VR gaming with the Vive changed my gaming habits

[VarietyGamer]

I don't want to come across like some HTC shill, so I will leave the in-depth platitudes specific to the headset for another time. I've owned a DK2, and also ordered a rift consumer version.

I want to strike up a conversation about VR in general, VR games, and how epoch defining it is for those among us who have tried it in full-meaning in room-scale-only possible on the vive for the time being. I'm sure there are a couple of threads here somewhere already. Adding another to the chorus.

I'll sum up my platitudes regarding the Vive itself with a short comment; if you have the money and the room-there is no choice to be made. Get it yesterday. Have your mind and body blown (that came out wrong). If not, wait a while. Price will come down, you will find room.

Anyway, about the games. Even a simple wave based tech demo like Space Pirate Trainer is a GENERATION beyond an amazing fps like Doom 2016 (which I put 3 hours into and loved the day it released). Yet I keep coming back to this little VR shooter, sliding, slipping, jumping and diving across the room like a maniac in all directions (I have a 3m x 4m play area) with a smile on my face.

The gameplay and immersion are for the first time completely fused. It is not like the gaming you're used to. It is not merely a different kind of gaming/alternative/side gig. It is gaming as it should be-as it could be for all genres-eventually. As it will be.



Ditto for Audio Shield, another simple concept that makes great use of being IN the game. To 100% Dragonforce's through the fire and flames on very hard for example...would take a few weeks of physical training for the average joe/jane. The skill is no longer just in your fingers/hands.

If you want to talk about hardcore gaming...here it is. For the first time, e-sports becomes physical e-sports. I could see a physical tournament scene developing through VR. From simple bragging rights on global leaderboards to actual scheduled events and prizes. But this does not preclude lighter experiences. Sit-down Space/driving/flight sims are all on another level with a HMD and the peripherals to go with it. RPG's and action adventures/survival (eg Minecraft, Vanishing Realms) are so immersive they are simply much better games in VR. It goes on and on.

I own almost all the VR games worth owning, those on consoles, on PC, etc. I have spent days with the Vive and I feel like that little kid picking up an Atari joystick in the 1980's again.

If you have a passing interest in VR-ask away. I've tried most of the rift and vive demos and games released thus far. I've developed apps on the DK2.

But I'll stress again that it has been stand up room scale VR that keeps rustling my jimmies in a very good-generation defining way. Everybody on earth must try this, it is a game changer (pun intended).

What have been your experiences? /loveaffairwithVR

 

[MysticSlayer]

Right now I'm just curious if this will stick around for the long-haul or continue sounding and looking more and more like motion control all over again.

 

[KaraFang]

My issue with the Vive Vs the Rift is that the V is pushing "room" VR, but when you think about it apart from the non city areas of america, who has the space for a vive?

I live in london, our flat has THREE (count them) THREE rooms: A Bedroom, a Bathroom, a combined living room and Kitchen. It costs us about GBP 1K a month in rent (and it's no way the most expensive in our area, couple came on rent market same size for GBP 1300 a month).

The lounge has our kitchen, sofa, TV, and my PC desk and sofa in it. It is roughly nine metres by six metres. It's TINY! And our flat is often larger than others I have seen.

So, where the hell would I put the vive? Even with its "don't fall over crap" idea, it's big selling point isn't going to be for me or my wife unless we are suddenly lucky and get a bigger house/flat or move out of london (which is unlikely).

So, I kinda understand why the Rift is pushing "seated" gaming... I think they realised that for a LONG LONG time this is going to be how people use VR. And what else are they working with? The guys who do the small "friction" track. That makes more sense (even with the cost) compared to the vive as it's got a way smaller space requirement and also allows almost unlimited walking/running.

I may be wrong, but I just can't see the Vive's "room" idea being practical for a large portion of people WITH the money to buy it: IE rich city peeps... as they often live in posh, but still small, flats.

Anyone elses opinion?

(PS - the cost and space is a real bummer as I would LOVE to try VR. )

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

The gameplay and immersion are for the first time completely fused. It is not like the gaming you're used to. It is not merely a different kind of gaming/alternative/side gig. It is gaming as it should be-as it could be for all genres-eventually. As it will be.

I think they already did that with motion controls.

