VR a niche product? hardly

[JG27_Chivas]

VR and Oculus Rift type hardware won't be a niche product, in-fact exactly the opposite.  The Military, Education, Medical, Tourism, Manufacturing Industry, Advertising, Architects, Social media, etc etc will all have valid uses for the technology.  The gaming market will be huge, but only a fraction of the overall market for VR.

 

People are using early prototypes to validate their concerns for acceptable resolution, 3DOF, etc etc.  The DK1 was just a proof of concept, and the initial hardware required for software developers to test their work.  The DK2 prototype comes with a 1080P display and 6 DOF.   The 1080P screen and the ability to lean forward should make reading the gauges much easier.  The first consumer versions even higher resolution, and display quality should alleviate most peoples concerns.   Either way a new VR version should appear every year with better display, hardware, and features.

 

The Facebook acquisition now gives the OR development the buying power to acquire the best possible display to suit their needs.  The latest rumoured limited partnership with Samsung could be a win/win.  Samsung wants the software being created by the OR team, and the OR team wants access to new display tech.   The OR development is so far winning the software battle, with the release of a free SDK, and cheap prototypes.

 

The OR development originally talked about wanting to keep the consumer version around the three hundred dollar mark, but now they are talking about selling the first consumer version at cost.   There was even talk of a hundred dollar price point, but now that they have the funds to build the best possible parts and features, even a three hundred dollar price point might be close to its actual build cost.  Still incredibly cheap considering what it would cost for a high resolution, 3D monitor plus TrackIR, that would have far less immersion/presence than a good VR unit.

 

Selling the OR at cost will certainly help the OR development corner a huge portion of a huge market.  Unless their product is inferior to the competition.  So far that doesn't appear to be the case.  They have the money, and some of best creators in the industry.  Either way the future looks bright for far more immersive simming. 

[FuriousMeow]

Sounds like someone invested in this product and is desperately trying to sell it.

 

It is a niche, most gamers don't purchase peripherals. Some do, but when only some do that's called something. I forget what. Oh, its called niche.

 

5.1 surround for games is actually niche, if it weren't - all game environments would be developed for it. Force feedback - again - niche. HOTAS, niche again. OR might find uses in medicine (where it is not used as a 3D VR device but a direct input device), or as a functional line of sight in military applications - again, not VR because it would be a direct camera feed, it wil find its uses - but for gaming it will be niche since most gamers balk at paying $100 for a fancy mouse, $500 for a fancy HOTAS, $3000 for triple screen setups, etc. I could see the OR making it big in the arcade scene, and I mean the arcade cinemas that are dying  slow death. Its funny to see OR and Virtual Reality being promoted and stated as the next big things by none of the generation of people that matter to make it happen. 40, 50 60, 70 year olds won't make OR happen for games - teens, and twenty year olds will, and you'll find a largely lacking number of them caring for OR or even being able to pay for it. They can barely buy the PS4 or XBox One, let alone this device that is supported by some games.

 

Its a niche, no matter how much you want to market it otherwise - it is.

Edited June 1, 2014 by FuriousMeow

[FuriousMeow]

Lets not forget, the resolution can't support flight/air combat titles at all right now. Unless it can by CR, it won't be a viable purchase for most who enjoy these titles.

 

It will be a niche product for these titles. CQB games, it'll probably do really well... for those that can throw $200+ at a gaming perhiperal.

[JG27_Chivas]

Your talking only gaming,  thats a small part of a huge market for VR.   How you can explain that away a niche market is anyones guess. 

[FuriousMeow]

That's interesting how I actually didn't only talk about gaming.

 

How you can be so oblivious to statements sitting right there is anyone's guess.

 

I'll go ahead and bold it for you: OR might find uses in medicine (where it is not used as a 3D VR device but a direct input device), or as a functional line of sight in military applications - again, not VR because it would be a direct camera feed, it wil find its uses

Edited June 1, 2014 by FuriousMeow

[Shalimar]

I think the oculus in 5 years will be as niche as smart phones are niche today. Facebook, Samsung, apple, Microsoft are all building their hmd's. Gaming or no gaming, vr head sets will be in every house in 5 to 10 year. And they will change the world like the Internet changed it in the 90s, the smart phone changed the world since the introduction of the first iPhone. It's a matter of time.

