2018 Was the Year of VR Headsets - Except it Wasn't, According to Steam Hardware Survey

[Octavean]

I don't really see it as a native spin on the write up.

However, many Steam users may not provide hardware info in the survey unless its compulsory data mining about user hardware. If its elective its hard to say if the numbers are actually accurately represented given the gathering methods.

Also there may be an overall flawed premise being implied. There are many different types of games and gaming platforms / hardware. There are also different types of gamers.

There are gamers that are PC purists and there are console gamers. There are mobile gamers and arcade gamers. And so on,.... (obviously there can be overlap).

There are people that would never consider using / buying something like a Nintendo 3DS and conversely there are people that would never consider spending ~$1000+ USD on a PC for PC gaming.

VR is a subset of the given platform of choice and as such there is no reason to expect numbers to approach or overtake the numbers of a given platform.

How many years has PC gaming been around? How many years has console gaming been around? How about mobile gaming? The PSVR, Oculus Rift and Vive are gen 1 and they are supposed to match or exceed the numbers of well established industries in a couple of years?

That may never happen and VR may be abandoned but if we don't even know what realistic expectations should look like then we probably shouldn't even be asking the question.

 

[xkm1948]

I see many games in the steam VR catalogue. However from what i can see, most of those games have very little substance and longevity. They might be fun for a while but then after you've played it a few times then it gets boring because theres nothing more to the game apart from showing off how great VR can be.

Im talking about BIG games from BIG developers with fully fleshed out campaigns and storylines, voice actors and full on animation.

Doom VFR, Skyrim VR with mods, Fallout4VR, Talos Principle VR. That is just a few.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Doom VFR, Skyrim VR with mods, Fallout4VR, Talos Principle VR. That is just a few.

I guess the price is the barrier to entry then. Ive gone through the top 30 sold VR games on steam and neither of these are on it. Though with bethesda. I doubt anyone is in a hurry to give them money at the moment.

 

[xkm1948]

I guess the price is the barrier to entry then. Ive gone through the top 30 sold VR games on steam and neither of these are on it. Though with bethesda. I doubt anyone is in a hurry to give them money at the moment.

At this point it is exactly like what is shown in that comic: when you don’t like something there is always a reason to dislike it.

TBH i am totally fine with people don’t like VR at all. Your money your choice your opinion.

 

[Vya Domus]

VR hasn't become popular, everyone needs to get over it. Whether it was the eye watering prices, the impracticability, the lack of games, it doesn't matter VR is not here yet. They missed their shot, it's not the first time really.

 

[Fluffmeister]

The joys of Roy Taylor and the gang at AMD increasing the total addressable market with the mighty Polaris, you know because everyone interested in VR will spend big on the headset and gear, but cheap out on their graphics card.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/amd-focusing-on-vr-mid-range-polaris/

 

[Vya Domus]

The joys of Roy Taylor and the gang at AMD increasing the total addressable market with the mighty Polaris

And there you have it people the mandatory AMD related thread crapping from your worst troll.

 

[Fluffmeister]

Either your a quick reader, or you didn't bother to acknowledge what Roy had to say. I suspect it's the later.

 

[moproblems99]

And there you have it people the mandatory AMD related thread crapping from your worst troll.

The best part is that it isn't really related to AMD. Kinda like cousins by marriage.

 

[Fluffmeister]

The best part is that it isn't really related to AMD. Kinda like cousins by marriage.

Well according to Roy Nvidia didn't care, but AMD were committed. Don't shoot the messenger ladies.

 

[Octavean]

The VR pricing assertion is actually a fairly weak argument IMO.

It's like saying computers will never be adopted by the masses because the Intel Core i9 7960X cost nearly ~$2000 USD. While if that were indeed the only Intel process available then there might be something to that assertion but there is an entire lineup of CPU's at much lower prices and other options like AMD.

So the if the HTC VIve Pro is too costly then the Oculus Rift at ~$350 is an option. Then there is the PSVR at ~$200 or so and some WMR HMDs can be had for ~$99 USD. The prices will just keep falling.

 

[Mussels]

I have a VR headest and its not plugged in when im not using it

Hardware survey aint gunna show a lot of them up, because not everyone leaves them plugged in 24/7

 

[Octavean]

I have a VR headest and its not plugged in when im not using it

Hardware survey aint gunna show a lot of them up, because not everyone leaves them plugged in 24/7

Exactly!

same here,....

 

[moproblems99]

Well according to Roy Nvidia didn't care, but AMD were committed. Don't shoot the messenger ladies.

Usually messengers have messages so don't prop yourself up too high now.

 

[Fluffmeister]

Your easily upset, I understand.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I want Crysis and Call of Duty VR...Guitar Hero...games that would be more fun immersive..

 

[moproblems99]

Your easily upset, I understand.

Will you hold me?

 

[cadaveca]

VR doesn't really work in today's market because most software out there that would use VR is focused on multiplayer gaming while VR is more suited to single-player gaming. With people so engrossed with their cellphones, clearly single-player stuff is stupid, and multiplayer is gonna give you the best return on your investment.

So all that VR needs is the right title to make use of it, To bad programmers suck right now and no one has been able to make use of VR in a way that can appeal in such a way that people all buy into it like they do with other things.

 

[Vayra86]

Any time there is an opposite opinion, someone's a hater.

You got the intent of my post perfectly then There's absolutely no need to be jumping to extremes on every subject... there's more in between fanboys and haters in the world, matter of fact, a good 90% is right in between somewhere on most subjects.

At this point it is exactly like what is shown in that comic: when you don’t like something there is always a reason to dislike it.

TBH i am totally fine with people don’t like VR at all. Your money your choice your opinion.