If you want to talk about hardcore gaming...here it is. For the first time, e-sports becomes physical e-sports. I could see a physical tournament scene developing through VR. From simple bragging rights on global leaderboards to actual scheduled events and prizes. But this does not preclude lighter experiences. Sit-down Space/driving/flight sims are all on another level with a HMD and the peripherals to go with it. RPG's and action adventures/survival (eg Minecraft, Vanishing Realms) are so immersive they are simply much better games in VR. It goes on and on.

No.
bragging rights on global leaderboards : not e-sports.
Sit-down Space : not e-sports.
driving : Maybe e-sports, but not really mainstream.
flight sims : not e-sports.
RPG's and action adventures/survival : not e-sports.

Why is experimental gimmick tech doesn't work as e-sports? Ask why Wii hardcore e-sports scene doesn't exist.

 

[Aeshi]

To quote a random commenter whose name I don't remember, but nevertheless put it far better than I ever could:

There's a reason 99% of the games you see for these things are either Walking Simulators, Amnesia-style horror games that are only one step removed from Walking Simulators or games where you sit in a chair and interact with stuff.

It's because the moment you do anything more involved than walking/looking around you realize that nothing has changed. You're still playing the same old games with the same old control schemes, the only difference is that they've taped the monitor to your face, removed the Right Analog Stick/Mouse and charged you $600 for the privilege.

 

[VarietyGamer]

This is not comparable to flailing wiiimotes around in front of a tv. There is detachment there, here the controllers become your hands or the tools in them, quite convincingly so you don't need to think about the disconnect. And the tracking is 1:1, accurate down to 2mm in the designated 5mx5m space.

As for room, I'm sure there are tens of millions of households worldwide with room. Also it supports sit down VR, it is not limited to room scale. In fact you just waddle on over to your chair and sit down, then fire up Project Cars or Elite.

Oculus emphasizing controller based play with a VR headset is silly, I did that for a year prior with the DK2. Not going back, it is not VR.

Ultimately most games are not walking sims or point and click adventure games, I have not played any on the vive. They are rather involved physical experiences with actual skill based gameplay.

This is not a gimmick, and it is not going away

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I've only used VR a few times and I'm not impressed.

Motion controls didn't impress me either, and they were supposed to help with immersion. I'm still reminded that I had a huge thing on my head and that it's going to be uncomfortable considering I wear glasses. As someone mentioned already in the thread, the games that I've seen thus far I really don't consider e-sports material.

I've seen people use it for non-gaming purposes, mostly educational, and that is really where I see VR going towards.

Also, even if I had $600+ dollars, I'm not spending it on that, nor am I completely convinced that it's here to stay.

I may eat my own words in a few years, but I don't see that happening.

 

[Mcgeezaks]

To quote a random commenter whose name I don't remember, but nevertheless put it far better than I ever could:

There's a reason 99% of the games you see for these things are either Walking Simulators, Amnesia-style horror games that are only one step removed from Walking Simulators or games where you sit in a chair and interact with stuff.

It's because the moment you do anything more involved than walking/looking around you realize that nothing has changed. You're still playing the same old games with the same old control schemes, the only difference is that they've taped the monitor to your face, removed the Right Analog Stick/Mouse and charged you $600 for the privilege.

99% of the games I've seen being played on the Vive have not been Walking Simulators/Amnesia-style horror games so I don't know what the f that person is talking about. That's a very shallow statement and I bet 99% of the people who agrees with it have never tried the HTC Vive.

I too thought VR was just a gimmick until I tried Oculus Rift myself and I was blown away how immersive it was and I've seen plenty of people like me. I'm definitely getting a HTC Vive whenever I can afford one.

 

[Jingle Fett]

@VarietyGamer I just ordered a HTC Vive this past weekend and I'm really excited, can't wait until it arrives.

I've tried several VR demos at industry events like Siggraph and Indiecade and it really is the sort of thing you have to see for yourself to believe. The first time I tried VR was on the Oculus DK1 at Siggraph back in 2013 from a company that specialized in motion capture, and they had a custom setup that allowed for full body movement just like the HTC Vive. This was long before the Vive was even announced and DK1 was relatively new, they must have been one of the first to ever do the full body movement. Simply put, it made HUGE first impression.

