Does Sony Pose A Threat to Oculus VR?

[alimasri]

If the speculation in this article is true, I think it might pose a threat. People who own a PS4 would rather get a VR headset that is already compatible with their console than another one.

Competition is inevitable, but would it negatively affect Oculus? For consumers it's an advantage because prices will drop and more features will appear.

[barath]

"lossofmercy" wrote:

"barath" wrote:
I doubt it, there's 285 MILLION people with HIGH end gaming computers,

285 million people? Somehow, I doubt that.

" there are an estimated 285 million people playing games on high-end PCs"

http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/02/01/report-global-pc-games-market-bigger-free-to-play-still-profitable...

[Steve3D]

"archaicbereft" wrote:
saw someone post this on reddit, it was quite humorous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyVh1_vWYQ

(lots of swearing, but hilarious)

LOL. ....

Very funny. .....

[danknugz]

The PS4 isnt powerful enough, not for the long run anyway. Maybe Vr-launch-type games but it will soon be outclassed by titles running on PC, as PS4/XBO architecture is already on-par with mid-range PCs. It will be the virtual boy of this generation. And to echo what others have already said, if it beats Oculus to market, people are going to shit all over VR again and no one will care, and it will be that much more of an uphill battle for oculus to convince people that VR isnt a stupid gimmick.

This is the tragedy of capitalism.

[TheHolyChicken]

As others have also voiced, my only concern is if Sony attempt to push a mediocre product. This would sour opinion of VR, and Oculus would be painted with the same brush by many people, even if the experiences are completely disparate. I'll be relieved for the future of VR (including Oculus) if Sony's HMD is good quality.

Horsepower concerns on the PS4 are nonsense - the PS4 is easily fast enough to create compelling VR experiences. Sure, visual fidelity will have to drop, but then some of my best experiences with the Rift have been in Minecraft, which isn't exactly a looker!

[wildone106]

No. Next?

"alimasri" wrote:
If the speculation in this article is true, I think it might pose a threat. People who own a PS4 would rather get a VR headset that is already compatible with their console than another one.

Competition is inevitable, but would it negatively affect Oculus? For consumers it's an advantage because prices will drop and more features will appear.

[lossofmercy]

Where are these high end PC gaming computers? That's an insane number, I definitely expected it to have only 40% of the market when the PS3 and the 360 were the only competition, but that's like 70%.

[KrixusParabellu]

Sony can't compete with Oculus, cuz they won't have VR porn.
Yup :mrgreen:

[PatimPatam]

"TheHolyChicken" wrote:
Horsepower concerns on the PS4 are nonsense - the PS4 is easily fast enough to create compelling VR experiences. Sure, visual fidelity will have to drop, but then some of my best experiences with the Rift have been in Minecraft, which isn't exactly a looker!

Totally agree with this, the PS3 did manage to do games like Wipeout HD running at 1080p @ 60fps. They will have to squeeze as much power as they can from the PS4 for sure, but it's doable.

Actually i see having a fixed platform as an advantage for Sony not a disadvantage: they can make sure the experience is up to par for everyone, something that will be hard for Oculus to do, no matter how many disclaimers and minimum requirements they put in the box.

Finally they can also leverage their PS4 camera and their cheap PS Move controllers to create innovative experiences not possible with standard gamepads (which seems to be Oculus main focus at the moment).

So yeah i think Sony will be a though competitor that shouldn't be dismissed.

[alimasri]

"cybereality" wrote:
I'm not so afraid of Sony coming out with a superior product.

The worse situation is them beating us to market with a bad experience that could taint consumer's opinion of VR.

It's highly unlikely that they'd come up with a superior product, not with the great team on board Oculus VR, but I doubt they'd release a bad product. I'm sure the team there has their hands on a DK1, and they've seen what the upgraded prototypes are capable of in the shows. It's very likely that they'll create a comparable product that will eat up the PS4 market share.

My guess is that Microsoft will contact Oculus VR to work out some compatibility deal with the XboxOne. There is a big PC gaming market, but the console market is huge as well and should not be neglected.

Obviously the Rift isn't just a gaming device, it's a full VR experience that does require the power of PC, but games are what appeal to the mass market, and the mass market invests in next gen consoles.

[danknugz]

I'm excited as anyone else at the prospect of a console VR device, and before November last year, I was just as excited at the prospect of the Rift being made available with the "next gen" consoles. Then the consoles launched, and well, lets just say perceptions changed as to what kind of experience the consoles would be capable of offering. So the Rift requires an effective 120 fps capable machine to account for both screens correct? So, what kind of graphics do you think the PS4/XBO could run at 120 fps. CoD4? Lawnmower-man? You need to look at this realistically, even the Oculus devs themselves said the consoles are too gimped for a "true" VR experience. It's like getting a BMW with a wimpy engine, all talk no walk