Having recently hit the 3 Year Anniversary of Mainstream Virtual Reality, I'm curious to know how members of this community - new and old - feel about what is the primary driving force behind the VR Industry's success: as defined by global adoption by both consumers and developers.
I do have a strong bias here, which I will gladly explain. I have been a software engineer professionally for nearly 20 years, and it was my introduction to PC Gaming that served as a catalyst for my career path. Because of this, I clearly have a strong bias towards software over hardware.
But I also feel that when it comes to the VR Industry, the global marketplace lends its voice to the same indication:
Granted, if we rank these two examples by dollar amounts, then Hardware comes out on top. So what are you thoughts? Is it Hardware or Software that is the primary driver for the VR Industry?
I think it's a balancing act of both. At some point hardware improvements plateau and become small and the software is king until a breakthrough happens and hardware makes another big leap in innovation which then drives the software forward. The Wii is a good example of that.
Waiting for the killer app, that will bring in the masses, of course the hardware needs to be up to par to run it.. however imo, we need a ground breaking piece of software to get people INTO VR in the first place.
i9 10900k @ 5200Mhz, 32GB ram, EVGA 3090 FTW3 Ultra Need a Tesla? Here is a free 1000 miles in supercharging! https://ts.la/mark56706
Waiting for the killer app, that will bring in the masses, of course the hardware needs to be up to par to run it.. however imo, we need a ground breaking piece of software to get people INTO VR in the first place.
Yeah, like Falken I rate software ahead but they rely on each other. Software is definitely more important for a new tech like VR.
I believe in the software. Hardware is a facilitator, not an endpoint.
I bought CV1 for Lone Echo, I didn't care much for the hardware back then, just bought CV1 because Oculus had the games I liked the most.
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"
Waiting for the killer app, that will bring in the masses, of course the hardware needs to be up to par to run it.. however imo, we need a ground breaking piece of software to get people INTO VR in the first place.
Exactly, people did not wait in line for 2 hours at PAX South because they wanted to try the CV1 - no, they wanted to experience Stormland. Or Defector. Or Population One.
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"
Hardware is what drives me as the consumer. What's the point of software if it doesn't look good in the hardware. Perfect clarity and true 4K is my goal.
A PC with lots of gadgets inside and a thing to see in 3D that you put on your head.
Waiting for the killer app, that will bring in the masses, of course the hardware needs to be up to par to run it.. however imo, we need a ground breaking piece of software to get people INTO VR in the first place.
I'm a simpleton, Onward is my killer app. I fear my Rift breaking down because I know it'll cost me at least $400 to replace so I can continue my Onward Addiction. But yes I agree, there needs to be a killer app for the masses. I just don't know what that could be just yet....