They had you in a portal style test chamber warehouse and you could walk around, you could crouch and look at the floor, and so on. It was pretty mind blowing! Then they'd have you walk onto a platform and the floor around it would fall away, so now you were like 20 feet from the floor. Then they'd have you take a step forward and you'd fall to the ground and the screen would go red, Half-Life style. The crazy thing was though, despite the blurry headset, the low res graphics, the effect was so convincing you really did think you were going to fall. The woman that tried the demo after me went absolutely hysterical and simply could not take that step off the platform and they had to cut her demo short. This one demo alone pretty much sold me on VR.

The other demo I tried that blew me away was at Indiecade the next year where I got to try DK2 with the Sixense motion controller (which I believe is similar to the HTC Vive motion controllers). For that one it was a Star Wars demo where you could pick up lightsabers and then the training droid would start flying around shooting blaster shots at you and you had to block the shots. This demo was crazy impressive because of how immersive it was--it wasn't like using the Wii remote or any of those because A) it was perfectly 1:1 and B) because of the 3d effect you have from the VR headset you could also accurately judge how far away the laser bolt was, the exact angle and distance of the lightsaber, and so on. And because the controllers were 1:1, it was like you could see your hands and body in-game so you really felt like you were there. Again graphics were somewhat simple, yet it seriously felt more real and believable than Crysis.
(skip to 2:28 for dual lightsaber action)
Honestly, if simple tech demos like this manage to be that immersive I can only imagine what it will be like when proper full scale games start getting made.

 

[Rattja]

If you have a passing interest in VR-ask away.
What have been your experiences? /loveaffairwithVR

Well my question would be what is your favorite game/games with VR support at the moment?

Got myself a Vive as well and mostly only used it for Elite: Dangerous so far and LOVING it.
I've tried a few demoes and other smaller stuff, and from that I see the point of it being just a gimmick and I sorta thought the same for a moment. However the moment I stepped into my decked out Vulture those thoughts vanished immediately.
The fact that I could not only look around and keep eyecontact with my target, but also get up out of my chair and walk around just blew my mind. Until that moment I had no idea how big the ship actually was, as I got a completely different sense of scale and the room I was supposed to be in.
With the joystick in the exact same place as ingame and all that it is easy to forget that I am actually sitting at home.

I am not too sure about e-sports, but I am sure that it is here to stay, it is so much more than a simple motion controller.

 

[VarietyGamer]

Well my question would be what is your favorite game/games with VR support at the moment?

Got myself a Vive as well and mostly only used it for Elite: Dangerous so far and LOVING it.
I've tried a few demoes and other smaller stuff, and from that I see the point of it being just a gimmick and I sorta thought the same for a moment. However the moment I stepped into my decked out Vulture those thoughts vanished immediately.
The fact that I could not only look around and keep eyecontact with my target, but also get up out of my chair and walk around just blew my mind. Until that moment I had no idea how big the ship actually was, as I got a completely different sense of scale and the room I was supposed to be in.
With the joystick in the exact same place as ingame and all that it is easy to forget that I am actually sitting at home.

I am not too sure about e-sports, but I am sure that it is here to stay, it is so much more than a simple motion controller.

Ah yes getting up and walking around the cockpit in Elite = mind blown. The sense of scale that is almost completely missing on a monitor suddenly dawns on you.

Most of my time thus far has been put into Audio Shield (I do 1-2 hour session every night as a weight loss gig) and Space Pirate trainer. I haven't even touched hover junkers and they say that is the best game out right now on vive. I also love strategy and out of ammo is supposed to be very good. Been spending plenty of time in horseshoes and hand grenades.

I just made two backgrounds for system home screen today, look under nature/game tabs in the backgrounds section for 'Cartoon Forest' and 'Cartoon Desert'. I'm learning controller integration in unreal 4 while dabbling with a cavern crawler in unity as well. (unity is much easier to use, albeit unreal produces much more efficient, smoother visuals, ideal for open environments in VR).

I've tried several VR demos at industry events like Siggraph and Indiecade and it really is the sort of thing you have to see for yourself to believe. The first time I tried VR was on the Oculus DK1 at Siggraph back in 2013 from a company that specialized in motion capture, and they had a custom setup that allowed for full body movement just like the HTC Vive.

