Were the critics right: Is VR just a Fad/Gimmick?

[Zenbane]

I have spent more time "lurking" instead of "contributing" to VR discussions this year, between this forum, reddit, and the Facebook groups. I have found myself wanting to do more observing and reflecting in 2019, as opposed to the active contributions I was making from 2016-2019. And a big part of that is because the overall VR landscape seems rather stale in comparison to the amazing strides made during the first 3 years of the CV1 era (speaking to both the original Rift and Vive here).

In 2018, it really felt like things were going to explode from some galactic battle of the VR Giants with everyone promising to "move VR forward" and "set a new standard." But as far as I can tell, every competitor has failed at truly moving the needle beyond the hype coming out of the 2016 CV1 releases:

• Apple still hasn't done anything meaningful in VR.
• Amazon has only dabbled in VR with some supportive Software.
• The Pimax 8K proved to be little more than an over-hyped kickstarter (this HMD is now selling in droves on E-bay).
• Valve's Index HMD proved to be "more of the same" and Valve Knuckles completely failed to meet the 2+ years of hype leading up to it. While I would agree that the Index is, overall, the best PCVR offering on the market today, this is only true because of the failures of its competitors; not because of the advances Index is making.
  
• HTC Vive Pro is all but obsolete. Rarely, if ever advertised, and now all attention is being pointed towards the next "dangling carrot," the Vive Cosmos.
• Facebook and Oculus failed to deliver a true Rift CV2, and their biggest claim to fame - the Oculus Quest - continues to offer a very limited software Library, much of which mimics what Rift users can already experience.
• After all these years, the Steam Hardware Survey still shows Oculus and Vive dominating the charts, with a minuscule number of competitors dangling at the bottom.
  
• The HP Reverb had great potential (even I considered buying one) but fell short in multiple areas compared to current offerings and general industry standards.
• Microsoft continues to dabble between Mixed Reality and HoloLens; with no flagship hardware nor a noteworthy software platform.
• PlayStationVR continues to linger, with little confirmation about a Gen 2 VR Kit; leaving communities to debate over interpretations of hidden signs of the truth.
  
• On the mobile front, GearVR and GO are slowly becoming vaporware. While Hulu drops support for Google DayDream.

These are my own personal observations based on my own sentiment and that of which I've observed across multiple VR communities. I will point out that the purpose of this thread is not to fuel a debate between VR products or competitors. I am putting every VR organization, sector, and product on the chopping block evenhandedly. In a nutshell: they are all failing to meet expectations in 2019.

There are a few other factors that has caused me to raise my concern about VR turning in to a Fad/Gimmick:

• AAA Software is still nowhere to be found. With VR, at best we get "AAA-like" experiences. Even AAA games like Skyrim and Fallout turn out to be "AAA-like" in VR. This lack of true AAA investment seems telling since we are nearly 4 years in to mainstream VR with no one feeling compelled to make the necessary investments to move out of "AAA-like" experiences. In fact, we are still getting Early Access software experiences on both Steam and the Oculus Store.
  
• Facility-based VR is becoming talked about more and more, which feels like a sign that VR is moving in to the fad/gimmick phase of modern arcades and internet cafes. I tried one of these VR "arcade rides" recently, and I can confirm that the experience is highly lackluster and does more to move VR in to a "gimmick" than a sophisticated platform. As a comparison, once upon a time we could play the Street Fighter arcade with Punching Pads instead of standard buttons. As we can clearly see... punching a pad never became a standard and was short lived. And if you see a game today that uses Punching Pads... you understand that this is a temporary fad/gimmick. Machines that move or vibrate while putting players in a VR HMD are the exact same thing.
  
• Augmented Reality is becoming a hotter topic than Virtual Reality this year. We have HoloLens 2 and Microsoft's move in to the Military Sector. Recently, 5-Nights at Freddy's released their AR trailer. On top of which, most of the predictions about the upcoming Oculus Conference revolve around Augmented Reality (i.e. people are feeling that AR will get a big push and stronger focus).

Again, these are just my observations and general sentiments to help give insight in to why I feel that asking the question about VR's fad/gimmick potential seems pertinent at this moment in time.

To give some thought as to why I am choosing the words "fad" and "gimmick," here is a quick view at outside sources:

An article from 2018
Is Virtual Reality a Fad or Is it the Future?
http://www.workspace.digital/is-virtual-reality-a-fad-or-is-it-the-future/

A blog from 2019
Virtual Reality is officially a fad. I am out
https://skarredghost.com/2019/04/01/virtual-reality-is-officially-a-fad-i-am-out/

An article from 2016
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2016/10/15/virtual-reality-is-just-an-over-priced-gimmick/#484...
Virtual Reality Is Just An Over-Priced Gimmick, Nothing More

A recent article from 2019
Virtual Reality: The Future of Entertainment or Gimmick of the Wealthy?
https://www.dailyamerican.com/entertainment/highschoolhighlights/virtual-reality-the-future-of-enter...

