VR the champions of the world?

[Skybird]

Not sure whether to put this here, in PC subforum, or in other games forum.

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Thought I start this thread as an attractor and centrepoint for comments on VR: your estimations, guesses, wishes, and also your experiences with VR software and games.

I am about to dip my toe into VR space soon. I will use an Oculus due to its price, which is now constantly fixed at 450 Euros including two Rift handles. This is still not cheap, but affordable, at least much more affordable than the HTC Vive costing twice as much, plus periphals needed, maybe. Oculus also is said to have the more immersive controllers, and slightly better visual quality. Currently.

I think VR will not automatically be revolutionizing all and evertyhing, it still could fail (once again), and then come back in 15-20 years and try again. However, the visual quality for the first time ever is such that it could become market penetrating in the long haul for sure. But certain that is still not, imo.

Two arguments against that.

First, the target audience currently are players. And players want quick and fast entertainment. Setting up the neede dhardware and software, often is described by peoppe as anythign but a breeze, its not simply plug and play, but time consuming fine-.tuning, so say quite soem people. Added to this is the complication of having too many standardfs already that only in some parts work with each other but mostkly seem to work not with each other.

This leads to point 2: developing for VR, is complicated and needs quite uge ressources, if you want to do the rela blicbuster games in VR. Bethesda'S success in trying that with fallout and Skyrim VR, needs to be waited for and see in a couple of weeks. Some hope for th eVR killerapp that ius needed to poush the tehcnology, and Bethesda is a heavyweight in business. Which means if they fail to meet sales expectations, and pull out of VR, evberybody will notice - and this could send two torpedoes with extra-huge warheads into the side of this still tiny little merchant floating. Sony has said recently, that they were suroprised by how well their Playstation headsets did sell, over 1.2 million pices so far, but the Vive sold just 400 thousand, and Oculus 250 thousand.

VR could win this battle. But it still is far away from victory. Success is anythign but certain, me thinks. Coudl also be that we weill see two very different stories being written with two different outcomes for PC, and console.

The dizziness many people report after longer sessions in VR, speaks against titles being used in VR that do movement in ways that challenge the brain too much. Quick movement on legs in fluid sequences, like you get with your 2D WASD-Mouse- style of gameplay, may maybe forever suffer form this handicap - if so, this could become a real dealbreaker for VR. Movement via telepprting however is a real immersioj breaker imo, also hampers gameplay and pre3vents certain, more elaborated, tactcial ways of mvojg your avatar in an open world sandbox game or a shooter.

Which means that the use of VR is no automatic option all the way, with all games and genres. I thiunk in some genres it simply does not work well - can never can work well. VRT headsets are no holodecks.

Early this month the news came in that the developer of EVE, the Iceland company CCD, has stopped and completedly withdrawn from VR development, and has laid off over 100 of staff. Their PS title EVE Valkyrie, a major blockbuster format, did not sell enough units for VR, it seems, they seem to think they cannot afford to go on with VR games. That is the first real big player already turning his back on VR again. And the question is how many people are willing to invest even 400-500 coins into a headgear when you can see that most racing fans still use gamepads instead of wheels on playstation racing games. Even ion PC, many play racing games via keyboards, you get asked for that time and again in racing forums (or gamepads). Yijn g players, kids, often cannot afford the costs of expensive FFB wheels (my Fanatec equipment costed almost 900 coins, and I am still on the cheaper side of things, money-wise...) or VR headsets. If companies see no monetarian priofit form investing inot VR, sooner or later their development for VR must and will stall. At least no major budget titles will ebdone then, leaving the field only to cheap and short meals for the little huinger in between. And that is a market that cannot endlessly compensate the player fpor the costs of a headset. Which will bckfire on sales on headsets, if no convincing titles show up. Its a mutually enforcing downward spiral, once it gets this far.

Me, I try VR mostly for right this: racing simulations like Assetto Corsa, one of my two or three dominant playing titles in the past 4 years. VR and racing, that is a natural combination, because you must not walk into the walls of your room or into your bookshelves, since the game environment demands that you sit still in a cockpit and press buttons only occassionally, and then blindly.

However, I can imagine that many other major game genres work not well with VR. Especially the very popular genre of FPS.

I have had a close eye on the offerijhngsw for VR games, and most do not attratc me, seem to be gimmicks and demos only to show some VR stuff, while having the player loosing interest quite soon.

Of the games that work in VR, I already own several, from playing them in 2D:

- Subnautica (I have high hopes for that one)
- Assetto Corsa (said to be a blast and a textbook exmaple for how great VR can work for players)
- Raceroom (I need to see what they mean the experience suffers since graphics are still DX9, Raceroom has the best looking tracks in business),
- Dirt Rally (said to be fantastic, though too brute force for newstarters in VR, causing them to vomit too easily )
- European Truck Simulator 2 (ATS has VR well).

I have set my eyes on

- Skyrim
- Fallout 4
- Sports Bar (for the Billiard and Air Hockey part in it, I love Air Hockey and was a top player in it in real life , and I still play Virtual Pool 4 frequently, its sensationally realistic)
- Lone Echo
- Elite Dangerous
- IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad
- maybe Table Tennis

Further down the list are and not really convinced I am of

- Superhot
- Eagle Flight
- A Dr1ft
- Robo Recall
- The Climb
plus some stuff on the Playstation, but I will not get VR for PS as well, maybe consider these titles if they get transported to other platforms: "Everest" on mind, maybe.

I am also looking forward to Google Earth VR. My other main point of interest, beside racing in VR.

The dominant genre on my list, are racing titles, and this is what I am getting VR for in the main. I expect it to deliver the results I hope for. With other playing genres I have my doubts. And I want to filter out all that demo and gimmick stuff that currently dominates the VR market.

What you think? Have you experiences, tips, opinions, recommendations?

P.S. I just had to swallow. For a moment I imagined to stalk the huge hunting reserves in The Hunter, in 3D. Not planned AFAIK, but still - dreaming is allowed, or not? It would be ideal, due to the slow movement. Slow, gentle movement, or cockpit-bound fast movement is preferred in VR (movement not defined as gesticulating with pistol-holding hands and arms, but as travelling the space between points A and B).