I want to try dreadhalls in stand up with motion controls. That was terrifying on DK2. Further sense of presence would completely scare the pants off me.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

I have a friend with a Vive and he loves it. I got to try it out yesterday and I was impressed. Not to the extent that I'm suddenly going to rush out and buy one, but I'll certainly be keeping more of an eye out for how the technology develops.

 

[sanquin]

90% of the games specifically made for VR are nothing more than tech demo's. Short games where you can have a little fun, but basically repeat the same thing over and over again. Until they make games on the scale of at least a good indie game (subnautica for instance) it won't be worth it to me. Especially considering the price of the current VR.

 

[Vigormortis]

I apologize in advance for the long post.

The gameplay and immersion are for the first time completely fused. It is not like the gaming you're used to. It is not merely a different kind of gaming/alternative/side gig. It is gaming as it should be-as it could be for all genres-eventually. As it will be.

Not sure I agree with this, but I do agree that roomscale VR is something so profoundly different that it's an experience that can't be replicated by other gaming methods.

99% of the games I've seen being played on the Vive have not been Walking Simulators/Amnesia-style horror games so I don't know what the f that person is talking about. That's a very shallow statement and I bet 99% of the people who agrees with it have never tried the HTC Vive.

Fucking...this. All of this.

Every single person I've met, of whom at first said the exact same thing about VR and the Vive, did a complete 180 the instant I let them try my Vive. Even those who said, "Yeah, I've tried the Rift and wasn't impressed." were absolutely blown away when they demoed my Vive, including my friend who suffers from motion sickness from the Rift.

And this is the crux of the vast majority of criticisms and complaints about VR, notably the Vive. Most of these people simply haven't tried it. And in that ignorance of what the experience is like, and usually coupled with (though most won't admit) either a fear of change, the future, or jealousy[footnote]I've been amazed at how often this is the case.[/footnote], they proclaim it to be nothing but "The new Wii-mote gimmick".

It's not. It's simply not. There's no comparison. The Wii was a half-assed, cheap, barely-realized input concept that tried tacking on something different onto existing input methods. The Vive's room-scale experience isn't just a "tacked on gimmick", it's a fully realized new paradigm.

Will it be the next 'big' thing? Absolutely. I can't say whether it'll be with the current crop of HMDs, but VR is finally here, and it works.

I was skeptical, like most around here, but then I tried it. I can't wait to see where this goes.

Most of my time thus far has been put into Audio Shield (I do 1-2 hour session every night as a weight loss gig) and Space Pirate trainer. I haven't even touched hover junkers and they say that is the best game out right now on vive. I also love strategy and out of ammo is supposed to be very good. Been spending plenty of time in horseshoes and hand grenades.

You too? I'm surprised just how often I find myself going back to Audio Shield and The Lab, especially Xortex.

I haven't tried Out of Ammo, but I've heard Quar is quite good. A bit short, but an otherwise quality strategy experience.

I just made two backgrounds for system home screen today, look under nature/game tabs in the backgrounds section for 'Cartoon Forest' and 'Cartoon Desert'. I'm learning controller integration in unreal 4 while dabbling with a cavern crawler in unity as well. (unity is much easier to use, albeit unreal produces much more efficient, smoother visuals, ideal for open environments in VR).

I'll have to check those out. Though, I'll openly admit to geeking out when I found the Tron Outlands and Star Trek Holodeck backgrounds...

I want to try dreadhalls in stand up with motion controls. That was terrifying on DK2. Further sense of presence would completely scare the pants off me.

I'm fairly excited to see the sorts of new horror experiences that can be made with the Vive. There's a LOT of potential.

I've only used VR a few times and I'm not impressed.

Mind if I ask which one(s)?

Motion controls didn't impress me either, and they were supposed to help with immersion. I'm still reminded that I had a huge thing on my head and that it's going to be uncomfortable considering I wear glasses.

I wear glasses too but I've yet to have issues with wearing the Vive HMD with them on. :/

As someone mentioned already in the thread, the games that I've seen thus far I really don't consider e-sports material.

To be fair, can you point me to any game released alongside a new console/system that was? At least, one's not based on existing series.

I've seen people use it for non-gaming purposes, mostly educational, and that is really where I see VR going towards.

Why those and not gaming? What makes gaming the sole exception to VR being a quality addition to the experience?

nor am I completely convinced that it's here to stay.

Given the success thus far, what convinces you that it won't?

I may eat my own words in a few years, but I don't see that happening.

