Oculus Rift Founder, "We See One in Every Home"

[L. Declis]

Yeah, it really won't.

It's a niche product; let's be honest, this is stockholder speak for "Oh, trust me guys, there is major growth in this".

I really don't think you could convince every hardcore gamer to buy one, let alone every gamer, let alone every household. Because like all current virtual reality, it only really engages two senses, sight and sounds. Until you can hit all the senses, your product will be a disappointment.

Not only that, but you need to have such amazing products for it that everyone will see it as ubiquitous; a smartphone combines the daily vital needs of a mobile phone with the convenient needs of a basic computer that easily fits into your pocket and looks good.

At least Google glasses brings some good uses with it through augmented reality, VR isn't nearly advanced enough to bring it's own advantages and beat down AR.

 

[PsychicTaco115]

"We see one in every home"

Is... Is that fucking pun?

Well, that brought any and all interest in buying it down the drain

You know, besides the fact that it has a VERY limited use .-.

 

[Tradjus]

Make it slim, cheap, and give it a lot of software, and maybe you will.
Unfortunately though I personally don't see that becoming a reality for the current generation of VR devices. I do think that the recent advances in the field, many of which were spurred by the Oculus, will lead to that reality within the next couple of decades though.

 

[Saulkar]

I don't recall the escapist being so damn pessimistic about everything. Just most things.

I am quite taken back by all of this negativity as well. I have my concerns about facebook as much as any other privacy savvy person but at the same time we need the Oculus Rift to succeed before the technology can advance in an otherwise niche market. Technology that is developed specifically for virtual peripherals instead of the peripherals cannibalising technology developed in other fields for different products (head tracking and Smartphone screens for example). Without something for the perpetually fledgling industry to iterate off of we will always have a large and clunky FVP.

It reminds me of the people who scoff and spout vitriol at first adopters of any technology. The companies are not going to iterate upon a product if it appears to be not selling for reasons other than it is a flawed product to begin with. At the same time it is sort of a catch-22. Companies deliberately release a buggy product early because they know we will buy it, if we do not buy it, in protest, then they will not fix it and we will all be left with a discontinued line. I wonder what the solution it is besides mainstream personalities reviewing products more harshly (without trying to kill it).

Spoiler: This feels somewhat relevant (Very Loosely)

P.S. Beware of ham

EDIT: Because I have a sinking feeling that someone will passive-aggressively interpret the comment of the Rift needing to succeed as the be-all-end-all of the future of VR: What I meant is that for at least this generation it needs to succeed as such a high profile item flopping will pretty much cripple anyone's enthusiasm for investing in such a device again while the sour taste is left in the public's collective conscious and we will be right back were we started; Ten years from now and with another ad-hock device that needs to carve its niece before it can improve.

 

[Juan Regular]

Strange to see so many people disliking the rift. I've had my DK1 for about a year now and I've used it pretty much every day since then. Playing Elite with the Rift, 7.1 headphones and Voice Attack is one of the most amazing video game experience I've had so far, certainly the most immersive. You'll never get this close to flying an actual spaceship and it's ridiculously awesome in the literal sense of the word.

But selling one to each home? Nah. One in every bachelor home maybe once they release decent porn for it.

 

[Souplex]

I don't think that many people would throw money at a gimmicky peripheral.

 

[Squilookle]

I can see a massive self portrait of me in everyone's home too- doesn't mean it's gonna happen...

 

[Laser Priest]

I still have no idea what the appeal of this little device is. A monstrous little machine stuck to your face so you can have an even more inconvenient way to interact with things?

This is what i get from all the comments, and to you, i say killyourself, Just because you don't have an interest in it doesn't mean you are the intended target.

Telling anyone who dares disagree with you to kill themselves is a bit harsh and also a horrible way to convey a point. Try again.

 

[Panzervaughn]

While you may invision one in every house, Im yet to SEE one in MINE.

GO FASTER.

 

[pearcinator]

Let me try the damn thing before I buy it. I see a lot of potential in it but I need to see what it's like for myself.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

And this will be why the Rift will fail.

Such a shame, if it had remained a niche gaming peripheral then perhaps in the future with advances in technology then it would have reached that lofty goal.

 

[Dragonbums]

I don't recall the escapist being so damn pessimistic about everything. Just most things. I for one wouldn't mind an oculus rift and oculus tread mill, it'd be sweet to walk around the provinces of skyrim, or the capital wasteland, or the mojave. Actually Oculus team, if you could work with Bethesda's game studios, that'd be great. I don't see this having any use in games that aren't really single player open world. First person shooters like CoD or CSS would just be slow response timing and motion sickness.

In the case of the Oculus Rift, it had almost universal support on this forum. (In fact I will say it still does.) Go to any Oculus Rift thread sans the Facebook buyout and a majority of the commenters are praising this thing like the invention of the fucking lightbulb. And don't you DARE be a company that says they aren't interested in it as well.

You'll be swarmed by the Oculus supporters telling you how much of a backwards ape you are that doesn't support what "third parties" want.

I'm actually glad people are being cynical about this for once.

