VR is in its fledgling moments but to me it seems the battle for mass acceptance is already being made harder than it should be. As a gamer what has always enticed me to new hardware is the prospect of playing awesome new games. If I give the Nintendo 64 as a prime example, when it released I was in awe of Goldeneye and how it looked and was desperate to play it. I'm sure many of you feel the same when it comes to gaming and your purchasing decisions.
I get it, VR isn't a new console or PC but its a fresh display medium and frankly I am disappointed and worried at the same time that major publishers like Activision, EA, Ubisoft etc are not willing to take a bit of a risk and develop a game for VR that everyone simply says "Wow, I must play that" when they see it. Something that defines VR for the gaming generation and makes VR appear to be the must own device rather than at present an expensive toy for those who can afford it. Sure, you can argue that it's the cost which dictates how many people can adopt VR right now but I believe this is nonsense even if it is mostly true. This conundrum shouldn't stop someone, somewhere grabbing the bull by the horns and putting in the investment to at least raise VR awareness.
The lack of investment in a AAA VR experience at launch speaks volumes about how publishers are viewing VR and frankly I feel it's a bit of a cold shoulder treatment gamers are getting having given them [publishers] the opportunity to make massive profits from regular games in the first place over the years. It's like you have Valve at the forefront of VR with its Vive and yet where's the Half Life VR game at launch or at least a demo that people would no doubt lap up like drunken sheep? Again, people can argue developers are only just getting to grips with how to produce VR games and aren't ready yet, but once more I say this is nonsense and is tied to a willingness to invest in unproven hardware - both headsets weren't ready just six months ago as proven by how long the DK 1 & 2 have been available so software could have been developed some time ago.
What's really happening is the industry is looking at smaller indie studios to lead the way at the cost of stifling the progression of VR which is a shame. Let the indies take the risk and we'll mop up and take the reward if and when the time is right. Some people are suggesting the major players are waiting on the Playstation VR before showing genuine signs of wanting to put the cash down which is understandable, but again doesn't help VR by being tentative, cautious and uninvolved. We have two massive operations one backed by Facebook and the other HTC and the almighty Valve who between them haven't managed to instil confidence as far as software is concerned which might be understandable for Oculus, but Valve? Really? I've already mentioned this is not a console launch - even if Sony believes their PSVR is being presented as a "new platform" (complete with a pricing model to match that ideal). So to expect a launch line-up of games that present VR in its best light doesn't appear to be the agenda, rather merely getting VR out there in the first place and planting the seed for much bigger things to come even if it's years from now. However, I don't agree with this philosophy and believe it's backward thinking. You only really need one or two showcase games to simply bowl over your potential audience and we just don't have those titles at the moment.
In my view the biggest threat to VR and in fact any new piece of hardware is the support it gets, and when you have such revolutionary tech being ignored by those who can make a difference in the industry, it's saddening. We've got E3 coming up in the next few months so maybe there will be a shift in perspective and much more interest from the major players, or at least Sony will be showcasing more of its products - if Sony can do well then there's possibly hope for us all. But as far as Oculus and HTC/Valve are concerned, they both really need to get talking (not with each other but those who control the purse strings) and see some serious investment in AAA products otherwise VR is resided to a niche product rather than the foundations of a universal paradigm shift in how we play and interact with Video Games.
TL:DR version:
Where the hell are the AAA games from major publishers and why haven't they invested a small % of their profits into VR experiences that SELL the idea to the masses?
I get it, VR isn't a new console or PC but its a fresh display medium and frankly I am disappointed and worried at the same time that major publishers like Activision, EA, Ubisoft etc are not willing to take a bit of a risk and develop a game for VR that everyone simply says "Wow, I must play that" when they see it. Something that defines VR for the gaming generation and makes VR appear to be the must own device rather than at present an expensive toy for those who can afford it. Sure, you can argue that it's the cost which dictates how many people can adopt VR right now but I believe this is nonsense even if it is mostly true. This conundrum shouldn't stop someone, somewhere grabbing the bull by the horns and putting in the investment to at least raise VR awareness.
The lack of investment in a AAA VR experience at launch speaks volumes about how publishers are viewing VR and frankly I feel it's a bit of a cold shoulder treatment gamers are getting having given them [publishers] the opportunity to make massive profits from regular games in the first place over the years. It's like you have Valve at the forefront of VR with its Vive and yet where's the Half Life VR game at launch or at least a demo that people would no doubt lap up like drunken sheep? Again, people can argue developers are only just getting to grips with how to produce VR games and aren't ready yet, but once more I say this is nonsense and is tied to a willingness to invest in unproven hardware - both headsets weren't ready just six months ago as proven by how long the DK 1 & 2 have been available so software could have been developed some time ago.
What's really happening is the industry is looking at smaller indie studios to lead the way at the cost of stifling the progression of VR which is a shame. Let the indies take the risk and we'll mop up and take the reward if and when the time is right. Some people are suggesting the major players are waiting on the Playstation VR before showing genuine signs of wanting to put the cash down which is understandable, but again doesn't help VR by being tentative, cautious and uninvolved. We have two massive operations one backed by Facebook and the other HTC and the almighty Valve who between them haven't managed to instil confidence as far as software is concerned which might be understandable for Oculus, but Valve? Really? I've already mentioned this is not a console launch - even if Sony believes their PSVR is being presented as a "new platform" (complete with a pricing model to match that ideal). So to expect a launch line-up of games that present VR in its best light doesn't appear to be the agenda, rather merely getting VR out there in the first place and planting the seed for much bigger things to come even if it's years from now. However, I don't agree with this philosophy and believe it's backward thinking. You only really need one or two showcase games to simply bowl over your potential audience and we just don't have those titles at the moment.
In my view the biggest threat to VR and in fact any new piece of hardware is the support it gets, and when you have such revolutionary tech being ignored by those who can make a difference in the industry, it's saddening. We've got E3 coming up in the next few months so maybe there will be a shift in perspective and much more interest from the major players, or at least Sony will be showcasing more of its products - if Sony can do well then there's possibly hope for us all. But as far as Oculus and HTC/Valve are concerned, they both really need to get talking (not with each other but those who control the purse strings) and see some serious investment in AAA products otherwise VR is resided to a niche product rather than the foundations of a universal paradigm shift in how we play and interact with Video Games.
TL:DR version:
Where the hell are the AAA games from major publishers and why haven't they invested a small % of their profits into VR experiences that SELL the idea to the masses?
To be clear, AAA in my view equals a game with a massive budget lavished upon it and with high production values. The end result doesn't have to be perfect or loved by all but at least when you look at and play with it you can clearly see there's some serious backing behind it. I'll give you a good example and one close to my heart - Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain - Konami/Kojima Productions. Divisive on whether it's a great game but still oozes buckets of high production values and $$$ (probably to the extent where Kojima went over budget and couldn't fully end his masterpiece).
Until we get those kind of experiences/budgets for VR we're merely playing with the small fry which I guess is a means to an end given the circumstances.
Until we get those kind of experiences/budgets for VR we're merely playing with the small fry which I guess is a means to an end given the circumstances.
That's like saying there are no indie devs in current gaming because they all got squished out by the big boys. On the contrary, there's now a huge resurgence of popularity and appreciation for independently developed titles in the 2D sphere and the added bonus is indies are now churning out a lot more high quality content nowadays without losing their grass roots appeal. We need more of them to develop for VR in tandem with the big boys. The two can coexist quite comfortably despite your doomsday scenario. lol.
