When will we see VR Games go beyond the gimmick phase?

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aozgolo

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With the various VR devices out, I'm starting to see more and more games emerging for the platform, although in honesty all of them seem to be little more than tech demos, barely containing any meaningful content or gameplay. All in all I see them more like "Link's Crossbow Training" was for showcasing Wii controls vs. a full blown Zelda title with a story, interesting gameplay, and well designed world.

I understand in the infancy of such a product you will get a slew of these sort of "look what we can do now" type of showcase games, but I really don't see the point in buying a VR headset or in it becoming adopted by mainstream until we start seeing meaningful game experiences on it. From a developer perspective, I can see why you might be hesitant to sink tons of money into such a product that still only has a limited market, but it seems like without companies willing to invest in the software that supports it, that the hardware will never reach beyond the limited market status.

So my question is, what will it take to get a VR Game of the quality we want? Something that truly qualifies as a game of this generation and not merely an hour or two "experience"?
 

nomotog_v1legacy

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When mech games become cool again? One big problem is that your actually quite limited with what you can do with VR. You don't have the ability to really move around much (living room sizes mixed in with odd controller disconnects) There aren't a ton of game types that translation smoothly into that set up. It will take time to figure things out.

Also there is the penetration issue. It's not on consoles yet, few people own it, you can't risk making a real game for it because who is going to buy it?
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

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I honestly wouldn't hold my breath on it. We've tried VR in the past before, just like we did 3D movies and political correctness. It lasts a few years, then everyone finally admits its absolutely terrible and everything fades for 15 years.
 

Epyc Wynn

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It'll get serious because there's money to be made. But consider the initial games about as serious as the Wii launch titles were. They were okay, but the later stuff like Super Mario Galaxy and uh... well that's the only one I actually liked but that's besides the point. I expect VR will get good games at a pace similar to how the Wii and its motion controls gradually gained better games.
 

Lufia Erim

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Silentpony said:
I honestly wouldn't hold my breath on it. We've tried VR in the past before, just like we did 3D movies and political correctness. It lasts a few years, then everyone finally admits its absolutely terrible and everything fades for 15 years.
Man with that pessimistic attitude, you'd think wed still be playing 2d 8bit games.

OT: give it 2 years. Thats the time it takes for developers to really start knowing what to do with the technology and what people want from it. Just like every console generation beforehand. It took roughly two years for the good games to come out.
 

aozgolo

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Epyc Wyn said:
It'll get serious because there's money to be made. But consider the initial games about as serious as the Wii launch titles were. They were okay, but the later stuff like Super Mario Galaxy and uh... well that's the only one I actually liked but that's besides the point. I expect VR will get good games at a pace similar to how the Wii and its motion controls gradually gained better games.
The only problem there is that Nintendo manufactures hardware AND software, while companies like Valve and Sony do make games, they don't seem as willing to be pushing any major VR releases out to accompany their hardware. It's really in the hands of third party developers to make something of these devices.
 

chadachada123

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nomotog said:
When mech games become cool again? One big problem is that your actually quite limited with what you can do with VR. You don't have the ability to really move around much (living room sizes mixed in with odd controller disconnects) There aren't a ton of game types that translation smoothly into that set up. It will take time to figure things out.

Also there is the penetration issue. It's not on consoles yet, few people own it, you can't risk making a real game for it because who is going to buy it?
I really think that mech games (and other games where you sit in a cockpit) have the most potential for VR, by far. As you mentioned, movement in a 3D space is awkward unless you're subconsciously "rooted", which a cockpit view would be perfect for. That way, pushing forward on a control stick makes your mech move forward, rather than you the player. Much more natural-feeling.

Hell, an idea I've been tinkering with would be sitting in a bunker with eight or so preset positions (next to gunports) that make it so you don't have to constantly turn all the way around or get motion sickness from moving unnaturally.

Edit: Forgot to post that there IS a VR mech demo out already that looks fun as fuck. Just get the devs that worked on MechWarriers to do it, and I could see a real full-fledged 9.5/10 VR game.

 

Nuuu

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EDIT: Turns out Vive IS compatible with regular controllers, I just haven't seen it since its too new for focus to be steered away from its motion controls.

VR will always be a BIT gimmicky since it's such a radically different way to view and play games, but give it time and it will mellow out more.
 

Gamerpalooza

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When human as a whole desire higher standard and will work for them. For VR to get out of the gimmick stage it will require people to be active with the high process of multiple information than what they are used to currently in gaming, imho.

When people want everything easy and mainstream them most you can hope for is the current situation of VR where its nothing more than a panoramic view and the illusion of human immersion.
 

