Vr is it a fad?

[PiKe]

Definitely not a fad, it has a long way to go before it matures though.

 

[Rroff]

It’s pretty amazing when the software is good. My only experience of VR is in Japan, driving Mario Kart in VR is insane, especially when you are actually sitting in a pedal and wheel set up that the chair vibrates. It is ridiculous.

The problem is the amount of gear to get you there.

Driving games are the only area gaming wise really where it feels close to how it needs to be to really take off overall in gaming - as above replicating that on foot, etc. is a long way off.

 

[KraniX]

I enjoyed VR on the PlayStation but sold my set-up as just wasn't using it enough due to the faff of setting it up as I couldn't leave it plugged in in my lounge due to small kids with grubby fingers and a wife who doesn't want 8 feet of cabling hanging about. Oh and the move controllers were a bit rubbish too.

I'd definitely be interested in purchasing VR again though if Sony were able to make the headset wireless, improve the resolution and make it a bit cheaper (none of which seem likely in the near future).

 

[BowdonUK]

Yeah AR seems a lot more useful than VR to me.

Ok my dumb question, what is AR ?

 

[Raymond Lin]

Ok my dumb question, what is AR ?

Augmented reality.

Like Pokemon Go or the Microsoft glasses thing.

 

[mid_gen]

I don't think VR gaming has a mainstream future, it's too uncomfortable sensory-wise. I don't get motion sickness, but I do feel a bit...weird, not in a good way, for 20 minutes or so after a VR session.

The mainstream future will be portable standalone headsets. Something you can stick on when you're on your train commute, on the sofa or whatever and passively consume VR media. Transported to amazing places to watch concerts, 3D films, live stream from the ISS and other cool stuff (porn obviously).

 

[VincentHanna]

Eye tracking should help solve that, as it will feel more natural.

 

[mid_gen]

I'm fine when in the game, teleporting around, even normal cursor driven movement I'm ok with. It's when I get out of VR and I can't just teleport around my senses feel confused and balance is off for a while until they re-adjust to normality.

 

[redrooster303]

The mainstream future will be portable standalone headsets. Something you can stick on when you're on your train commute, on the sofa or whatever and passively consume VR media. Transported to amazing places to watch concerts, 3D films, live stream from the ISS and other cool stuff (porn obviously).

You wanna be careful though, probably get a few funny looks knocking one out on the train ride to work.


I think I'm going to wait until Sonys next gen and try VR, seems a bit late buying one now.

 

[Born2BSlow]

It’s a very natural fit for use with “cockpit” games, driving, flying etc. If you are already a racing game nut like me, the level of immersion is amazing, best upgrade ever for me. Not everyone gets on with it though, so as sim racing is a gaming niche anyway I wouldn’t call it mainstream. When they nail the movement issues and improve the visuals it might take off more. I hope so, that would mean more chance of better and cheaper headsets.

 

[Slam62]

VR is a game changer, yeah it could be better, but it's early days, multiplayer, social media, working.
VR is where it's going.

Yeah we need smaller lighter headsets and higher resolution, but that's all doable.
Even my rift is a cinch to open the box plug in and go.
The sensors are small, the controllers work brilliantly in games designed for them.

 

[Spook187]

Resolution needs to be pushed up, I just hope the console versions of VR will not hold back the real better versions like they have done with games.

 

[The Running Man]

Why would I want to wear a headset for VR?

The basic underpinnings of it are based upon outdated mechanics.

When I can go into a room with projected 360 degree VR and not be bound by cables, resolution, uncomfortable headsets etc and we have 'holo decks' then VR will be a thing

 

[Hotwired]

The nature of human sight poses a difficult problem. The centre field of vision has very high definition but relatively low refresh at 24Hz the peripheral view has very high rates of refresh and is very motion sensitive but low definition. The eye can move in the socket so eye tracking is a difficult task but essential to be able to resolve the two competing requirements of centre field and peripheral vision. At present VR headsets can't track the eye so large areas need to be highly rendered but that can't accommodate the speed of response the periphery is used to so getting immersion is a non-trivial task. They will undoubtedly crack it, but seems a bit niche at the moment.

I recall a demo a long time ago which demonstrated a failure of eyesight and possibly memory.

It was specifically to track your eyes looking at a screen and the goal for the viewer was to try and notice the program adding and removing objects.

Believe the point being to prove that you were never really aware of all the details at once even when it was obviously in front of you. The program could detect you focusing on different areas and would take advantage of it to fiddle with the zones you were not focusing on.

All that's needed is a huge amount of effort and expense to glue all these things together.

 

[FoxEye]

VR is a game changer, yeah it could be better, but it's early days, multiplayer, social media, working.
VR is where it's going.

VR is where what's going? Many types of games just aren't suitable for VR.

VR is a niche atm, and will likely always be a niche. It's not going to take over from non-VR games, in our lifetimes at least.

 

[Andrew_McP]

VR is truly amazing. And a faff. Amazing v faff is rarely a fair fight; ask 3D.