I guess we'll see.

snip

HTC and Valve aren't so much 'pushing' roomscale with the Vive as much as they're selling it as one of the Vive's exclusive features that the other HMDs lack.

And as to roomscale, many don't realize the play area scales. You don't have to use an entire room for it to work. You can use a small area, one small enough for you to just stand, even. (there's even "standing" and "seated" settings) The Vive also works wonderfully for seated VR as well. Even better than the Rift, I feel, as the tracking is better.

I get that not everyone has an entire room to devote to VR. I don't either. But that doesn't negate ones ability to use roomscale with the Vive.

Besides, the setup for the system is remarkably fast and easy. I've already taken the entire thing over to the homes of friends and family and used it there. I just mount the base stations on tripods.

 

[shrekfan246]

Great for you, and everyone else who thinks it's so revolutionary.

As for me, as soon as they can figure out how to do games that aren't locked to first-person, I'll start caring.

Funny how whenever the topic of VR comes up, suddenly people conveniently forget all of the vast swathes of genres that rely on the player not being stuffed into the head of an avatar.

EDIT: Also, I'm really glad that VR has given people another thing to get super defensive about whenever they're confronted by people who don't like it as much as they do.

 

[Vinsin]

Great for you, and everyone else who thinks it's so revolutionary.

As for me, as soon as they can figure out how to do games that aren't locked to first-person, I'll start caring.

Funny how whenever the topic of VR comes up, suddenly people conveniently forget all of the vast swathes of genres that rely on the player not being stuffed into the head of an avatar.

http://www.pcgamer.com/edge-of-nowhere-makes-a-convincing-case-for-third-person-vr-games/

http://uploadvr.com/luckys-tale-gold-standard-for-third-person-vr-video-games/

+ Cronos and more to be released.
(Edit: Thank you for reminding me though! I need to reinstall Dragon Age & Mass Effect, VorpX has those running for full VR or I may just run them in Virtual Desktop! VR is honestly not at all tied to first person gameplay anymore than the dev's want it to be.)

- The following is directed at no-one; just a rant/opinion/my experience

Just going to point out that despite everyone's negative opinion of various aspects of the Vive / Oculus I have still found the VIVE an outstanding room experience AND sitting experience, the only "blur" (mentioned in reviews) occurred from when I force my eyes to look fully in one direction (fully left, up, down, right)and even then I can still read text close and often in the distance as well without any issue and avoidable by just doing partial glances / look ahead. (I"m writing from within the vive at the moment xD)

-- in my case, no screen door effect at all and while yes- the resolution leaves a little to be desired, I have enjoyed surfing the web, a couple movies, a dozen 360 videos, used Virtual Desktop to play CSGO (won a competitive match, but I'm not a high rank ;3 Haven't played in a long time), Dishonored (haven't gotten VorpX yet to play it in full VR), Subterrian and others; my entire gaming library is open to being used from the comfort of space, or a dojo, a office or space ship; of course also having played actual room scale games like Job Simulator, The Lab, Portal Stories. If VR shut off today and no further VR games or movies were released, I'd still use it as a monitor replacement. (ordered Headless Ghost to add to my monitors in VR =p)

(Additional Edit) - Something I neglected to mention originally and wanted to add in, I've used the VIVE for VERY extended periods, 4 hour session here, 8 hour session there, even upto 16 hour sessions particularly in Virtual Desktop; aside from going to lunch / dinner. At least when my girlfriend doesn't steal the thing from me. Discomfort for me at least has been a non-factor, it's not heavy, I forget I'm wearing it almost instantly after turning on an immersive game; but even for Virtual Desktop while I notice it, it's no distraction. I could wear the VIVE all day EXCEPT for the room scale games, when you work up a sweat you really end up feeling a serious relief when you take it off .. but that's after basically doing a full body workout for an hour or three and then after a half hour to an hour break I'm eager to dive back in.

All I can 'really' say is use your OWN best judgement, it's worth it - in my opinion, it's going to stick around and be revolutionary, it's a unique experience that I can't even really begin to describe; I've lived hours in space with a floating screen, listening to music, watching movies and gaming,I boot windows to VR, I leave my monitor off 90% of the day and whenever I want I get up and pick up the controllers, and have a blast that equals a workout.

