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Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley: “The lack of a ‘killer app’ is the reason VR and AR haven’t taken off yet.”

The Killer apps for VR are entirely non-gaming applications.

There just haven't been enough compelling arguments made by the non-gaming software thus far for the tech to exist.

VR is amazing. It's just that to convince the masses, the price needs to be much lower and the software needs to be revelational
 

Ozriel

M$FT
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Haint

Member
you cannot be serious with this. Apple Vision Pro for about a month, yes, but definitely not with the Quest.
Quest 2 alone exceeded 20 million and Quest 3's were like the top tech product on Amazon this Holiday ahead of all the consoles. They've combined likely moved around 30 million units or more at this point, in a little over 4 years. That's around or exceeding most Nintendo and MS consoles in less time. No it's not PS4 or Switch levels, but hard to argue they're not very successful products.
 
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Three

Member
Those of you who complain about VR being bulky and heavy - do you own a VR headset yourself? Personally, I don't think that's the biggest issue, you get engulfed into the game and (ideally) forget about the headset on your head (there are better balanced VR headsets than the Quests aswell).
I have 4 VR headsets and think its bulky. Not so much heavy but certainly strapping something that size to your head is considered bulky by most normal people. It certainly is comfortable enough to play for hours and hours but it's something that is pretty large and in your face (quite literally). When it becomes the size of a pair of glasses and people are more comfortable wearing them out and about it's always going to be considered bulky by everyday people.
 
VR is amazing but your every day joe won’t make the necessary sacrifices to enjoy it. You need to dedicate space to it. You need to plunk down a fair bit of cash. You need to get adjusted to the motion of many games.

On top of that anytime you’re an early adopter you take a risk.

It’s been well worth the sacrifices for me and my friend.
 

Shubh_C63

Member
With such a costly headset, I think Gamepass model with VR makes more sense.
Ofcourse major hurdle is attract customers to buy the damn thing in the first place.
 
'if you build it, the killer app will come'...

maybe they should've developed the killer app along with the tech, & featured it on release? just sayin'...
 

Muffdraul

Member
I haven't played it (yet) but if Half Life Alyx isn't a VR killer app, then what hope is there? Is it ridiculously short or something, like a tech demo?
 

MiguelItUp

Member
A device bolted to your face is the reason it hasn't taken off.
Fallout 4 in VR is the most I've been impressed. I still can't suffer that helmet on my head for long.
I personally feel like reasons like these and similar are the main reasons. There are enough killer apps out there for various platforms that are enticing enough for some people to want to get a VR headset. But the reality is not everyone can do it. Whether it's because of motion sickness or they just don't want to wear something on their head. For many it just doesn't work.
 

Mister Wolf

Member
I personally feel like reasons like these and similar are the main reasons. There are enough killer apps out there for various platforms that are enticing enough for some people to want to get a VR headset. But the reality is not everyone can do it. Whether it's because of motion sickness or they just don't want to wear something on their head. For many it just doesn't work.

The camera turning killed it for me. I also find incremental turning to robotic. Ultimately since I do like stereoscopic 3D I just invested in one of these new 3D glasses free monitors.

 

gothmog

Gold Member
Maybe the problem here is trying to do an apples to apples comparison of consoles and VR? I know I am not into spending 8-10 hours playing VR in a single session with the current hardware, so having a traditional console "killer app" isn't making me more interested in it. As the hardware evolves, gets lighter, and is more portable you will see it become more and more popular. Then we can talk about killer apps.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
A device bolted to your face is the reason it hasn't taken off.
And people already did the Wii phase 15+ years ago.

Theres only so many gamers wanting to use wristpads swinging a sword or bending down to pretend turning a valve. And the dumb thing about many of the VR vids I've seen is you just press a button. Bend down, press X and the guy turns it. You dont even actually turn out.

Also, a lot of the games with first person hands and arms are floating in the air since they cant even program the games to have attached limbs and hands. Looks odd.
 

Kerotan

Member
It hasn't taken off because people prefer a TV. It would help if the killer apps like call of duty, GTA and Minecraft had full support.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
It hasn't taken off because people prefer a TV. It would help if the killer apps like call of duty, GTA and Minecraft had full support.
When it comes to entertainment, people have set standards for gaming, watching movies or attending concerts/sports.

People can game using VR. People can pay an extra $10 to watch a movie with rumble seats and better screens. The NBA has VR games where you can flip cameras and be close to the action. I think it's even a free app.

But in reality, no matter how much companies try to spice it up, most people just want to sit on a couch or chair and play games on a screen with gamepad or m/kb, watch movies in a standard theatre and watch sports on TV or at the venue.