Jingle Fett

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It'll happen once the number of people with VR headsets grows. HTC Vive literally only officially launched this past April and the Oculus Rift in March, before that it was only dev kits intended for developers. Heck if you order an Oculus Rift now, you won't actually get it until August.The other factor is that VR is new and many things that work for traditional games don't work for VR and vice versa. So things are very much in the experimental phase right now, figuring out what works and what doesn't. In other words, give it some time man!

That being said though, I don't think you're giving these "gimmicks" enough credit and I get the vibe you either don't have a VR headset or haven't actually tried these games. The reason I say that is because while most of these "tech demo" games may seem stupid or gimmicky or even boring, you seriously don't get the same experience watching someone play vs actually being there. It's completely different and it changes completely when you're actually experiencing it in VR. Watching a gameplay video of theBlu for example is absolutely NOTHING compared to actually playing it--you watch video footage and it seems simple, maybe even kind of dumb, just looking at fish swim around and stuff. But when you're actually there and walking around the jellyfish and poking the fish, when the controller clicks when you touch something, it really is the sort of thing you can only fully appreciate by actually trying it. Heck, even something as simple as The Lab's balloon gun is crazy fun.
 

Gamerpalooza

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Jingle Fett said:
That being said though, I don't think you're giving these "gimmicks" enough credit
Personally I think we are giving them too much credit.

I'd rather go with the immersive 3 big screen TV panoramic view than VR. It may take up more space but I find that more plausible than the current VR can be pushed too. If anything VR should have been focused on TV/Movies and they should have aimed to get people to immersive with said movies to open a potential lead towards gaming down the line.

Hell I'd even say that at this current state 3D or even hologram can achieve more than VR.
 

FalloutJack

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If it doesn't basically boil down to being like The World from the .hack universe, I don't wanna hear it.
 

Jingle Fett

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Gamerpalooza said:
Jingle Fett said:
That being said though, I don't think you're giving these "gimmicks" enough credit
Personally I think we are giving them too much credit.

I'd rather go with the immersive 3 big screen TV panoramic view than VR. It may take up more space but I find that more plausible than the current VR can be pushed too. If anything VR should have been focused on TV/Movies and they should have aimed to get people to immersive with said movies to open a potential lead towards gaming down the line.

Hell I'd even say that at this current state 3D or even hologram can achieve more than VR.
To each their own of course, but as a recent HTC Vive owner with several of these tech demos, I disagree completely.

I have a 3 screen multi-monitor setup too, and the comparison is laughable at best, the immersion is not even close. VR headsets aren't simply a screen strapped to your head, you're actually viewing everything in 3d and in a multi-monitor setup you simply don't get the same effect.

The other part of it is the fact that in VR you view everything to scale, whereas on a monitor it inevitably gets shrunken down (or blown up if you're on a projector)--seeing everything to scale combined with the 1:1 motion controllers and the ability to walk around and it's just not the same type of experience. If there's one thing the Vive gets right, it's the sensation of really being there.

Also, why settle for a 50 inch TV when you can have your own personal movie theater via Virtual Desktop (and again, when you put the headset on everything is to scale).

@Terminalchaos speaking of Justin Roiland, I love me some Rick and Morty too and there's a VR background of Rick's lab for Virtual Desktop. There's also a Steam Workshop mod that turns the default 3d model of the controllers into Rick's portal gun. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=682769060
 

Gamerpalooza

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Jingle Fett said:
To each their own of course, but as a recent HTC Vive owner with several of these tech demos, I disagree completely.

I have a 3 screen multi-monitor setup too, and the comparison is laughable at best, the immersion is not even close. VR headsets aren't simply a screen strapped to your head, you're actually viewing everything in 3d and in a multi-monitor setup you simply don't get the same effect.

The other part of it is the fact that in VR you view everything to scale, whereas on a monitor it inevitably gets shrunken down (or blown up if you're on a projector)--seeing everything to scale combined with the 1:1 motion controllers and the ability to walk around and it's just not the same type of experience. If there's one thing the Vive gets right, it's the sensation of really being there.

Also, why settle for a 50 inch TV when you can have your own personal movie theater via Virtual Desktop (and again, when you put the headset on everything is to scale).
Indeed to each their own. Yet I house that view and it's a sad one at that because that's all these gimmicks will amount to. They'll never be pushed to their full potential where we as gamers can then actual enjoy because in terms of content "we" the consumers are deemed to disabled and inadequate to meet that challenge.
 

Vigormortis

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Shaun Kennedy said:
So my question is, what will it take to get a VR Game of the quality we want?
Who's we? Based on what you've said thus far I'll ask you to not speak for me, please.

Something that truly qualifies as a game of this generation and not merely an hour or two "experience"?
They already exist?

I've logged more hours in Audio Shield, Final Approach, Quar, The Gallery, and Vanishing Realms than I have almost any other game in months. They very much feel, look, and play like complete "of this generation" games.

