Did VR ruin traditional gaming for you?

[SimonSays28]

I have seen some variation on this across many posts since I joined this fine community. The common thread is that once you try VR it is near-impossible to go back to flat screen gaming.

For myself I have not had this issue - I still love my flat screen games and have no problem finding enjoyment in them.

Now I understand if there is a decent/great port of a flat screen game to VR - I for one will never be able to enjoy regular Skyrim again after SkyrimVR. But there are so many good games that aren't ever going to be properly ported to VR that I think it is silly to pass them up if in fact you consider yourself a gamer first.

I am definitely a gamer first - and I find that as much as I like to champion VR to everybody and anybody who will listen, I believe it is an experience that is there to augment my gaming life and not overtake it.

So with that in mind - did VR ruin traditional gaming for you?

[Zenbane]

This is a two-fold answer for me.

In essence, VR has ruined my ability to enjoy traditional gaming in the same way. I beat StarCraft 2 recently, and I went old school with the first Shining Force over the holidays. I enjoyed myself, but I can feel myself losing interest quickly (within the first hour). I typically have to actively and consciously force myself to continue. The main reason I still enjoy traditional gaming is for the simple reason that it doesn't "unplug me" from the outside world. So I can pause it at any time to respond to life around me.

So while I do still enjoy traditional gaming, the enjoyment factor is nowhere near what it used to be. VR gaming is the single-best gaming experience I've had; and it's going strong after 2+ years. Yet I do prefer traditional gaming when I need to remain aware of the world around me.

Some examples of when I'll load up a PC or console game:

• I'm waiting for the rest of the family to get ready (waiting to leave for an outing).
• I've been working for several hours straight and need a quick break.
• Enjoy a gaming session with a family member (my son enjoys watching me play Super Metroid).

There was a time where traditional gaming was a huge addiction for me. Now it's just "a thing to do when I'm not doing the real thing."

[falken76]

VR didn't ruin traditional gaming for me.  Unfortunately I was already done with Traditional gaming.  Video games really held no appeal for me any longer, I just wasn't interested.  VR re-sparked that interest and surprisingly  I'm still into it 2 years later.  I enjoy traditional gaming for nostalgic reasons for the most part.  I can't see myself going out to buy a game that isn't VR though.

[SimonSays28]

I totally understand where you are both coming from - but for me I enjoy the art form of gaming. I mean that isn't to say that I haven't been disappointed with the "consolization / casualization" that came with the introduction of the xbox as gaming became a culturally accepted mainstream of entertainment in the mid-to-late noughties. But overall - the resurgence of the immersive sim over the last few years has more than made up for that for me. With games like Underworld Ascendant, System Shock 3, and possibly a new Alien Isolation on the way there is no way I would miss out on that due to a lack of VR

With VR - I agree that the experience is transformative from both an immersive and gameplay perspective. But I still get more traditional game time in due to the examples that you cited Zenbane. If VR were able to pair with my phone - there is a good chance I would spend more time in it as it there is an isolating effect that definitely comes with it.

[BrokenSymmetry]

Not until the quantity and the average quality of VR games catch up with flat-screen games.

I love proper VR games. But I still look forward to playing the latest God of War on my PS4 Pro and TV. There is simply no counterpart like God of War in VR games yet.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. Once you go VR you never go flat.

And if I was the sort of person that watches porn (I don't of course!) I wouldn't want to go pack to bog standard porn after experiencing the wonders of VR Porn. Apparently. So a friend tells me.

It just isn't the same playing games flat, and I've tried. There's just something missing playing games on a flat screen. I can't even think of an appropriate analogy either. Flat gaming just holds no interest for me since going VR.

[DaftnDirect]

Not yet but I'd say it's ruined some pancake games like racing sims and now it's kind of ruined pancake Fallout.

Still love RTS's on monitor though.. and my retro games running in MAME and a few others.

[danknugz]

not right now, but i could see myself gravitating towards VR more when the newer headsets with bigger FoV and resolution come out.

[DeadlyJoe]

No. Although, somewhat ironically, playing pinball and classic arcade standup games in VR is better than playing on a flat screen monitor. Having the full-size standup machine in front of you and the ambience surrounding you while you play is something you can't easily replicate outside of an actual arcade.

[BeastyBaiter]

Yes and no. First person shooters, flight sims and racing games are dead to me on a monitor now. I bought Far Cry 5 and played through it, but it was painful using a mouse+kb and having to look at a screen. Other types aren't a problem though. The total war series belongs on a monitor, and so I can still play that without feeling like I'm missing something.