06-16-2021 12:56 PM
06-19-2021 01:33 AM
If the gaming industry has taught us anything it is that they will nickle and dime the consumer at every stage, so these ads won't simply stay with freemium or low priced games, they will permeate every game at some point just like season passes, DLC, microtransaction or lootboxes, because if they can make money from ads in a £5 game then they will want to make money from ads in a £60 game, and they won't stick to games either as this will spread outside of games until it is in every Quest app regardless if the app is paid or free, so all that remains to be seen is how many accept this and how many dump the brand because of them, so it is going to be interesting to watch this unfold if nothing else.
06-19-2021 03:00 AM
Is it an inevitability that we will be heading with this particular business to:
- mandatory login to FB
- mandatory use of portal
- mandatory use of supported content
- mandatory acceptance of adverts
- mandatory collection/sale of user data
This would seem the obvious direction that things are heading towards - the most profitable and sustainable ecosystem to achieve the return on investment expected.
06-19-2021 03:16 AM
I have been wondering if Oculus more is an investment for Zuckerberg expected to generate significant profit at some point in time (therefore the constant push to generate profit), while the Valve Index more seems like a fun toy to Gaben, who seems not to care much about hardware profits - then again, Gaben is constantly milking the giant Steam cow, lol. Zuckerberg does seem to like VR a lot though, not really sure it's all about profit to him, but creating a sustainable platform may of course be a primary target.
Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"
06-19-2021 03:42 AM
Agreed, a well made point.
Valve is looking at VR in a different way to Sony, and that is different to how HTC sees it. But FB is not one that entered VR as a experiment, but with a expectation and a plan to control a sector to their needs.
For FB, they were sold a premise by the original founders of Oculus that they would have a lead to exploit a emerging market - and if invest high enough, own it. The reality was that this lead evaporated when HTC / Valve beat them to launch and then beat sales numbers forced the rationalization we have seen with FB purging the previous management towards the now successful business model being employed.
With the success of the Quest2 sales (though I favor more accurate analyst numbers than the hyperbole), there is a need in FB to get "back on track" and so we see the appearance of goals to achieve this - mandatory login, user data and now testing of the deployment of adverts. I expect to see with the Quest3 a cheaper system, but again the adoption of another "requirement of use".
This is not a surprise. This was stated back on this very forum back in 2014 during the leaking of the acquisition by FB - you can check the archive from that period on this forum and see mine and others posts on the reality of what the acquisition would mean. And while many (mostly long departed) posters claimed that would never happen,, we can see the roadmap still being followed, if a little belatedly.
06-19-2021 04:47 AM
Been away for a good while and just came back for a quick look-see when I read the news about Oculus ads.
I see things are pretty much the same as always here, so I will only say two things.
1. This is all about 'boiling the frog' and slowly increasing the users willingness to accept ads and giving up privacy. And ultimately even having them pay for the 'privilege' of getting ads in the process.
2. Put your money where your mouth is. As an original Kickstarter that owned all Oculus HW up until Quest, I left the ship when the FB login requirement was announced. And have since spent serious money on other brands and SteamVR games. Money that to a big degree would have gone to Oculus instead, if not for the 'boiling the frog' stuff mentioned above.
06-19-2021 11:14 AM
@OmegaM4N wrote:If the gaming industry has taught us anything it is that they will nickle and dime the consumer at every stage
Not really. Some of the best games in all gaming history have a base cost and nothing else. Not every game has microtransactions. Season Passes are a good thing, not a bad thing. They are a discounted way to get upcoming DLC, and DLC tends to be quite awesome. Just look at Skyrim DLC.
@OmegaM4N wrote:hey won't stick to games either as this will spread outside of games until it is in every Quest app regardless if the app is paid or free
If we are going to go that far with the predictions, then clearly the Ads will be in every "game" and every "VR HMD," including SteamVR, Index, etc.
If we are to take your main argument, where the entire gaming industry is trying to nickel and dime all consumers, then the conclusion wouldn't be that "only Quest" will be full of Ads, but all games throughout the entire Industry.