It's no perfect experience, no. As I said before the resolution being higher would make it even more outstanding and some things could be more streamlined for the masses (like the setup); but I'm someone working with a 42" monitor that's been left off since I got the VIVE, with a FX6300 / GTX 960 / 16GB (aka underpowered for VR) and I haven't set it down once; not even a hint of motion sickness. I may be one of the 'few' .. but I truly hope this is the future, because while it may not yet be flawless, it's still utterly breathtaking.

No TLDR, read or don't. No fanboy either, I don't care if your oculus or vive, if your waiting on the playstation VR or are just plain against VR, this is my honest opinion and one my girlfriend shares (lost my vive to Tiltbrush for long enough!! -.-) - You don't agree, don't agree. But in my opinion, you may be doing yourself a disservice not to try it.

 

[Vigormortis]

As for me, as soon as they can figure out how to do games that aren't locked to first-person, I'll start caring.

Funny how whenever the topic of VR comes up, suddenly people conveniently forget all of the vast swathes of genres that rely on the player not being stuffed into the head of an avatar.

Define "first person". Because, from your perspective, you're still in 'first person' when you're staring at a screen.

Or do you mean, "As soon as they figure out how to do games that aren't first person shooters." In which case:

Quar
Final Approach
Modbox
Tiltbrush
Fantastic Contraption
Audio Shield
Cloudlands Golf
The Gallery
Distance
Holoball
etc
etc


I mean, I guess I just don't get this mind set. When you sit at a computer screen, you're viewing the gameplay in first person. You can still create similar gaming experiences in VR, including but not limited to, Strategy games, RPGs, racing games, sports game, etc. The point is, VR (specifically roomscale VR) offers an entirely new way to view and interact with those experiences.

It doesn't mean it will replace classic gaming experiences on external screens. I don't understand why the naysayers seem to think this has to be the case or else VR has to fail. "I don't personally like this thing, therefore it should go away so no one else can enjoy it." It's such a strange and ultimately selfish mindset.

EDIT: Also, I'm really glad that VR has given people another thing to get super defensive about whenever they're confronted by people who don't like it as much as they do.

Is it really surprising when so many around them keep telling them that VR is doomed to fail? With their reasoning being, "I don't like it or want it." Or telling them they're simply trying to rationalize their $600+ purchase whenever they try to talk about their positive experiences with VR?

I haven't met a single VR user who insists that everyone HAS to like VR. But I have met an extraordinary amount of naysayers who say VR users are 'faking it' and deserve to have VR fail.

I don't get it.

 

[shrekfan246]

Great for you, and everyone else who thinks it's so revolutionary.

As for me, as soon as they can figure out how to do games that aren't locked to first-person, I'll start caring.

Funny how whenever the topic of VR comes up, suddenly people conveniently forget all of the vast swathes of genres that rely on the player not being stuffed into the head of an avatar.

http://www.pcgamer.com/edge-of-nowhere-makes-a-convincing-case-for-third-person-vr-games/

http://uploadvr.com/luckys-tale-gold-standard-for-third-person-vr-video-games/

Good, hopefully they hold up as full games too instead of just short tech demos.

If I can play things like Grim Dawn, The Witcher 3, Freedom Planet, XCOM, GalCiv III, Final Fantasy, etc. in VR, then I'll be satisfied. Probably not satisfied enough to spend two-thirds the total cost of my new PC on a headset, but satisfied enough that I might look into it a few years down the line.

I mean, I guess I just don't get this mind set. When you sit at a computer screen, you're viewing the gameplay in first person. You can still create similar gaming experiences in VR, including but not limited to, Strategy games, RPGs, racing games, sports game, etc. The point is, VR (specifically roomscale VR) offers an entirely new way to view and interact with those experiences.

See above. I literally have never heard of a single game you listed, and all of the VR games I have seen are ones that are in first-person (as in, you are viewing through the eyes of the player, or rather how "first-person games" are classified in the first place; if you try to claim that you play XCOM from a first-person perspective, we're going to have a problem), and everything I've heard out of people who've tried VR gives the impression that games which take control away from the player cause issues even potentially leading to things like nausea, so forgive me for being a bit skeptical that the roughly 80% of games I play that aren't played from a first-person perspective wouldn't be readily available in VR.