Each of these articles, both old and new, point out similar factors that I've outlined here.

So... do you think that VR is still "the future"? Or do you think that VR did in fact turn out to be a Fad/Gimmick??

[Fazz]

I think hardware and it's current cost is what's really holding VR back atm. Nvidia isn't helping the VR cause by selling their Geforce 2080ti cards for £1000 plus. I hope Oculus is still working on eye tracking because as soon as we get things like this in VR, then we can hopefully stop relying on expensive Graphics cards to have better resolutions etc.

I don't think VR is a fad, I just think some people can't afford the hardware needed to drive VR further forward right now. I've currently got the HP Reverb and the resolution is where VR needs to be at IMO. I say this because there's no jaggies and super sampling isn't really required. But I had to purchase a £1000 Graphics card just to get this bump in resolution in VR, and we all know the HP Reverb isn't great when it comes to tracking your hands due to it's 2 camera's.

To me it's like VR came to early. I think in 10 years time it will have all the hardware necessary to drive it forward and at a much cheaper cost.

[nalex66]

motorsep said:

@nalex66 What are "VR strengths" besides more physical interaction and immersion ?

For me personally VR always wins due to higher immersion factor than pancake games. Not everyone has plenty of space to move around in a room-scale setup and swing arms around. A lot of times playing games with physical interactions is quite problematic for people with small play areas. 

To me, VR shines when it makes good use of the fact that you're "there" in the virtual space. Shooting by actually holding up a gun or bow and aiming is the most common one, and I do enjoy doing this rather than just moving a mouse. Unfortunately, that is as far as many games go.

Some examples of games or apps that play to the unique strengths of VR:

• Echo Arena is a fast paced frantic game that is happening all around you, as you float in a zero gravity environment. Catching and throwing the disc, grabbing onto opponents or teammates to propel yourself around, and navigating the environment on all sides is something that just can't translate to 2D.
• Medium makes 3D modeling so much more quick and intuitive than it can ever be with a traditional 2D interface. As someone who spent years mastering the techniques of several CAD and 3D modeling programs, sculpting in VR was a transformative experience.
• Bringing natural true-to-life movements and physical coordination into a video game makes for compelling gameplay that just wouldn't hold interest on the flat screen, whether it's playing table tennis, billiards, or swinging swords at flying blocks in Beat Saber. Doing that stuff by clicking a mouse would be mind-numbingly boring, but in VR it's a lot of fun.
• Sims like flying or driving tend to benefit a good deal from VR. Being able to really look around while controlling a virtual vehicle makes for a great immersive experience above and beyond doing it on a flat screen.

A lot of the games being ported to VR (especially FPS-style games) don't benefit all that much from being in VR, because the games are designed around playing on a monitor. Those games have evolved over years to be fun within the confines of that paradigm, but they don't always translate well.

For example, flat FPS games are great for shooting enemies at a moderate distance, and generally not so great for up-close melee combat (point-and-click melee tends to feel a bit hollow). In VR, it's the opposite; the distances of FPS combat don't work well (the stereoscopic effect drops off quickly with distance, and the low resolution of VR displays don't lend themselves to longer-distance battles), while up-close combat is much more immersive, especially if it takes advantage of physical movement to swing a melee weapon at your enemy's weak points.

A lot of 2D games that are ported to VR just don't feel like they need to be in VR, because they really don't. Games that are built for VR can be much more compelling, but they're still a little too few and far between.

[Evileyes]

Its not a fad or gimmick. We are the pioneers that got this movement off the ground. In the future, VR will be mainstream. I shit you not. These early HMD's are almost like a proof of concept, with a kicker. We've all felt what its like to be "inside" the program.. the sense of presence that could never happen in a 2D game environment.

For me? After modding the hell out of Skyrim it does LOOK SICK (95+ mods and tweaks). I was chilling behind Riverwood at night (with darker nights mod) crouched with my back against the mountain, listening to the sounds looking up at the insane sky with stars shining and the moon, cloud movement dancing on the mountain tops etc...Just taking it all in, it was so awe inspiring, I am constantly at a loss of words. Do you think for a second I would trade it for the countless "oh crap!" moments i've had? (not on your life!) HMD's are here to stay.

[SkScotchegg]

Zenbane said:

I see it as a grave injustice for VR to end up as a fad/gimmick. But the industry seems so far away from proving itself as a mature platform beyond gaming and entertainment.

