believe Sony aren't dropping it. From eyetoy to pseye,to ps move and 3D to VR has been Sony's direction from the beginning. It's not going anywhere. Expect E3 to have even more games coming.

[NecrumOddBoy]

I would love a Moss book2 reveal. The story was really engaging. Proudly platinum'd title

[MLGecko]

Because Moss was a Book 1

[Venoxn4g]

as far as i now (if i am correct) there should be Moss book 2 ..

ontopic.. I have a feeling we should see something cool for PSVR ..plus devs had quite of time to develop something cool.. (still hopeful for Shadow of collosus PSVR patch, Resident evil 8 vr .. I personally would love MGS3: subsistence vr, Resident evil 2 remake vr..even if I know its almost impossible heh).. plus I think that annouced Tetris Effect looks cool from REZ devs..cant wait for more announcements

[maybelovehate]

Superhot and Eleven are the only games that I have really loved as far as VR goes. They really need to solve the locomotion issue before it will ever be a great gaming platform but those two games do so well in the confines they have to work with.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Locomotion was solved with Aim. And has no issue with the DS4. Move could have better locomotion with analog sticks, but I'm part of the group that has no problem teleporting around in some games. It's not a big deal to me.

But if Sony wanted to, all they have to do is make the nav controllers compatible
http://www.itechnews.net/20...
and create an adapter for them to be held with the move controller like playhouse did with dual play for ps move last Gen.
https://youtu.be/hykjEBYzCn...
Video says ps4 and psvr but it was PS3 that was out at the time.

It's entirely possible and the tech and hardware are already on the market sans making and analog adapter for move itself using the other unused port(look at the bottom of your move controller. See it?) They could do that too.

Sony would just have to implement it. And it would be inexpensive to do. Plus, the nav with the D pad could be used as 6 buttons and a trigger. While the current move controller only has 5 face buttons and a trigger. Playhouse's idea would actually work perfectly this Gen for vr.

[maybelovehate]

AIM doesn't solve locomotion, and it is hardly the first gadget in that area. The issue with locomotion is that your body ins't moving by your virtual self is. This not only breaks immersion but it makes people sick. It is the biggest hurdle in VR currently. To keep full immersion you basically have to make stationary games or use teleportation. Neither is ideal for video games, where you want the player to go on adventures and discover/explore.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Farpoint + AIM = locomotion solved.

[DigitalRaptor]

C'mon now. There are more than enough "proper" games to justify the platform, and the investment is increasing.

- WipEout Omega Collection (a full game) was acclaimed as one of the best received VR conversions so far.
- We've just found out that the game of all time (Dreams) is getting VR integration on launch day.
- It's been 3 years since Sony formed Manchester Studio to make VR games, so time is right to announce it.
- Farpoint was well received and Impulse Gear were likely tasked with a sequel which could be announced at E3.
- An upcoming tactical multiplayer shooter, Firewall Zero Hour, that has been getting rave previews.
- London Studio is making a full blown sequel to an actual tech demo they made and it's called Blood & Truth.
- PSVR horror game "The Persistence" made by ex-Studio Liverpool devs is coming out in July.
- Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner - MARS is getting a remaster release later this year.
- Mizuguchi-san just announced a new PSVR game in his style called Tetris Effect - a "proper" game coming soon.
- RE7 and Skyrim were both a success in VR and third-parties likely have more of these in development.

[Nodoze]

What the heck happened to Ace Combat? It fell into a ditch and nothing new has been released about it in some time.It also has a VR mode and I was looking forward to it.

[Blu3_Berry]

Honestly I don't even expect any VR shown off from Sony themselves this year at e3. Seems it hasn't truly taken off yet like Sony was hoping it would.

[Razzer]

VR hasn't taken off in general. You have a good number of enthusiasts out there, but mainstream, not so much.

[Uken12]

It won't take off for a long time. It's not there yet. It made me really sick when I played. It has it's novelty but I would rather wait on it.

[Silly gameAr]

Seems like Sony has to prove something all of the time, even if they have pretty much proved that they're serious about VR. if they don't go above and beyond some peoples expectations, then they're slacking.

[alb1899]

Well.....I think it has a future but the present just makes you wonder what if

[ocelot07]

I think for the PSVR2 Sony should go with the inside out tracking Microsoft do with the Windows Mixed Reality. I loved WMR and has become my go to VR headset. I still like my PSVR and is my go to sitting down VR experience now. As my room is not so big. So when I need to grab stuff off the floor on say Recroom I have no issues doing so on the WMR due to the inside out tracking. But on PSVR I can't reach the floor in games due to the controllers going out of view of the camera.

[Scatpants]

Inside out seems to be lacking for a lot of specific movements in VR like throwing or swinging something. The cameras lose tracking on the backswing and then regain it at the end messing up the swing.

[ocelot07]

An extra few cameras can be added to help I suppose. Or have 1 wireless external sensor to help with the tracking. But I feel the inside out tracking we have now is 90% there my self.

[Orionsangel]

A lot of these gimmicks never get away from tech demos. They're so obsessed with demonstrating what it can do that they forget that they need to make games with good characters, story and that are fun to play. A game should spawn from passion and it just so happens that it uses VR, not let's just make a game to show off VR.

