4 ms·

I don't know. Author complains devs are targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games. But my instinct is that only "hard core" gamers are going to want

I don't know. Author complains devs are targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games. But my instinct is that only "hard core" gamers are going to want to stick a thing on their head (that they had to pony up large amounts of dosh for, BTW). I also believe in The Market. With the number of years VR headsets have been one the market I am quite confident no one somehow missed a lucrative genre. I see a lot of people projecting that they wish VR were the Next Big Thing, but they seem unable to wish it into reality. Author mentions Beat Saber which would seem to contradict the argument that VR is focused on hyper violent games. Is VR taking off now or not? My sense is that VR will always be a niche thing — maybe akin to 3D movies, TV. Or like Guitar Hero a (much more expensive) fad.

corytheboyd 2y ago
Completely agree, it’s destined to be niche forever… because it involves strapping something to your face. Niche is FINE! Beat Saber is one of my favorite games of all time, VR did that!
stonethrowaway 2y ago
Hardcore gamers don’t want to stick this on their head because it’s a gimmick. They want to play games, not have ads up to their eyeballs. Games aren’t the VR killer app that people mistakenly think it is. Nothing is. VR as glasses is a gimmick. Sensory depravation of vision far outranks whatever thing you want to do on a computer. It’s too much effort for no gain and so far it’s been too much marketing and too much tech hyping things up. It’s cringe to see it unfold like it isn’t obvious. Wearing ski goggles indoors to use a computer makes you look like a tool.
ZiiS 2y ago
Fairly confident 2D games are still missing many genres which will eventually become lucrative; never underestimate creativity.
dylan604 2y ago
It's interesting to me that you compare VR and Guitar Hero as they are very different. VR is nothing but isolation. Guitar Hero and the other Band game at least made it where more people could participate at the same time in the same location. One pulls you away, while the other attempted to include more people.
- jdashg 2y ago
  Everyone I know who uses VR for more than a year, it's because they started socializing in VR. Like MMOs, it can be as social or asocial as you want it to be!
- crooked-v 2y ago
  > VR is nothing but isolation. The most popular VR app of all time is a 3D chat room.
crooked-v 2y ago
I think the overlap between "hard core" flatscreen gamers and "hard core" VR gamers isn't a given. I mean, look at VRChat. People spend thousands of dollars on gear (before even getting into the physical space needed for full immersion) to... wander around talking to each other and play low-quality clones of minigolf and Among Us games.
- two_handfuls 2y ago
  It's good to have a third place (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place).
jwells89 2y ago
As someone who's spent a large amount of time in Beat Saber I think half the problem is that as good as VR headsets have gotten since the introduction of the original Rift, they're still full of compromises. None of them do everything well, and so you have to pick the one that sucks the least for a single use case (fitness games, racing/flight sims, VRChat, etc), and that's really bad for something as expensive as VR headsets are (even the cheaper quests). In the case of Quest stuff, PC link users being treated somewhat as second class (no direct DisplayPort input) and the lock-in of the crappy Quest desktop software doesn't help matters. I agree that VR will always be a niche, but I would also say that there's a good chance of the niche growing with the introduction of a well-built, affordable, well rounded headset that's built on the SteamVR ecosystem.
lupusreal 2y ago
The "targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games" thing is quite silly. Many of the most mainstream games around, played by average Joes, are very violent games. I am thinking particularly of the Call of Duty and Halo franchises. Meanwhile many "hardcore gamers" making a lifestyle out of it are into games like Mario.
croes 2y ago
Beat Saber doesn't contradict the hyper violent games given how many VR games are shooters. Beat Saber just happens to have a intuitive controls and no motion sickness because of the stationary game play. But it's mainly considered as an introduction to VR gaming not it's final form.

corytheboyd 2y ago

Completely agree, it’s destined to be niche forever… because it involves strapping something to your face. Niche is FINE! Beat Saber is one of my favorite games of all time, VR did that!

stonethrowaway 2y ago

Hardcore gamers don’t want to stick this on their head because it’s a gimmick. They want to play games, not have ads up to their eyeballs. Games aren’t the VR killer app that people mistakenly think it is. Nothing is. VR as glasses is a gimmick. Sensory depravation of vision far outranks whatever thing you want to do on a computer. It’s too much effort for no gain and so far it’s been too much marketing and too much tech hyping things up. It’s cringe to see it unfold like it isn’t obvious. Wearing ski goggles indoors to use a computer makes you look like a tool.

ZiiS 2y ago

Fairly confident 2D games are still missing many genres which will eventually become lucrative; never underestimate creativity.

dylan604 2y ago

It's interesting to me that you compare VR and Guitar Hero as they are very different. VR is nothing but isolation. Guitar Hero and the other Band game at least made it where more people could participate at the same time in the same location. One pulls you away, while the other attempted to include more people.

jdashg 2y ago
Everyone I know who uses VR for more than a year, it's because they started socializing in VR. Like MMOs, it can be as social or asocial as you want it to be!
crooked-v 2y ago
> VR is nothing but isolation. The most popular VR app of all time is a 3D chat room.

crooked-v 2y ago

I think the overlap between "hard core" flatscreen gamers and "hard core" VR gamers isn't a given. I mean, look at VRChat. People spend thousands of dollars on gear (before even getting into the physical space needed for full immersion) to... wander around talking to each other and play low-quality clones of minigolf and Among Us games.

two_handfuls 2y ago
It's good to have a third place (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place).

jwells89 2y ago

As someone who's spent a large amount of time in Beat Saber I think half the problem is that as good as VR headsets have gotten since the introduction of the original Rift, they're still full of compromises. None of them do everything well, and so you have to pick the one that sucks the least for a single use case (fitness games, racing/flight sims, VRChat, etc), and that's really bad for something as expensive as VR headsets are (even the cheaper quests). In the case of Quest stuff, PC link users being treated somewhat as second class (no direct DisplayPort input) and the lock-in of the crappy Quest desktop software doesn't help matters. I agree that VR will always be a niche, but I would also say that there's a good chance of the niche growing with the introduction of a well-built, affordable, well rounded headset that's built on the SteamVR ecosystem.

lupusreal 2y ago

The "targeting "hard core" game culture with violent games" thing is quite silly. Many of the most mainstream games around, played by average Joes, are very violent games. I am thinking particularly of the Call of Duty and Halo franchises. Meanwhile many "hardcore gamers" making a lifestyle out of it are into games like Mario.

croes 2y ago

Beat Saber doesn't contradict the hyper violent games given how many VR games are shooters. Beat Saber just happens to have a intuitive controls and no motion sickness because of the stationary game play. But it's mainly considered as an introduction to VR gaming not it's final form.