For example, I thought that Virtual Reality would be mainstream in the real estate industry by now, but the truth is that the traditional way of showcasing images and videos for both Homes and Commercial real estate remains the leading market strategy. And those trying to lead in VR Real Estate are the same people trying to break through since the early days (e.g. Matterport).

No matter which industry we look at where VR has been introduced, it only functions as an "extra tool" as opposed to a "leading innovation." It currently feels more like a "nice to have" as opposed to a "must have." Compared to other products or services that feel like a "must have," such as: Smart Phones, The Internet.

Although using those examples... it did take many years before the Telephone became the Smart Phone, and it took years before the Internet was a service that could be brought to your home. So perhaps VR is going to need just as much time?

I'm all for the gaming side of things but I still think Live VR sports could make this massive. Imagine watching the world cup live, or MMA or Boxing etc, whatever sport your into. Hopefully live VR sports in high definition will be here very soon. I would like to pay for PPV events like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury or UFC main events with Jon Jones, DC, Stipe, Khabib etc.

I also think making all VR wireless and a smaller form factor will help mainstream adoption too.

Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe gaming and VR sports will never be big enough to push VR into the future...maybe there's another factor I'm not seeing yet or thinking about. What if there's some other type of amazing technology that needs to come along to join forces with VR and help push VR forward?

Maybe it could be AR? Not that I know much about AR or what you can do with that technology but Microsoft and other companies seem to be spending a lot of money going down that route so maybe they know something we don't.

Also I wonder if many jobs in the future could be done in VR some day? Imagine a whole workforce using VR? For example call centres dealing with customers or something like that.

EDIT: One last thing, and I'm surprised about this part. I still think the social aspect is lacking, like in that film Ready Player One. They need to make Facebook but in VR. I want to be able to come home, put my HMD on and be like "hey Auntie, how are you feeling today?" or "Hey mum, fancy a pub dinner this sunday?" or "hey wife, make sure my bath and dinner is ready when I get home!" etc etc

It needs to be this easy. I wish I could put the HMD on like in Ready Player One, have an amazing looking Avatar that all my friends and family can see, and I can talk to them instantly in high definition sound and image that all just works and streams instantly in real time. 

Some company like Facebook for example should be the ones to make the first ever real life Oasis!!! Just like in the movie!! That would be so amazing!

Like think about it, the only way for us guys to meet up on this forum is either Oculus Home or Rec Room, but neither of them are good enough. They need to make it bigger, and better, and on a larger scale!

[Anonymous]

We're nowhere near 4 years into mainstream VR. Mainstream VR doesn't exist yet.

We haven't even got Mainstream Gamer's VR yet. For that to happen we need Microsoft to adopt VR for the NextBox so that publishers will fund AAA VR games, and even if Microsoft have a VR solution for the NextBox on launch day it's still a bit of a risk for publishers to take.

It's not currently worth publishers laying out the cash to bring out the next Assassin's Creed/CoD/GTA/[insert other big video game franchise here] with VR goodness right now because there are only PSVR and PC VR headsets out there.

Oculus are doing the right thing by putting more headsets on heads but even then we still need Microsoft to jump in to kickstart big name titles to all three platforms in VR.

[TragicDelight]

I'm positive we're already living in a virtual simulation..and now we are inventing and participating in more simulations layered. Therefor just how many times has mankind done this? Are we on #12? 87? Are we even capable of experiencing true reality? If so what would it feel like? 

[PIXELATED]

AR is the new garlic bread..
VR has inspired users and developers forward to another level of 'suspension of disbelief', a place where reality can exist for those absorbed by the magic as it has done in many forms since the invention of portraying a moving image -  zoetrope
Augmented reality via VR will bring another state..
So I vote VR is the future and I'm v-happy with my CV1 (-:  

[Artist3d]

I am not sure that those indulging in VR are any less enthusiastic after four or five years particularly if they got that initial and incredible epiphany that here we finally have a Halodeck simulator to exist within and look... who knew you would not need a dedicated Star Trek-like area to render it? Who knew it was as close to a veritable 'head space' of the mind as anything else? and without all the clunky tech... what an elegantly simple solution, almost psychedelic in its immersive immediacy!

I am pretty sure that Facebook's simultaneous release of both the Rift S and the Mobile Quest at the same price point was a mid-stream trial balloon to just take the temperature of the VR community and determine whether to prioritize investing in Mobile or Desktop VR.

Personally I bought the Rift CV1, still very happy with it, but I also love the Oculus GO! and maybe have my eyes on the Quest but wondering if I really need two hands to enjoy the things I particularly like about VR, the 360 experiences and VR travel opportunities like Wander's Google EarthVR equivalent.