I keep my Rift for Google Earth VR, which still blows my tiny mind every time I use it. And if I ever take up flight or racing sims again seriously it will be in VR, not with 3 screens. But I put my purchase in the same bracket as a holiday. The experience was genuinely worth it, but for general gaming I prefer my cosy, convenient, rarely disorientating, 2D home.

 

[Slam62]

VR is where what's going? Many types of games just aren't suitable for VR.

VR is a niche atm, and will likely always be a niche. It's not going to take over from non-VR games, in our lifetimes at least.

Blimey you're up early.

I don't think we can safely predict what will happen over the next 10 years let alone a lifetime , except it will be different.
VR is going to have a big uptake in industries of many sorts, meetings in vr may not seem the most exciting things, but will develope the technology.
Office buidings will eventually become a thing of the past. In fact they aren't really needed now, saving companies millions if they only had the imagination.

 

[sneakysnail]

Blimey you're up early.

I don't think we can safely predict what will happen over the next 10 years let alone a lifetime , except it will be different.
VR is going to have a big uptake in industries of many sorts, meetings in vr may not seem the most exciting things, but will develope the technology.
Office buidings will eventually become a thing of the past. In fact they aren't really needed now, saving companies millions if they only had the imagination.

Lol at all the stuff about business and offices. We have video conferencing now but most people still prefer conference calls or physical meetings. Who's going to want to faff with vr meetings? Hassle and way to much barrier of entry. What happens when 1 of the 15 people for the meeting isn't in the office or with a powerful enough pc/ doesn't have his head gear etc? They revert back to conference call etc. The statement "keep it simple stupid" comes to mind.

Where to start with the office bit? Productivity? Security? Managing? Offices will never go away. Some roles can be done from home but you always need a HUB.

 

[Slam62]

Lol at all the stuff about business and offices. We have video conferencing now but most people still prefer conference calls or physical meetings. Who's going to want to faff with vr meetings? Hassle and way to much barrier of entry. What happens when 1 of the 15 people for the meeting isn't in the office or with a powerful enough pc/ doesn't have his head gear etc? They revert back to conference call etc. The statement "keep it simple stupid" comes to mind.

Where to start with the office bit? Productivity? Security? Managing? Offices will never go away. Some roles can be done from home but you always need a HUB.

lol, indeed, reduced car journeys, lower congestion, less polution, no offices to maintain. Security is really not a problem, laptops even tablets or phones get more powerful every year. Crikey, secure vr using a phone is easy now.
The cost savings would be billions, service industries that need secure connections operate all over the world.
Webex is used by millions, can't you see it's a small step from that to vr. Virtual assemblies, models, reports, all fit in the vr environment.
Heck no more faffing to book a conference room, just create one out of thin air, no need to maintain facilities like screens and phones, they all just appear in vr.
A highly skilled technical team could be spread all over the world and yet co-locate.

Even customer support would benefit, vr call centre would be a game changer.

In all honesty, the potential is only limited by your imagination.

Video conferencing is cumbersome, needs a bespoke facility and at least two groups of people in the same place, so you still need an office and transportation with all the overheads and costs that those entail.

Mind you video conferencing with Skype is used a bit.

 

[FoxEye]

lol, indeed, reduced car journeys, lower congestion, less polution, no offices to maintain. Security is really not a problem, laptops even tablets or phones get more powerful every year. Crikey, secure vr using a phone is easy now.
The cost savings would be billions, service industries that need secure connections operate all over the world.
Webex is used by millions, can't you see it's a small step from that to vr. Virtual assemblies, models, reports, all fit in the vr environment.
Heck no more faffing to book a conference room, just create one out of thin air, no need to maintain facilities like screens and phones, they all just appear in vr.
A highly skilled technical team could be spread all over the world and yet co-locate.

Even customer support would benefit, vr call centre would be a game changer.

In all honesty, the potential is only limited by your imagination.

Video conferencing is cumbersome, needs a bespoke facility and at least two groups of people in the same place, so you still need an office and transportation with all the overheads and costs that those entail.

Mind you video conferencing with Skype is used a bit.

I'm afraid that VR conferencing is a horrendous idea.

Video conferencing lets you see people's faces and physical gestures. VR conferencing would require that attendants wear full-body motion capture suits, or that some kind of camera scans their movements and translates them into an "avatar" in the VR world.

It's absurd. Why would you need VR conferencing? Why would you need VR for most business functions?

What does VR give you in the business space that existing non-VR collaboration tools don't?

Tbh I think most businesses would prefer to get work done than faff around in virtual worlds for no discernible business benefit.

All the things you listed as benefits for VR are in fact available already for home workers. Home working does not need VR, and in fact VR doesn't really have a compelling business case when we are already able to collaborate away from the office with ease.

e: Just thinking about it, it's going to be pretty hard to scan people's facial expressions when most of their face is covered with a VR headset. Which means that your VR "avatar" is going to be pretty expressionless.

Meaning that moving to VR actually makes communication more difficult. Since you know a lot of human communication is non-verbal.