this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2024
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So, is VR actually good, or is it mostly just for wealthy silicon valley furries to hang out with each other in VRchat, like everyone used to do in second life? The only game that really comes to mind as being something that's even close to a killer app is beatsaber, and that's basically just DDR with your upper body. I really haven't seen much support, both in the way of games, and more importantly, in the way of, say, 3d modelling apps, or something to that effect. Utility software, stuff that's useful, but is specifically more convenient in virtual reality, stuff that might be benefited by the platform. But then, it's not really something I've looked into much.
Have you tried VR? Because I couldn't tell from your comment.
If not, then you should try it somewhere. It is pretty neat tech that will blow you away the first time.
If yes, VR still has a way to go. It is out of its honeymoon phase, but the tech is getting better and more companies can see the advantages it can bring. Doubt we will see many simulators in the future with big giant screens, for example.
I've tried it at a friend's house, quest 2, like the other guy, and I think an oculus at another friend's house, but a quest 2 more recently. It was probably due to game selection, but it was kind of underwhelming, personally. headset was also way too heavy for me.
I dunno, I was more impressed when I used a wii back in 2009 or whatever, when I was like 7. Partially because I was a kid, probably, partially because wii sports is based, but I also think there's something to be said of the natural symbiosis between motion controls, couch co-op, and a shared screen, even if there's a lot of inherent limitations to that approach in terms of game design. I might be falling behind all of that in terms of the internet being the new couch co-op, though.
I also think the lack of easy, built in locomotion is something that probably needs to be solved, because it seems like a pretty big limitation in terms of game design and immersion, and I also wanna bring up haptic feedback again because I like haptic feedback and find it useful but nobody else does and it has no support. I think it might help.
I also haven't really seen many devs taking advantage of the platform's actual like, capabilities. I've seen more devs try to recreate things as they exist in the real world almost 1 to 1, and almost constantly in first person, instead of devs that are like, okay, we have head tracking, we have active motion controls in both hands, we have 3D capable perspective, what can we do with all of that? I haven't seen many games that are playing with that in a more abstract way. Something like ping pong, for instance, would kind of make a lot of sense, when you look at it from the angle of, what are the specific capabilities are of the platform. You could make a lot of interesting perspective based puzzle games, like echochrome on the PSP, I think that would be worth pursuing.
As for future capabilites, I really have no idea. I think we've kind of achieved optimal pixel density for whatever screens we might employ, right, mostly as evidenced by the smartphone market (though we might see some innovations there, I really don't know). I think the main limitation now would probably be how optics are designed, which seems like kind of a harder problem to deal with. I'd like to see phased array optics with lasers and holograms and stuff become a thing, but that's still quite a ways off.
I've tried Quest 2 once at a friend's house. I thought it was pretty neat but nothing about the experience made me want to run out and buy one or even plan to buy one in the future. I believe that unless good VR headsets come down in price significantly (sub $100) they're never going to be more than a niche hobby.
I can tell you straight up right now it's not just the wealthy furries that are hanging out in VRChat.
VRChat, and similar apps, is their ultimate escapism; they actually get to be and walk around as the character they want themselves to be. So most of the furries I know, some of them not even living in their own apartment, have spent time putting money aside to buy VR headsets complete with full motion setups. Those who really couldn't save up like that, and/or afford building a PC capable of handling VR, go for the cheapest option of buying a Quest.
Remember Ready Player One? Everyone is poor, living in pretty blegh conditions, yet many people have put a significant portion of their income aside to buy VR headsets? Those would be furries.
damn, I didn't really know it was that intense, that serious. I guess I have, once again, underestimated the furries, my greatest rivals on this god forsaken planet.
nah but fr that makes a lot of sense. I would've just kind of thought, you know, stereotype of wealthy furries in IT shelling out for fursuits and shit, and furries in VR, put 2 and 2 together and blam, wow, the math checks out, but yeah, I do believe there's probably a good proportion of people for whom it's important enough to kind of get on top of it asap.
also VR headsets are getting cheaper than I thought, so that's another factor.
Yes. If "Sadly It's Bradley"'s YouTube channel is anything to go by, furries (and maybe enterprises) will be the primary purchasers of the AVP. He's absolutely over the moon about it.
So, I have no idea if it's any good, but PTC just released an OnShape AR app for AVP.
As an aside, have wanted to like OnShape, but I just can't get past the sloppy Terms of Use for the free version that appear to bar you from commercializing your designs (expected... several other vendors do this), but they allow anyone who downloads your public designs to commercialize them. That, and the fact that they charge three times as much for their subscription as Fusion does.
That kinda sucks. I would expect more of your mainline 3D modelling things to be on top of this, or there to maybe be some sort of blender modification, some blender fork, that gets it to work in VR. Seems like kind of an obviously much better use case, to me, compared to memorizing a shit ton of hotkeys, and having to maybe buy one of those space mice they sell for the same price as a whole ass VR headset.
There are amazing VR games like HL:Alex and Resident Evil. Not as many as we'd all like but then are out there, and I do believe as porting becomes easier, we will see more AAA titles like this. And honestly playing these games in VR puts their flatscreen versions to shame, so I do think this will become more popular going forward.
For AR we are just at the beginning. I think AVP has proved the concept that you could use such a device for productivity, but I think mass adoption will take many more iterations. But I am sure that bothe AR and VR have long futures ahead of them.
VTOL VR is awesome too. The problem with a lot of games that support VR is they don't support the controllers to the same extent. Playing VR with an Xbox controller instead of the motion tracking Index controllers just ain't the same.
I have only owned an oculus quest, and a PlayStation vr2, So I have never had this issue before