06-19-2021 11:24 AM
@kevinw729 wrote:
For FB, they were sold a premise by the original founders of Oculus that they would have a lead to exploit a emerging market - and if invest high enough, own it. The reality was that this lead evaporated when HTC / Valve beat them to launch and then beat sales numbers forced the rationalization we have seen with FB purging the previous management towards the now successful business model being employed.
Hmnm, no, that's not what actually took place when Vive CV1 and Rift CV1 were released. HTC never "beat" Oculus, nor anyone, as it relates to the VR Market. Both products were emerging technology, and both ended up failing to sell in large numbers. The mass consumer market proved to both Oculus and Valve, equally, that they are not willing to spend large sums of money for a PC that is "VR Ready" followed by even more money for an entire PCVR Kit.
This is a reality HTC did not handle well, which lead to their eventual selling of IP to Google in order to avoid bankruptcy. Whereas Oculus continued down its original plan to make VR more lightweight and cable-free.
Carmack spoke to this very fact as early as 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn8m5d74fk8
Oculus has never pivoted their position. They have maintained course from their openly discussed plans which began as early as 2014. HTC, on the other hand, continues to pivot in order to recover from their market losses. This is why they not only sold IP to Google, but also the reason they developed their own VivePort in order to compete with the Oculus Store, and then later switched to a heavy Enterprise VR focus (since HTC has fallen far behind Oculus in the consumer market).
To be clear:
06-19-2021 11:44 AM
I have no problem with generating revenue for free apps. However, I will NOT pay one red cent for an app with ads in it. If the devs make good stuff, they can charge a couple extra bucks for it. I, for one, would GLADLY pay a "no-ads" fee built right in to the cost of the app.
06-19-2021 12:52 PM - edited 06-19-2021 01:04 PM
@kevinw729 wrote:Agreed, a well made point.
Valve is looking at VR in a different way to Sony, and that is different to how HTC sees it. But FB is not one that entered VR as a experiment, but with a expectation and a plan to control a sector to their needs.
For FB, they were sold a premise by the original founders of Oculus that they would have a lead to exploit a emerging market - and if invest high enough, own it. The reality was that this lead evaporated when HTC / Valve beat them to launch and then beat sales numbers forced the rationalization we have seen with FB purging the previous management towards the now successful business model being employed.
With the success of the Quest2 sales (though I favor more accurate analyst numbers than the hyperbole), there is a need in FB to get "back on track" and so we see the appearance of goals to achieve this - mandatory login, user data and now testing of the deployment of adverts. I expect to see with the Quest3 a cheaper system, but again the adoption of another "requirement of use".
This is not a surprise. This was stated back on this very forum back in 2014 during the leaking of the acquisition by FB - you can check the archive from that period on this forum and see mine and others posts on the reality of what the acquisition would mean. And while many (mostly long departed) posters claimed that would never happen,, we can see the roadmap still being followed, if a little belatedly.
All very excellent points Kevin and nice reflection of what has transpired the last few years.
Always good to see someone knowledgeable recount many of the things that have transpired.
It will certainly be interesting going forward.
I guess my hope for Oculus would be they would find their way back to offering a true higher end native PC-VR headset without the FB requirements and no upcoming adverts, not replace what they have but offer in addition to. I doubt that has much chance of happening though.
06-19-2021 01:03 PM - edited 06-19-2021 01:07 PM
Aside from nobody seeming to mind when HTC did this in 2017:
https://www.pcgamer.com/htc-is-introducing-ads-inside-vive-and-will-track-when-youre-looking/
There's also the fact that nobody protested when one of the most popular and successful VR Games, Space Pirate Training, deployed in-game Ads beginning in 2019. Which includes the SteamVR version.
Reddit thread about in-games Ads in Space Pirate traininer in SteamVR:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/byamtz/anyone_notice_the_ads_in_space_pirate_trainer/
"The billboard ads have been there since the original Steam release of the game. I love that shout out to other great VR games!"
I believe history will repeat itself in that OculusVR will continue to thrive as everyone, including non-Oculus Users, will accept in-game Ads in their product of choice.