Just wondering why VR gaming isn't catching on as much as we thought it would. None of my crew seem to be into it. Is it 'cause the gear's too pricey or 'cause the games aren't hitting the spot?
First off I'd say that not everyone is into gaming... and those who are, some just don't want to wear a thing on their face. In the early days, outside-in tracking and tethered VR didn't help those who were used to the hassle-free world of console gaming but that's changed. Some who are into PC gaming don't have the funds to upgrade their PC for VR, some PC gamers see stand-alone VR as something that would take them away from their favourite platform. Some still see it as emerging technology and are waiting for it to mature.
Personally, I think the biggest factor for gamers is what their friends are gaming with, multi-player gaming is a huge factor when deciding on a platform to use, and if someone is interested in VR, they won't adopt if all the people they enjoy game with are using non-VR, they'll stick with that.
I gave my brother my spare headset and he still doesn't use it. I think my niece uses it though... so clearly it's such a personal thing.
13700K, RTX 4070 Ti, Asus ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming, Corsair H150i Capellix, 64GB Corsair Vengence DDR5, Corsair 5000D Airflow, 4TB Samsung 870 , 2TB Samsung 990 Pro x 2, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, Quest, 2, 3, Pro, Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (10.0.26100)
Clearly there's lots of reasons VR hasn't caught on, but chief amongst them seems to be that PC gamers realise it's a major pain to try connect simple cheap headsets like the Quest to their PC. SteamVR and Steam link are laughably bad, and word spreads fast. It's obvious that the games companies don't really take VR seriously yet or the connection process would be more effective and seamless. So it leaves you with the games that work well on the standalone headset, some of which are good, but they're nowhere near the PC standards that serious gamers are used to. Then, there's the weight and discomfort of the headsets... It'll all obviously improve, but as long as connecting to a PC is such a tortuous and miserable experience for PC gamers it'll remain a minority interest IMO.
What problems are you having connecting? Link pops up a button to connect as soon as I plug in the Link cable, click on the pop-up and that's it. AirLink is 2 clicks.
13700K, RTX 4070 Ti, Asus ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming, Corsair H150i Capellix, 64GB Corsair Vengence DDR5, Corsair 5000D Airflow, 4TB Samsung 870 , 2TB Samsung 990 Pro x 2, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, Quest, 2, 3, Pro, Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (10.0.26100)
I think space is another factor not mentioned. To play one of the top FPS games, even if you’re fairly strict with your movement, when you’re engrossed you will move around. If I don’t have the room, such as over Christmas time, I don’t play.
If you want to play multiplayer with your friends or family at home you'll need another headset. With a console you just need a another controller and that's enough.
You can't easily share your experience unless your mirror your screen, but the mirroring loses the immersion the user is experiencing and everyone else is unable to interact with that unlike a console.
If everyone is able to have a shared experience, that would make a difference. It does look a bit funny having a huge gadget attached to your face, if you've never tried perhaps you might not bother to for how silly it appears. When these can shrink down and look less bulky, comfortable and fashionable you might enjoy using it more often.
I think the future of VR are devices that can switch between Mixed Reality and VR modes but have the aesthetic of regular glasses. These devices should be able to broadcast their experience to other glasses which will allow each user to interact with the same virtual objects in real time. That would replicate that co-operative mode of gaming you can experience with traditional consoles.