One of my all-time favourite and most immersive VR experiences is the newly released Real VR Fishing that runs on the Oculus GO!, that is such a perfect example of maximum immersive impact within a small tech requirement, better than any Fishing sim I have seen on the more powerful Rift even. So I see great things happening for mobile VR and I think it is quite likely that Facebook will choose to go all in on mobile VR as time goes on, just given their whole mobile-use audience. Duh.

When Mr. Jobs killed off the desktop industry with the iPad, Tablets in general became such focused, consumer email and shopping tools, it was probably pretty tough at that point to reinvigorate the desktop industry with just VR. Those desktop specs, whoa, were just so much higher and expensive compared to normal desktops systems which had been coming way down in price for years... before their demise. Except gaming machines of course which is where good quality VR started and will remain of great interest. Arcades full of VR do not seem more than what I would agree, may be a 'fad or gimmick' mainly for those who cannot afford a decent rig at home.

Good desktop powered VR may yet ultimately be sacrificed for the convenience increasing quality of new mobile VR applications that do not require such a commitment. Mobile can also be shared more easily with a couple of Quests or GO units per household not breaking the bank and making the whole experience more fun within a family than just a single unit passed around.

But I agree that 2019 feels like an introspective year for the VR community, perhaps time to sort out VR community monetization solutions so that content creators can afford to keep creating. I do not think radical hardware updates are that necessary at this stage of growth, it a great experience already if you are not impressed it's probably never going to be for you anyway. Certainly for most who can look past the so-called 'screen door effect' to appreciate what is actually being conveyed through VR is about imagination, new ideas, expanded perceptions and experiences some would never otherwise have! The application potential remains broad too, way beyond gaming.

It is really more about quality VR stories just like what makes a good movie, credible simulations, 360 webcams on the Moon and Mars, Europa!, sure, special FX and truly higher resolutions, are nice but not required. Nobody wants to be getting into expensive ongoing subscription-based hardware releases, like I mean what is this, the 11th phone now? Get it right, and maybe give us a new idea like a projectible ARVR phone, no hardware substance or recycling required and design your own VR phone!.

Almost five years later, I am still a big fan of the VR genre but sure, like the halodeck on Star Trek, there are few who spend all their time in recreation but having it there is wonderful after a day's work or just to explore a new experience.

[TomCgcmfc]

Lots of good, interesting comments here.  Thanks for starting this thread Zen.

Overall, I don't think PCVR is a Gimmick but current mobile VR is a bit gimmicky imho.  It tries to sell an ultimate VR experience with an inexpensive standalone unit.  As all PCVR guys know, this is not really possible right now.  I don't think that this is a problem since it hopefully will help bring more of the masses into VR.

I think that currently the two biggest deterrents to the future of PCVR is the cost of entry and PCVR users reluctance to embrace and invest in good PC systems/hardware. 

Firstly, there is no doubt that the PCVR cost of entry is high, and seems to be getting higher.  I think that this is mainly due to Nvidia gpu price gouging.  Selling a rtx2080ti for more than an expensive PCVR headset/controllers like the Index is ridiculous.  Intel cpu prices are not much better either with an i9 9900k selling for more than the cost of a Rift S.  I'm not sure what can be done about this since there is so little competition.  The Red team (AMD) tries its best but so far it has not achieved equal results.  Maybe VR companies like Oculus and HTC need to develop alternatives.  I'm not really sure how they could do this though.

Secondly, the reluctance of users to invest in good PCVR system is also a major deterrent.  I'm always amused to see people's unreasonable expectations that new headsets and/or software improvements will allow their puny PC system(s) to magically give them an ultimate PCVR experience.  Or, magically, hardware prices will suddenly plummet.  This just ain't going to happen in the short term folks, lol!  As painful (financially) it is to build/buy a good PC for PCVR you will never get good results unless you bite the bullet and do this imho.  If you are a true PCVR enthusiast you need to investment in the future of PCVR development.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[Zenbane]

motorsep said:

@Zenbane

I still don't see "VR strengths" from your watered down description

My description was far from watered down. There are clear differences in the nuances between VR and flat gaming. If you think that I described something watered down then I would question your exposure to VR experiences overall.

Moving eyeballs without moving head is basically what one does playing FPS games on flat screen

Completely untrue. Your eyeballs can see more in a full 360 environment than on a flat screen. You would know this if you have experienced both flat gaming and VR gaming at any great length. As a simple example, in VR you can use your eyeballs to see behind you in places that a flat screen camera cannot show you without moving the camera.

So to me, VR is not a fad simply because it's the next step in gaming evolution. I

VR goes beyond mere gaming, and for you to limit it as a gaming experience is very much watering it down.