I think this is a 1st step to the next step of gaming. I personally would love to be able to pop into the mmos that I play and be 360 degree immersed in the game. Being able to check the environment around me on my Jedi Knight in Swtor or flying around on my hero in DCUO and actually feel like it is me inside the game. While like some have commented I would not want to have to walk around my home to experience this unable to see with a VR rig on my head I do believe it is a 1st step. Also from what I have read in the article it looks as though for movement of character it would still use a keyboard and mouse interface and only change your view of the game.
I'm a huge fan of VR. I have an Oculus Rift DK1, DK2 and I'm about to get a GearVR.
People on this thread seem to believe it's 3D like you're sticking a '3d' tv to your face. It's not.
When you put it on (and have headphones on) it feels like your inside another world. Think about that, instead of looking at a 2d monitor, you're actually inside your game. You can look around, you can crouch to look at something near the ground, you can look up to see the sky...It has a huge effect on those things feel. If you play half life 2, the first guard you come across seems like a dick, in VR they seem oppressive - they make eye contact, and when they hit you, it feels much more personal.
For social applications like games, VR seems like a no-brainer. In fact, one of the more popular VR games is elite dangerous - a space mmo.
I assume everyone in this thread that is condemning the VR tech and gadgets as uncomfortable, dangerous and "a gimmick" have all worn one of these headsets for half an hour and tried to play some games that had elements suited to VR ?
Or is it a case of "I don't have to actually try it, I just know it's bad" ?
No, VR is not about to take over gaming. Relax, there will still be plenty of games made that don't require you to wear a VR headset. The way some people are reacting is almost like they are afraid of this "new tech"...
Kind of like Intel graphics: sure a bunch of previous iterations have been awful, but don't worry, this next generation is suddenly going to be awesome. At least until people get to try it.
VR devs are going to have to do something really special to replace my ability to see my character. Half the fun is seeing how awesome your avatar looks with all their sweet sweet loot.
This article is an obvious candidate for Betteridge's Law of Headlines: any headline that ends with a question mark can be answered "no".
Even if VR is the future, it's not going to be the near future. Stereoscopic 3D is so much easier to do right with a prerecorded video than a game that has to figure out what is going on around you on the fly. It's not going to catch on in games until after it's ubiquitous in movie theaters.
No ,no ,NO !
The experience of using VR goggles is NOTHING like 3D movies or TV !
VR is not "3D TV that you strap to your face" !
When you're watching a 3D movie, your viewpoint is fixed. You are a passive consumer of what the movie director wants you to see. You have no control over the action or viewing angle whatsoever. If you turn your head away from the screen in any direction, you cannot see the movie any more.
Say you're watching a 3D movie in a theatre. There's a view down a long corridor on the screen. In the movie theatre, if you turn your head around, you see the person sitting behind you. In a VR game where you're looking down a corridor, if you turn your head around, you see the corridor behind your character. You are IN the game world, not looking at it through a window. It changes the experience of playing a game in fundamental ways.
3D TV and movies failed to set the world on fire. Aside from some cheap thrill tactics, stereoscopic vision in movies does not change the experience of watching very much. It adds "depth" to a scene, but it's still exactly the same scene. Your brain already does a very good job of making 2D movies seem quite realistic.
If you can do that with games, then why can't you do the same thing with movies? Games add a bunch of extra complications that make it a lot harder to make things work right with movies. Trying something much harder isn't going to catch on until something much easier is solved.
The only way this will become mainstream is if it is made the size of, and weighs no more than, a pair of glasses. No one is going to want a bulky VR headset on for hours at a time.
Some day we will see implants that directly interface with the brain, then VR may become a real thing.... until then...
Every time some one brings up VR I go why would I want that?
OK the 3D view might be appealing but there are other ways of doing that. But waving my hands around to swing a sword or running on the spot or jumping around the room no thanks. If I want a walk in the park I take ..... a walk in the park. If I want to jump around a bit swinging my arms I go and play tennis. If I want to play a video game, then that happens sitting in my chair in front of the computer.
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I'm a huge fan of VR. I have an Oculus Rift DK1, DK2 and I'm about to get a GearVR.
People on this thread seem to believe it's 3D like you're sticking a '3d' tv to your face. It's not.
When you put it on (and have headphones on) it feels like your inside another world. Think about that, instead of looking at a 2d monitor, you're actually inside your game. You can look around, you can crouch to look at something near the ground, you can look up to see the sky...It has a huge effect on those things feel. If you play half life 2, the first guard you come across seems like a dick, in VR they seem oppressive - they make eye contact, and when they hit you, it feels much more personal.
For social applications like games, VR seems like a no-brainer. In fact, one of the more popular VR games is elite dangerous - a space mmo.
Kind of like Intel graphics: sure a bunch of previous iterations have been awful, but don't worry, this next generation is suddenly going to be awesome. At least until people get to try it.
If you can do that with games, then why can't you do the same thing with movies? Games add a bunch of extra complications that make it a lot harder to make things work right with movies. Trying something much harder isn't going to catch on until something much easier is solved.
The only way this will become mainstream is if it is made the size of, and weighs no more than, a pair of glasses. No one is going to want a bulky VR headset on for hours at a time.
Some day we will see implants that directly interface with the brain, then VR may become a real thing.... until then...
Every time some one brings up VR I go why would I want that?
OK the 3D view might be appealing but there are other ways of doing that. But waving my hands around to swing a sword or running on the spot or jumping around the room no thanks. If I want a walk in the park I take ..... a walk in the park. If I want to jump around a bit swinging my arms I go and play tennis. If I want to play a video game, then that happens sitting in my chair in front of the computer.