Will Sony and Meta Make VR and AR Mainstream? Microsoft Downsizing Their Mixed Reality Efforts

[MeachTheMonster]

Except you don't have to do this at all.
Some of the best games that I've mentioned ad naseum can be played entirely sitting down on your couch.
The immersion comes from the overall sense of scale and the ability to look up down left and right.
I'm not arguing/betting that VR is going to be a big commercial success.
I've really only argued against what I consider to be invalid critiques that typically come from an audience of people that haven't experienced it themselves and often times just flat out dismiss it for random reasons.

It’s still a cumbersome thing that shuts you off from the outside world. Makes some people sick, and only really works for a certain style of game.

I played a arcade VR game where you got to run around with a group of people and shoot zombies. That was fun and I’d go back to do that. But i wouldn’t want to or even have the ability to set something up like that at home.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

It’s still a cumbersome thing that shuts you off from the outside world. Makes some people sick, and only really works for a certain style of game.

I played a arcade VR game where you got to run around with a group of people and shoot zombies. That was fun and I’d go back to do that. But i wouldn’t want to or even have the ability to set something up like that at home.

It shutting you out from the outside world is true, and is a key part of the experience.
If I recall correctly, PSVR2 has a function that lets you see the environment around you without taking off the headset so you aren't running in to things and can easily grab your controller, phone, etc.

As for the physical space, like I said, most of these games can be played sitting down just like you traditionally would. The selling point is the immersion with the sense of scale and the head tracking. Even the games that lend themselves to standing can be played entirely sitting down. I remember playing RE7 standing and sitting depending the mood I was in and it didn't take away from the experience at all.

I wish it would catch on mainstream because it IS the next level of gaming. It's just too expensive and lowering the cost is going to take a massive financial sacrifice for which ever dev decides to take that battle on. The technology is amazing and the games deserve to be experienced. As a converted fan, I think the price is well worth it; but that's because I've used it and played all of the best games. If you haven't used it, it's impossible to understand or appreciate the experience and makes the price point laughable.

I don't agree with the narrative I see sometimes that VR is "just a gimmick". It's literally game changing in a way that is completely impossible in any other format. These new consoles can only give you marginally better graphics and frame rates. VR puts you IN the actual game. There isn't anything else pushing the genre forward from an experience standpoint like that.

Again....I'm not saying it's going to be mainstream. The financials just don't work in its favor.

 

[Bathing Ape]

Why would Microsoft give a fukk about VR when they are making millions of not billions just off the military contract with halolens

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

they are making millions of not billions just off the military contract with halolens

About that

 

[GoldenGlove]

Yeah they need to lean into the social aspect heavy for VR to take off, otherwise it'll just be another console for niche experiences.



Honestly I wouldnt mind regular games on VR with traditional controls, except you use the helmet to move the camera around (I'm picturing a regular third-person game). Idk why they dont just keep it simple like that, because a lot of the shyt where you're climbing and whatever is just gimmicky and lacks replay value.

And yeah Meta fukked up by not caring about the actual fidelity of their experiences, which Sony is obviously going to try to capitalize on with their specs of their machine. But Sony seems to be fukking up by chasing these gimmicky experiences too - like the Horizon VR game for example.

I really think Fortnite and GTA Online are perfect because these are proven products, so you have the familiarity, and they're casual enough + provide a social element to get a lot of people onboard to play these games from a different perspective.

It all comes down to what types of experiences they develop for this, and whether they can be enticing enough for people to get on board. And right now, there isn't anything that looks great (outside GT7 / sim racing games, but thats just me).

I can see GTA being a system/platform seller for this. I don't know about Fortnite. That's a real competitive game, and unless the addition of VR gives players an advantage the performance hit due to learning curve isn't going to be worth it for most IMO.

Like pad players vs joy-stick. There's an argument for both play styles, but for as long as people have been playing Fortnite, outside of the immersion effect, not sure if VR would move people for that game. I could be wrong tho.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Why would Microsoft give a fukk about VR when they are making millions of not billions just off the military contract with halolens

From the article breh...

The division has faced numerous setbacks over the past year, with HoloLens boss Alex Kipman leaving the company last year after facing allegations of sexual misconduct. It also doesn’t help that Congress recently denied the US Army’s request to purchase up to 6,900 headsets based on the HoloLens platform.

 

[GoldenGlove]

People always put down VR for AR. Honestly they both will have their pros.

VR feels like you're inside the game/movie
VR you can tour Residential and Commercial Real Estate.
VR you only need a headset and nothing else.

For a large scale AR, you'll probably need multiple projectors, especially if you want to get dropped into a gaming world.

AR implementation can happen on a larger scale with businesses doing that to create a unique experience for customers. I can see that happening first, and then trickling down to consumer level.

