Over the past few years, something that was seen as a joke, as a flop (Virtual Boy) a mere decade ago has become a very feasible reality. I'm talking about Virtual Reality. When Occulus Rift launched its Kickstarter, it certainly got a lot of attention. However, I can't speak for you, but I doubted it would become anything significant (see: Ouya). But I was wrong. Occulus Rift has not only begun to spread its influence throughout the game industry (snagging id's John Carmack; garnering support from Valve) but other videogame titans like Sony are also putting some skin in the game.
But is VR something that we really need? As we learned with the Wii, playing games in a new way can cause a revolution. But as we learned with the Wii-U, playing games in a new way is sometimes not what the market wants.
The concept has always been a fascinating fixture in pop culture. Whether it's the holodeck in Star Trek or Minority Report's gesture-based interface or Ender's Game's virtual training or Avatar's...well, avatar technology, the notion that we could be experiencing our videogames free of a TV screen and free of a controller has been around since the 8-bit era (see: The PowerGlove; which is so bad). We've had flops (like the SEGA Activator and VirtualBoy) and we've had tech that promised the moon but didn't quite deliver (like...pretty much all of the 7th-gen motion stuff on Wii, 360, and PS3).
However, I think we're missing an aspect of VR that is far more practical than using our fists to virtually pummel our enemies. Me? I'm all about convenience. I have more money than I have time, so when I play videogames, I want it to be as b.s.-free as possible. That being the case, I often find myself playing handheld games. For one, handheld games are often designed with quick play in mind. Second, booting up a handheld game is usually very fast. Heck, if you've put a game to sleep (by closing your 3DS lid or hitting the menu button on your Vita) then getting back into your session is nearly instant.
Lastly, handheld titles (and tablet/smartphone games, for that matter) are YOURS. They are on your screen. You don't have to share the TV. And often, the screen is higher quality than your big TV (dat OLED). You don't have to turn down the volume. That's what a good pair of headphones are for.
Speaking of headphones, I really enjoy playing games with headphones. If I'm playing couch co-op, then obviously I won't. But if it's just me and a session of TxK or Wonderful 101 (bless that Wii-U headphone jack) or whatever, I love to plug in and zone out. And while I love to lay in bed and play a handheld game, it can get awkward: either my arms get tired holding the system above my head, or I have to tilt my chin down to see it, or I have to rest on my elbows, which gets uncomfortable after a while.
And that is why I am excited for VR. Honestly, I don't care about gesture technology or head-tracking or stuff like that. It's cool, sure, but VR doesn't have to incorporate that sort of stuff in order to be valuable. I love the idea of sitting (or laying) down, plugging in, and being drowned in a digital world, with sound swirling all around me. I'd be happy to keep using my controller. That's fine. But in the same way that I like to slide a pair of good headphones over my ears and play a game on my Vita, the ability to play a console quality game with a VR headset is really, really neat.
In time, VR technology will improve, and maybe one day we really will be using gestures instead of a controller. For now, I'm excited for the change to put on a "home theater helmet" and enjoy a videogame with no distractions from the outside world.
How about you? Do you think head-tracking and arm-flailing are the wave of the future? Do you think VR will be yet another expensive flop, or will it be the next step forward in gaming?
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Well the Oculus is in high demand, the Morpheus is practically identical hardware wise, so logically aslong as there are games for it, and it's around the same price as the Oculus ($350) then it should be successful, atleast to the degree of being a respected peripheral.
I'd say yes it has the potential to change gaming and be the next step forward, but only if Sony plays their cards right. Get the device optimised, all flaws gone, market it well, show it at events, have exclusive content for it, make it user-accessible. All the obvious things.
The timing seems perfect, people want new experiences from their next gen consoles, the PS4 is selling well and has a good reputation, and of course the Oculus has stirred the desire for VR.
I love coffee. Like, insanely. Been drinking it since I was six. So when some of my (better off) friends and relations told me about this thing called Keurig, I was intrigued. I heard the admiration in their voices and the semi-orgasmic reactions to drinking the stuff that I'd expect of any coffee-lover who'd found their secret garden.
But I laughed at them for buying a coffeepot that was (in the day) ~$200, moreso when they told me that it came to ~60c/cup for Made-At-Home.
And then I tried a cup, and I was sold. It was nirvana.
Not to leave ya'll with only a parable, the VR situation is similar - heck - no, it's identical. VR will never break out into mainstream until people can effectively TRY it before they buy it, and thusly *see* the light. Otherwise they'll just scoff at the high price and laugh at the zealots who swear by it.
So retailers need to start putting up demo units in their stores and provide easy access to them; all this on a large scale. Else, VR will fail, yet again.
That's really all there is to it.