Is it really surprising when so many around them keep telling them that VR is doomed to fail? With their reasoning being, "I don't like it or want it." Or telling them they're simply trying to rationalize their $600+ purchase whenever they try to talk about their positive experiences with VR?

I haven't met a single VR user who insists that everyone HAS to like VR. But I have met an extraordinary amount of naysayers who say VR users are 'faking it' and deserve to have VR fail.

Immediately jumping on everyone who says they're not impressed kind of smacks like you're trying to get everyone else to like VR. Particularly when we're not saying VR deserves to fail, just that it has failed to grab our attention in any significant way thus far.

I don't get it.

I don't get why people feel the need to ardently defend something from people who express their distaste for it. It's almost like the gaming community never actually grew out of the console wars mindset or something.

 

[Vinsin]

Good, hopefully they hold up as full games too instead of just short tech demos.

If I can play things like Grim Dawn, The Witcher 3, Freedom Planet, XCOM, GalCiv III, Final Fantasy, etc. in VR, then I'll be satisfied. Probably not satisfied enough to spend two-thirds the total cost of my new PC on a headset, but satisfied enough that I might look into it a few years down the line.

I'm going to hope I snipped that right. But either way, for what it's worth you already can. Vorpix makes it possible to play the Witcher 3, Mass Effect series, dragon age series in VR, Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 4 & 3 .. at least.. I can't recall the other titles and there are a ton more, and plenty more coming after that; it's not refined yet - but it clearly will be and has been progressing rapidly. Either way though, there is also just the comfort and epicness of playing your entire gaming library in Virtual Desktop which for me has been a blast.

I mean, I can look to my left right now and stare off into a purple nebula, hit post, open up steam and launch any game I own and play on a giant floating monitor right now and it looks stunning. I mean I could just boil it all down to "I'm writing to you from space or at least it looks like it!" and that should say how much of a game changer it is. Oh look! I'm now writing to you from a dark candle lit church.. -- and now writing this from the comfort of a home theater. It is what it is though, if it doesn't strike your fancy it doesn't - So don't consider this 'defending' VR, much like I wouldn't consider the posts behind yours 'defending' it, it doesn't need defense, just informative people sharing their experiences and what it can do, and likely will do. Even in it's current state, it's amazing enough to stand on it's own, soon as (most people) try it, they end up falling in love with it.

 

[shrekfan246]

Good, hopefully they hold up as full games too instead of just short tech demos.

If I can play things like Grim Dawn, The Witcher 3, Freedom Planet, XCOM, GalCiv III, Final Fantasy, etc. in VR, then I'll be satisfied. Probably not satisfied enough to spend two-thirds the total cost of my new PC on a headset, but satisfied enough that I might look into it a few years down the line.

I'm going to hope I snipped that right. But either way, for what it's worth you already can. Vorpix makes it possible to play the Witcher 3, Mass Effect series, dragon age series in VR, Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 4 & 3 .. at least.. I can't recall the other titles and there are a ton more, and plenty more coming after that; it's not refined yet - but it clearly will be and has been progressing rapidly. Either way though, there is also just the comfort and epicness of playing your entire gaming library in Virtual Desktop which for me has been a blast.

I mean, I can look to my left right now and stare off into a purple nebula, hit post, open up steam and launch any game I own and play on a giant floating monitor right now and it looks stunning. I mean I could just boil it all down to "I'm writing to you from space or at least it looks like it!" and that should say how much of a game changer it is. Oh look! I'm now writing to you from a dark candle lit church.. -- and now writing this from the comfort of a home theater. It is what it is though, if it doesn't strike your fancy it doesn't - So don't consider this 'defending' VR, much like I wouldn't consider the posts behind yours 'defending' it, it doesn't need defense, just informative people sharing their experiences and what it can do, and likely will do. Even in it's current state, it's amazing enough to stand on it's own, soon as (most people) try it, they end up falling in love with it.

I'm probably not the target demographic for VR anyway, as my plans for the foreseeable future involve likely living with another person in a single room and spending most of my time either studying or working and also being incredibly poor/in debt.

It's not that I don't think it's a cool idea, it's just that every time I see it come up in conversation it seems to have the same tenor that discussing digital downloading does, holding the implication that whatever came before has now outlived its usefulness and should be forever abandoned. Maybe that's not what most people think, but the way that it's talked about makes it feel that way.