[GrimDragon]

Here's my two cents as to why VR's momentum has been slow and as a result its future in question. Based off my own experience, articles and questions I posed to gamers and non gamers I know. On order of biggest complaints to least:

1: price- for many this is still an issue despite Sony issuing a price drop. Many are still reluctant to pay for the peripheral along with the needed accessories.
2: comfort- many just dont like putting on goggles to play a game. Especially those that just want to power on a console pick up a controller and play. The whole set up process before you can even play vr can be off putting.
3: intimidating- there is a measure of technical know how needed to play vr. Sony is the simplest, with vive being the most complicated and rift just being annoying. Despite sonys effort to simplify its connections it's still frustrating for many users.
4: motion limitations- the whole teleportation or grid movement really takes away from the immersion. But actual movement can make many feel sick. It's a dam if you do dam if you dont situation. This is the biggest problem with vr that wont be fixed no time soon. Some games like farpoint dont have this problem. For this reason most games might seem like tech demos as they choose to stick you in a cockpit or have you stationary with limited movement.
5: visual issues- right now the field of view sucks on all platforms and can feel constricting or even claustrophobic this also takes away from full immersion as the screen edges remind you your wearing goggles. Rift pro is seeking to fix this.

I have more possible reasons but you get the picture. I do believe that despite the growing pains and lack of widespread acceptance VR is here to stay and will only get better in time.
Right now the porn industry absolutely loves VR and is making a killing. If VR is slow on the gaming side it will certainly grow exponentially in the adult entertainment side.
VR has a definite future but like many things it just wont be for everyone.

[crazyCoconuts]

Nice summary. I also think that the fact that our big AAA games that we spend so much time on hardly ever come with VR modes hurts a lot too.

[GrimDragon]

Agreed we need more games like resident evil 7 and farpoint. On steam theres a number of excellent VR games that need more commercial exposure to further push VR to the mainstream. One of them is finally coming to psvr it's called primordial.
A few AAA must have titles would help a lot.

[CrimsonWing69]

Um... I've been playing plenty of things on it that aren't tech demos...

[TardcoreGamer]

VR has a future. Gen 2 will be wireless with eye tracking, foveated rendering and improved haptic force feedback. Its just a couple years out.

[robleroy]

When VR becomes wireless and more user friendly and therfore mainstream for the masses. (You need to mind cables, lights in the background, the cats/dogs not screwing it, be causious with it, etc etc) then we'll see more skyrim, farpoint,resident evil level kind of games coming to it. If even xbox one with its 30 million does not make any large library of noticable exclusives, why expect sony to do more than they are doing now with 3+ milion psvr's. Sony is doing more than the other VR sollutions. there are more PSVR's than all the high level VR competitors combined so no complaining from me. Heavy hitters like Farpoint ,Eve valkery, RE7 and Skryrim in the first period when there were 2 mil psvr's is more than we deserve.

[Scatpants]

PSVR is great. All the talk from people that played 2 games on it for 5 minutes that say it's no good is getting annoying.

[combatcash]

Don't be surprised that's how it is around here, look at the hate Xbox games get on day one from people who saw a YouTube video lol.

[Hardiman]

it is really cool and what Sony has done is pretty remarkable despite what the usual suspects say!

If you want more full on games(which there is quite a few now) then invest in it and spread the word. The more units moved the more devs will take notice.

To me it's just silly to downplay VR because it's viable tech and really fun!

[crazyCoconuts]

I think it's incredible they Sony had the foresight to build motion capability into their controllers day 1 AND make VR work well on base (non-pro) PS4s. Hats off to them

[Hardiman]

Exactly, they've been working on VR since the 90's and what they have done is pretty incredible and innovative! The hate is so pointless to me because this will push gaming forward and that's a positive for everyone!

[Kokyu]

The need more games like RE7

[MorpheusX]

@ZCMILANO

" No More Tech Demos, Sony's E3 Has to Prove VR Has a Future"

Nonsense. VR is an Interactive Entertainment Industry " creation", not pioneered by Sony.

Fellows like John Carmack, & other engineers (ie: Valve ) on the PC Gaming side of things have brought VR in the mainstay.

Sony has spear headed on the console side yes, but you say " Sony has to prove VR has future?"

Please, I don't think so, ..The Interactive Entertainment Industry aka Video Gaming , has to "prove" VR has a future, & invest more in making games beyond Tech Demos.

[Einhander1971]

Most that complain about PSVR haven't probably even tried VR, play Moss, Rez, Rush of blood, resi 7, wipeout then you might realise how incredible it is. Trouble with VR it's a hard sell you can't advertise it, unfortunately you have to experience it for yourself to be a believer.

[BABY-JEDI]

Sony’s First Generation PSVR is amazing 😉 It’s a great start. There’s more than enough fully fledged VR Games. When someone comes out with a generalisation of just tech demos. Get a facking live & wipe that sheat from your mouth bro

[Ulf]

Sony doesn't have to do squat for VR.

They are actually the lowest attach rate VR platform. No one cares if they sell hardware, if they can't move software for it. The PC VR headsets will always lead the charge for software -- even the innumerable mobile device headsets can't compare to the software income on PC. VR will always grow there, and it just won't grow past... other VR uses... on mobile, because battery powered. VR will never want to be on a second rate platform like a console, so Sony just can't win that battle.

Thus, they shouldn't bother.