Hell, you can spend a lot of money if you're into home theater setups right now. I can see smart homes evolving and AR projecting being a part of that. Pick out your entertainment area and create an AR/mixed reality space. It'll have to be seen on bigger scale and then trimmed down to make sense in reg house holds tho IMO.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Yeah, need something ultra casual to really get people tripping over VR, even a big sports game would maybe change hte tide a bit.

I honestly think a new PS Home is better upsell then a competitive shooter of any kind.

PS Home sounds perfect for VR. I wonder if that's in their future plans to have a social area for it, or if it's too expensive to run/maintain.

Microsoft pulling the plug is an indication that they rather wait and see how things shape out then spend the time and resources trying to make something good in house.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

AR implementation can happen on a larger scale with businesses doing that to create a unique experience for customers. I can see that happening first, and then trickling down to consumer level.

Hell, you can spend a lot of money if you're into home theater setups right now. I can see smart homes evolving and AR projecting being a part of that. Pick out your entertainment area and create an AR/mixed reality space. It'll have to be seen on bigger scale and then trimmed down to make sense in reg house holds tho IMO.

AR has huge potential in the manufacturing world. Imagine walking up to a piece of machinery, throwing on some glasses, and seeing an AR overlay of instructions on how to safely operate the equipment in real time.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

AR implementation can happen on a larger scale with businesses doing that to create a unique experience for customers. I can see that happening first, and then trickling down to consumer level.

Hell, you can spend a lot of money if you're into home theater setups right now. I can see smart homes evolving and AR projecting being a part of that. Pick out your entertainment area and create an AR/mixed reality space. It'll have to be seen on bigger scale and then trimmed down to make sense in reg house holds tho IMO.

For AR to work you'd need a big ass projector though and it's not touch PSVR2 graphics. Do you have a PS5 and OLED TV? If so, you'd know the graphics are very hard to beat. PSVR2 will be on that level. Where will AR be?

 

[VerbalIntercourse]

I worked in finance at one of the major Virtual reality equipment companies. Probably the most prominent one.

I was shocked at how little sales we had monthly. Units sold in the 100s not thousands. One month we only sold 200 units.

We only existed because the parent company subsidized our operations, and the parent company had big plans for this technology. I was also part of budgeting team for those big plans.

I left the company a few years ago, but it’s apparent that their plans never stopped.

My siblings are all working in the games industry (i currently do not), and at the major companies. I get a sense from them that nobody really cares about VR anymore and everyone is divesting. It’s turning out to be a big dud.

It will be a novelty product going forward. I think.

I don’t see AR or VR becoming big at all either at least for enterprise. I had a conversation with the CEO of my company. He just came back from a major industry event. Corporate management, industry-wide, wants more in person interaction. They don’t want remote work anymore, and with a recession coming they they will have the leverage to make that happen.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

I worked in finance at one of the major Virtual reality equipment companies. Probably the most prominent one.

I was shocked at how little sales we had monthly. Units sold in the 100s not thousands. One month we only sold 200 units.

We only existed because the parent company subsidized our operations, and the parent company had big plans for this technology. I was also part of budgeting team for those big plans.

I left the company a few years ago, but it’s apparent that their plans never stopped.

My siblings are all working in the games industry (i currently do not), and at the major companies. I get a sense from them that nobody really cares about VR anymore and everyone is divesting. It’s turning out to be a big dud.

It will be a novelty product going forward. I think.

I don’t see AR or VR becoming big at all either at least for enterprise. I had a conversation with the CEO of my company. He just came back from a major industry event. Corporate management, industry-wide, wants more in person interaction. They don’t want remote work anymore, and with a recession coming they they will have the leverage to make that happen.

Did you really get banned in the last 13 minutes?

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

For AR to work you'd need a big ass projector though and it's not touch PSVR2 graphics. Do you have a PS5 and OLED TV? If so, you'd know the graphics are very hard to beat. PSVR2 will be on that level. Where will AR be?

You don’t need a projector for AR breh?
The 3DS has AR. You would scan the cards and your actual table would become the play surface for the video game. There are different ways to implement AR. There are all kinds of apps that do it on your phone. Pokémon Go, hell, even Snapchat filters are AR.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

will be interested to see what Apple does.


I hope more big companies get into it to make the market viable, Sony and Meta can’t be the only gaming platforms carrying it

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

You don’t need a projector for AR breh?
The 3DS has AR. You would scan the cards and your actual table would become the play surface for the video game. There are different ways to implement AR. There are all kinds of apps that do it on your phone. Pokémon Go, hell, even Snapchat filters are AR.

So how would that work with full blown games? 3DS works because it's a tablet. Sony & Xbox would need tablets and I ain't tryna do that at all. A project actually makes sense because you don't have to hold nothing up.


And I'm willing to bet money the immersion factor is nowhere near VR. I was reading about Skyrim VR and they was explaining how the shyt was so immersive.

AR is NOT touching VR.