It's Oculus Rift is as big- if not- even more so of a gimmick than Wii motion controls. The only thing separating the two is that one of them is supported by the gaming community. That's it.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

"We See One in Every Home." That's what you tell investors to show them your confidence (even if it's a bluff). Building up the hype even more on this thing before the general public can try it out at demo kiosks in stores or at their buddy's house might be a bad idea. If the first generation isn't up to snuff like what you're saying, people might be put off to even try the one with improvements (exibit A: the Kinect).

The Rift first needs to prove itself with some gamers and tinkerers to get it rolling (Interest in both groups is strong, but is it enough for the Rift to grow?), then to major companies with non game uses (Physical therapy and 3D movies(ughhhhhhhhhhhh) are already being looked into.), then maybe you'll see a good saturation of VR in homes. But, one in every home is like the dorky guy asking the cheerleader to prom, fulling expecting a yes. (She might say yes, but playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded revolver or a pistol and hoping for a misfire has better odds.)

 

[PBMcNair]

I don't recall the escapist being so damn pessimistic about everything. Just most things. I for one wouldn't mind an oculus rift and oculus tread mill, it'd be sweet to walk around the provinces of skyrim, or the capital wasteland, or the mojave. Actually Oculus team, if you could work with Bethesda's game studios, that'd be great. I don't see this having any use in games that aren't really single player open world. First person shooters like CoD or CSS would just be slow response timing and motion sickness.

Well a friend of mine grabbed the Dev kit 1 so I've seen it in action a few times. So far the most popular Oculus games seem to be either artsy "experiences" or games that require limited movment from the player. The problem is, to get a fully immersive experience you need the Oculus, a decent set of headphones and some kind of motion controller(unless it's a flying/driving game, then a joystick or wheel may be better). It gets crazy expensive very quickly. On the other hand, I've taken a brief spin in Elite: Dangerous with all those things, and it was pretty damn cool even with the Dev kit 1's limited performance.

 

[shirkbot]

EDIT: Because I have a sinking feeling that someone will passive-aggressively interpret the comment of the Rift needing to succeed as the be-all-end-all of the future of VR: What I meant is that for at least this generation it needs to succeed as such a high profile item flopping will pretty much cripple anyone's enthusiasm for investing in such a device again while the sour taste is left in the public's collective conscious and we will be right back were we started; Ten years from now and with another ad-hock device that needs to carve its niece before it can improve.

So what do you want people to actually do? Personally, I think you're right that this actually being a "success" (whatever that means anymore) is key for the future of VR development, but I'm not going to pay money for something I don't have any direct interest in. I'm also reasonably sure that many of the cynics you're seeing are of a similar mind. What do you want people like me to do?

 

[immortalfrieza]

Realistically I don't see the Oculus Rift making it out of the gaming community unless the OR can be used for more general applications. If they could just make the OR function basically as a TV and/or computer monitor outside of games and programs specifically designed for it I could see "one in every home" possibly happening, they'd still have to make it smaller and lightweight though.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

It being "A bulky thing to wear on your head", would indeed be the biggest problem. Of course it depends on how impressive the experience is, but it will need to be incredibly damn impressive at a sort of affordable price to get one in every household.

 

[Me55enger]

You see one in every house? I'm looking around my house, I don't see one in my house.

I wanted one for Star citizen, I still want one for Star Citizen. But Zuckerberg is making me thing twice, thrice and more.

And good lucky with that 2015 release, Luckey.

 

[Saulkar]

EDIT: Because I have a sinking feeling that someone will passive-aggressively interpret the comment of the Rift needing to succeed as the be-all-end-all of the future of VR: What I meant is that for at least this generation it needs to succeed as such a high profile item flopping will pretty much cripple anyone's enthusiasm for investing in such a device again while the sour taste is left in the public's collective conscious and we will be right back were we started; Ten years from now and with another ad-hock device that needs to carve its niece before it can improve.

So what do you want people to actually do? Personally, I think you're right that this actually being a "success" (whatever that means anymore) is key for the future of VR development, but I'm not going to pay money for something I don't have any direct interest in. I'm also reasonably sure that many of the cynics you're seeing are of a similar mind. What do you want people like me to do?

I was mostly musing and do not want you to do anything that you do not want to in terms of what you do with your wallet. At the same time, people who are cynical for the sake of being cynical and offer little more than personal contempt as criticism for the existence of the device should really tone it down. Hating on the device simply because it does not appeal to your niche or is not at a level of streamlined usability that fits your personal level of tolerance is just generating bad (false) publicity as well as hesitation via peer-pressure.

If you openly criticise and slam the device for reasons that pertain merely to taste (having to put in effort to configure and wear an extra peripheral or its niche status) and not a valid critique of the shortcoming of the device (high latency causing nausea or an obstructed field of view), separate from your aforementioned opinions of tastes, you selfishly hurt its potential.

In the end for those who do not have the intention of buying it but speak out about it anyways, separate opinion from fact, be constructive, and try to be less vitriolic because the device does not appeal to you. I cannot and will not force anyone to but I ask that they at least try.

I do not know why but my reply is giving off an irate tone. Is it just me? Just to be safe, I was not at any point referring to you or anyone in particular.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that it is not that your opinions do not matter but rather to contextualise them. Is your personal gripe at the device weighing more than half a pound (barring neck injuries) as bad configuring the device to minimise motion sickness in the general population?

 

[Saulkar]

BWAHH!!! Double post, Le Mod? Plz deleet!