[JG27_Chivas]

The military will use it as training device, to train sub mariners, tankers, pilots, etc etc.

Architects will use it to review and refine their building plans, before building.

Boredom will end in  Personal and Public fitness gyms were it will be used on treadmills, stationary bikes, etc to walk, run, bike around potentially any location in the world. 

Teachers will take their students to see places or things without every having the expense of leaving their classroom.

Every industry will use them as training devices, etc

Multiple uses in the entertainment field.

The new 3D, 360* cameras being developed will bring the world home to view and explore with our VR units.

This just scratches the surface.  The smart money doesn't invest billions of dollars on niche markets. 

Niche, LMFAO

[CreepiJim]

Virtual reality in form of the OR is not the first attempt. Back in the early 90s companies were thinking and dreaming about virtual reality and experimented with it. Back then, the technology was not advanced enough to make it a pleasant experience. Now virtual reality will sooner or later take off, just as HD did. But it will not be a standard or "must-have" gadget. If it will be niche or not highly depends on the content.

 

Just as 3D movies, which are still niche products, although you can go to the theatre to watch them or buy 3D screens, they will not be the standard for several years to come.

 

Virtual reality will suffer from a phenomenon of the human brain. The more you try to make virtual worlds realistic and "real" the more the brain will fight this false image. Try looking at highly detailed human renders. They can be as detailed as modern technology allows, you will still note the difference and don't find them realistic at all.

 

Starts with photoshopped models, ends with fully renderes humans in games and movies.

 

It will be a niche product for consumer electronic nerds.

[DD_bongodriver]

3D movies will become pretty standard now that affordable hardware is coming to market, I have already seen a virtual cinema project which shows 3d movies and the effect is very good and makes another compelling reason for actually owning a VR device, it will not be a niche.

[Cybermat47]

teens, and twenty year olds will, and you'll find a largely lacking number of them caring for OR or even being able to pay for it. They can barely buy the PS4 or XBox One, let alone this device that is supported by some games.

 

Yep, I have little interest in the OR. Not being sarcastic or anything. There's only one game I'd like to try with OR, and that's an OR exclusive, and I'm not paying for an OR just to play that one game.

[Shalimar]

With such a big push by all the big hardware and software companies. The odds of rift and vr in general succeeding in becoming mainstream are a lot higher now than they would have been had it been just one small startup such as oculus trying to make it succeed. Of course time will tell which side of the argument turns out to be correct.

[FlatSpinMan]

Not got a lot of patience for this thread. As Extreme One said, like it or don't. Either way is fine. Maybe it'll be huge, maybe it won't. Either way is fine.

Don't harass people who think differently from you.

[TX-Zigrat]

Trust me it's gonna be huge. We can dig up this thread in 5 years and see who is right .)

[J2_Trupobaw]

Only sure thing about Head Mounted Displays (whenever they take off or not, in 20 years people will be laughing at idea of calling them VR) being next huge thing is that they surely are being hyped  as such. Most likely purposefully hyped by people that spend money on developing them. But spread of hype -or number of people who hope to be using it if it will work like they dream it will - does not prove it will become popular, let alone mainstream. Like Blechbohrer said, 20 years ago we have already seen the same hype over the same kind of devices, the same producer race, rush to stores by whomever could afford them  embarassment when they proved to be cool at promos and demostration runs but inpractical and uncomfortable in everyday use . 

Edited June 1, 2014 by Trupobaw

[Sandhill]

Trust me it's gonna be huge. We can dig up this thread in 5 years and see who is right .)

 

 

Whatever.  I fully accept that it is GOING to be huge.  It is NOT huge now, and nobody has a good time line for when it will be.  Certainly not by September when we hope to see Bos released.  At this point it's all speculation and doesn't have much relevancy to  this game...

[JG27_Chivas]

VR headsets won't be peripherals for long.  We can surf the net on any old monitor.  When it comes time to upgrade our monitors it will be cheaper and more fun to upgrade to a 3D VR headset, and keep the old monitor for surfing the web, etc.  Games that do well in VR will become the new mainstream games, while games that don't play well in VR will become niche markets.   Once people experience a good 3D VR game, it will feel lame playing on a display.  Luckily flight sims are well suited to the VR.experience, so VR could change our genre from a niche market to more mainstream market.

[Sandhill]

Whatever