Oculus Puts Mac, Linux Development on Hold
- Thread starter Steven Bogos
- Start date
On one hand I think Facebook is probably pushing this to ensure Oculus Rift hits the market while it still matters ensuring market share and domination.
On the other hand it is really a reasonable approach as most users probably use Windows. It makes little sense to risk delay of the project for a minority of users.
On the other hand it is really a reasonable approach as most users probably use Windows. It makes little sense to risk delay of the project for a minority of users.
As far as I'm aware, there's been no official company statement as such[footnote]Beyond an extremely tentative release schedule for the dev edition and the consumer model.[/footnote], but the API for SteamVR and OpenVR, as well as the current SDK, come with native OSX and Linux support.[footnote]It's funny, for some time the OSX build was causing Rift demos to invert all tracking systems.[/footnote] And from what I've read thus far, the Vive was designed around the SteamVR platform.Scars Unseen said:
Now, whether the planned game titles set to release during the Vive's launch window will support OSX and Linux is an entirely different matter....
Seems like a fair analysis, though I would possibly call it into question if Valve doesn't say something a bit more direct on the matter soon. After all, what better timing than after an announcement like this to remind everyone that Valve - and by extension their products - support all three major OS platforms?Vigormortis said:
I guess it doesn't really matter to me either way. I don't and won't own an Apple anything, and Linux is still a long way from being worth switching to for gaming purposes.
With the Vive being HTC's product, they may jump at the opportunity. I'm not sure Valve would do so, though. It's not really their product to push, and they generally don't make such fast-response company announcements. They seem more interested in cultivating a VR-minded dev community with SteamVR and OpenVR, as well as furthering development on Lighthouse. That and 'Valve Time" would require that they make such an announcement no less than five years from now.Scars Unseen said:
Still, don't get me wrong, I'm actually not criticizing Oculus/Facebook's decision to delay OSX and Linux development. From a 'target demographic' stance, it actually makes sense, if the intention is to push the release date up. I'm just convinced that the push is so they can get the Rift to market as close to the Vive's release as possible.
Oculus isn't really sitting in a comfortable position anymore. For over two years they've been in the top spot. The "God King" position. They had all the attention, all the hype, all the praise. They could be as slow, and if I may, complacent, as they wanted. They had no real deadlines beyond vague Kickstarter promises.
But now? They have two serious competitors knocking at the door. (Google Cardboard doesn't really count) HTC will be the first out of the gate, and Sony will be hot on their heels. I feel as though they're now in panic mode, after having been in such a cushy position for so long.
And this isn't even taking into account Microsoft's 'Hololens'.[footnote]Though, I'm exceptionally dubious about Microsoft's claims about the Hololens. I just can't buy that AR tech has come even remotely close to as advanced as they're promising it is.[/footnote]
I agree with pretty much everything you said there, and you're probably right about Valve with their policy on announcing things. I'm not really invested in Oculus itself(didn't Kickstart it or buy into the dev kits), but I am really excited about finally getting to the point where HMDs are viable for gaming.Vigormortis said:
My main complaint at this point is the lack of a common Open standard between VR options. We really need an OpenGL in the VR arena, and until we get one, I feel that having multple VR options is going to be a hindrance to progress rather than a boon. It's going to be like the bad old days where developers had to program versions of their games separately for the 3dfx and Riva cards because the technologies were incompatible.
This may be the case, sadly, but I think initiatives like SteamVR/OpenVR may help. (notably the latter)Scars Unseen said:
http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/30/valve-launches-openvr-dev-kit-for-virtaul-reality-hardware-makers/
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr
Hopefully this effort to keep the tech open-source but collaborative will help mitigate many of the coding issues inherent with disparate hardware architectures.
Ever since development for Outcast 2 was "Momentarily Suspended" for around 2 years before the inevitable cancellation I've always been highly suspicious when development for anything is Paused or similar. The no timeline thing is a worry too, I read that as they'll get back to it when they feel like it, if ever...
It absolutely has changed. Mac gaming has come leaps and bounds in terms of developer support and cross-platform launches. Years ago I would have had to wait a whole 6-8 months after an initial release for a port to come out, but now many games come out on both platforms at launch.CrystalShadow said:
The sad irony is that Apple themselves have made graphics cards less prevalent in their machines, because they're going the way of Dell. When my illustrious Macbook pro finally passes away I'll be making a tough choice between forking out a ridiculous amount for a decent model to keep my current setup working, or jumping ship to Windows and having to reorganise my entire system.