Its not exactly like that though. Good technology sells itself. Look at the Iphone. Look at internet. Look at GPUs. Tablets... the list of successful tech innovations, even if they are completely new, additional devices is endless. And the list of those that completely failed is just as long. VR was launched a few times already, just like cinematic 3D its one of those 'gimmicky' things that will always appeal to a very specific piece of the market. That on its own is dangerous for mass adoption. Now add a higher barrier of entry (needs fat PC specs, needs play room, needs expensive HMD) and the lack of real killer apps (Sorry, but remakes of existing stuff isn't a killer app, its more of what we already know, repackaged for a different device, or put simply, a port) and you have a recipe for failure.

I mean consider this: most people need to make choices with their spendings. Would you rather spend the value of 10 AAA games on a peripheral and have nothing to play on it, or would you rather buy the same 10 games to play them on your existing hardware. That is the choice many people are looking at. This is why the low-cost PSVR has the largest market share. Price is an essential piece of the puzzle here.

VR doesn't really work in today's market because most software out there that would use VR is focused on multiplayer gaming while VR is more suited to single-player gaming. With people so engrossed with their cellphones, clearly single-player stuff is stupid, and multiplayer is gonna give you the best return on your investment.

So all that VR needs is the right title to make use of it, To bad programmers suck right now and no one has been able to make use of VR in a way that can appeal in such a way that people all buy into it like they do with other things.

Spot on. Competitive gaming is out of the question with VR. Immersive singleplayer is where its at. Esports is huge and growing. Again: not a mix that favors VR adoption.

 

[TheDeeGee]

Good it failed.

Give us OLED Monitors without Burn-In.

 

[NC37]

Price is still limiting. Also the fact they are kinda useless outside of software that supports them.

 

[Vario]

Here are a few of the reasons I have not bought into it.
I cannot justify the $200 to $400 on the hardware right now, I have other hobbies and life expenses. I thought about Windows Mixed Reality as a budget option but I am still on 7 and will be moving to 8.1 before I ever go to 10, therefore I am limited to Occulus and Vive which are well outside my budget. I don't want to risk my eyes to staring so closely at a screen and the HMD interface looks very cumbersome to wear. Eventually it might reduce in size and weight and bulkiness as well as cost, at that time maybe I will buy in. The games look little more than tech demos.

I do play VRchat to people watch because it is entertaining, and I guess it would be fun to have more interactivity with the objects in the game but not at that price.

 

[Assimilator]

I tried VR once: Audioshield and The Talos Principle... wasn't impressed at all. The wires and need to remain in the defined play area are a huge immersion-killer, IMO that's far more of a factor than the price. And even once those issues are overcome, there's the simple fact that there are no killer VR apps.

People are always claiming that title X is "The One That Will Sell You On VR", but almost every time I go and look at one of these titles they fail my simple test: "does this game need VR to actually work, or could it work on an ordinary PC?" The answer is almost always "no", and generally when it's "yes", said title is actually just riding on novelty.

Shoehorning VR into an existing game is not gonna sell VR, novelty is not gonna sell VR, simulating walking by clicking to teleport is not gonna sell VR. Until a big-name studio crafts a unique experience that's built for VR from the ground up, that actually makes people rush out to buy VR headsets to play that game, VR is not gonna gain traction.

 

[Octavean]

VR doesn't really work in today's market because most software out there that would use VR is focused on multiplayer gaming while VR is more suited to single-player gaming. With people so engrossed with their cellphones, clearly single-player stuff is stupid, and multiplayer is gonna give you the best return on your investment.

So all that VR needs is the right title to make use of it, To bad programmers suck right now and no one has been able to make use of VR in a way that can appeal in such a way that people all buy into it like they do with other things.

I'm not sure I fully understand what you're saying here. My interpretation is that you're saying that most if not all VR titles are geared towards single player only experiences.

To be honest I haven't really considered that. For me the only thing that maters once you have access to the prerequisite VR hardware and VR software is whether or not the VR title its fun to play.

Echo Arena is a multiplayer VR game that is free and a real blast to play IMO. Its like football in zeroG with unnecessary roughness being mandatory. Most VR headsets have a built in Mic so when you play Echo Arena you're able to communicate with the other players immediately.

Echo Combat is similar but with weapons. I haven't played it yet as it was in development the last I heard.

Space Junkies is a zeroG multiplayer combat game that was in development too. I signed up for the beta but never heard back. It's high on my list of VR games to play either way:

It reminds me a little of the old Quake, Doom and Unreal Tournament days,...

There was another VR combat game that looked a little like Team Fortress 2 but I don't recall the name. I am sure there are more out there. I didn't mention games like Rec Room VR because those don't really interest me.

I also stated that I bought Star Trek Bridge Crew not too long ago with the DLC on sale from Steam. This is a multiplayer co-op game but can also be played single player.

The above games would require some room and movement in a play area. However, I have found that many VR games can easily be played seated on something like a swivel chair.

Edit:

I forgot to mention Firewall Zero Hour. If you like tactical team shooters then this is a really good game. I bought it on sale from Amazon (coupon code during the holidays) for ~$19 USD and downloaded it for the PSVR. This is likely a timed exclusive and should become available for other platforms soon. Despite its flaws it has a level or realism that other games have trouble replicating.

 

[Patriot]

I have a VR headest and its not plugged in when im not using it

Hardware survey aint gunna show a lot of them up, because not everyone leaves them plugged in 24/7

Shit, yeah, double wammy, I mindlessly ok'ed the survey on my 1080ti main rig, vega64 in the VR rig is off till the tree goes down and stops blocking family room space.