Maybe you're thinking of the Rift's limited catalog?

I keep hearing people ask, "But werrs mah VR Witcher?! Werrs mah VR GTA?!" Consumer-grade VR has been on the market for less than two months. TWO MONTHS. And up until now no one's even tried developing a full-fledged game for this sort of VR. Give it a little time. Have a little patience. What's with all the doom-and-gloom already? Jeez.

Is this a side-effect of the "But I want it now!!" culture we live in today?

Nuuu said:
VR will leave the gimmick phase when the VR console is able to leave it.

The problem is that VR only has one kind of controller that is limited in what it can do.
Two things need to happen for VR to become standardized gaming format:
1. A standardized all-purpose controller
2. Time

Okay so it only needs one thing really. VR will unlikely be anything more than a gimmick unless they can allow you to play non-VR focused games. The Wii had motion controls, but it also functioned as a regular controller.

Heck, maybe with a bit of technological finesse you can be able to put one controller down but still see its location in game.
Uh...this is all already the case with the Vive. I never have the controllers in my hands when I first put on the headset. I usually have them sitting somewhere randomly, on the floor, table, etc, and then pick them up once the headset is on. You can see their location within VR. In fact, you can even reskin the in-game models for the Vive controllers.

<.<

I swear, it's like people think the Rift is the ONLY VR device out there...

chadachada123 said:
I really think that mech games (and other games where you sit in a cockpit) have the most potential for VR, by far. As you mentioned, movement in a 3D space is awkward unless you're subconsciously "rooted", which a cockpit view would be perfect for. That way, pushing forward on a control stick makes your mech move forward, rather than you the player. Much more natural-feeling.

Hell, an idea I've been tinkering with would be sitting in a bunker with eight or so preset positions (next to gunports) that make it so you don't have to constantly turn all the way around or get motion sickness from moving unnaturally.

Edit: Forgot to post that there IS a VR mech demo out already that looks fun as fuck. Just get the devs that worked on MechWarriers to do it, and I could see a real full-fledged 9.5/10 VR game.
This had better damn well be compatible with the Vive. If not...fuck 'em!

Also: most of the issues you bring up have already been solved by the Vive's room-scale tracking. Natural movement in the VR space is linked 1-to-1 with your actual, physical movement, so there's no 'sea sickness' effect.

This even applies to experiences where you're in a vehicle and the world moves around you. Hover Junkers is a good example. You're in a hovering skiff that moves around the game world at high speeds. But you, the player, are free to move about the skiff as it travels. The same mechanics could be applied to a mech game.
 

Vigormortis

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Silentpony said:
I honestly wouldn't hold my breath on it. We've tried VR in the past before,
So, because it failed before, it's doomed to fail indefinitely?

Shame technology never advances and improves. Things would get so much better.

then everyone finally admits its absolutely terrible
Except it's not? Have you tried it? Have you tried the Vive, specifically? If not, maybe give it a shot before doom-and-glooming it?

The Rift didn't sell me on VR, but the Vive did. It's that different an experience.

Lufia Erim said:
Man with that pessimistic attitude, you'd think wed still be playing 2d 8bit games.
Ever heard of an indie game? We still do!
Right. We play the new games AND the old games. So why not let the rest of us play VR games AND everything else? What's wrong with giving players more choice in what we play and how we play it?

I really don't understand this prevailing attitude of "if VR exists it must mean the games I know and love will go away! Therefore VR must die!" It's just....a bafflingly absurd idea.
 

ZeD [taken 0]

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Give it a year or two.
It's fairly new, and various devs are still playing with ideas. The potential is great.

I'm still waiting for a dev to manage something like this into their game.

Also, I think VR will become even more a thing when developers include a VR option in their AAA games, rather than making "ShooterVR" or "RacerVR".

RTS games will also be amazing, when they arrive.
Imagine looking down onto a big table with all the units running about. You can bend down and see things on their level.
 

sXeth

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nomotog said:
When mech games become cool again? One big problem is that your actually quite limited with what you can do with VR. You don't have the ability to really move around much (living room sizes mixed in with odd controller disconnects) There aren't a ton of game types that translation smoothly into that set up. It will take time to figure things out.

Also there is the penetration issue. It's not on consoles yet, few people own it, you can't risk making a real game for it because who is going to buy it?
Basically this, Making the tech functional in your basic household environment is gonna be the big hurdle (along with similar lines in cost and wearability). Currently, dropping 700 (average, most are more) on a piece of tech and setting up a "VR playspace" is the sort of thing that falls more into a hardcore hobbyists category then the casual market.

The library is an issue too, but most of your bigger game makers aren't going to jump in the pool with their money until its out of the experimental phase and starts to penetrate markets more.