You'll notice all these extra VR or fancy options are trying to get people amped up with more experience or contextual emotions. But most people dont give a shit about extra costs or bells and whistles.

Game companies should already know that convenience (digital downloads being lazy so you dont have to change a disc) already ruled over all the benefits of buying discs. Whether it's gaming, TV/movies, sports, most people just want to sit on their fat ass and chill.
 
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CLW

Member
Fetch Mean Girls GIF by Paramount Movies
 
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Mortisfacio

Member
The Killer App would be able to play any game in VR.

If an actual smooth experience, sure. The mod support for VR for CyberPunk for example, I'd love to explore CyberPunk 2077 in VR and have a genuinely good experience. CDPR doesn't support it and the mod versions to make it "work" are janky at best. I could get behind VR to have experiences like that, but smooth and immersive experiences.
 
Speaking on an upcoming episode of the VideoGamer Podcast, the developer claimed that ‘nobody is able to put their finger on’ what a ‘killer app’ could be.



vr technology GIF
Side note -- ugh what is that old lady seeing that has her blocking and screaming for her life? I don't know anything in vr that would do that. Giant Dong coming her way? Micheal Myers? Krueger? what?

As far as killer app. It doesn't matter. Valve tried that with Half-life Alyx. We had fing skyrim and RE4 in VR.
Hell i setup Doom, Half-life, and Quake on mine.
Only really good app that got me coming back was Racket NX and beatsabers.

The problem isn't really a killer app, the problem is:
1. Item is too damn bulky. It needs to be glasses. It leaves marks on your face and messes your hair.

2. A lot of people wear glasses. I had to use an old out of date frame to even play so they don't get scratched and it wasn't comfortable. They sell
lenses for these devices but you have to send away and pay for it. Basically dedicated rx glasses for just vr.
- A more elegant solution would be having rx built into the lenses. When you look at a pair of binoculors you can look without glasses as there is a one eye focus knob and a binocular focus knob. Something similar could be done with the glass lenses in VR.

3. Motion sickness. Last time I played was RE4 and i felt like I was going to throw up after 15 minutes. I haven't touched my quest 2 since.

These issues need solved. A small light pair of glasses with a cord that goes to a device that you can have in your pocket or clipped on your belt would be ideal. The processor would be in the box and only a lightweight lens / bone induction speakers combo on your face. The processor unit and battery could be the size of portable battery pack/hub.

All of that would cost some dosh to invent, but its what is needed for mainstream appeal.
 
Bullshit.

There are many killer apps in VR.

In my opinion, between last gen and this gen.... at least 2 of the top 10 games are VR games.

GT7 VR
Wipeout VR
AstroBot Rescue Mission
Half Life Alyx
Half Life 1 and 2
RE7, RE4 and RE8
MS Flight Sim
Beat Saber
SuperHot
Skyrim VR
Batman (I haven't played this one)
Alien Isolation (VR mod)

Are just a few examples. All of those are absolutely amazing games.

There are other amazing games to that are smaller, that don't get enough attention because they're VR games.

Red Matter 1 and 2
Walking Dead
Pavlov
Synapse
Subside
The Persistence
Half-life 2, when? I know I had hl1 on my quest 2 along with quake, return to castle Wolfenstein, and doom.
Racket NX was my most played app. you were in a sphere and if playing multiplayer they were next to you. You hit a ball against the wall smacking colored shapes to a beat. You had to fill up shapes and there was power ups and weird modifiers. Don't know why it didn't blow up in vr world. It was better than any other game for a dedicated vr fun time.
 

thief183

Member
Alix alone is worth the price of a quest 3, that game changed my perception of any other game, and I was a non-VR guy.

I agree tho that having something on my head while gaming is not really comfortable.

Also PC VR is still a pain cause every game use a different way to check the room, check the height, check everything and that should be more streamlined to make it more appealing.

Every time I play assetto corsa I got to recalibrate everything, and that stop me sometimes to play it.
 
The killer app that finally broadens the audience for VR gaming will be something similar to the Sims or Animal Crossing. It'll be a game where the player is able to express their creativity and share it with others.

VR hasn't done a great job of taking advantage of the social side of gaming.
 

Killer8

Member
His mistake is treating VR as a traditional gaming platform. VR is a big tent made up of many numbers of different headsets and competing storefronts. It's the wild west right now, but a rapidly growing one in terms of revenue. It's also a relatively new platform. If the consumer release of the Oculus Rift CV1 in 2016 was the watershed moment, then in purely chronological terms it's like we are still in the 1st generation of consoles. A lot can change in the next 40 years.

It's also no surprise really that he has this old timey way of thinking. He said a few weeks ago that Xbox failed because it didn't have exclusive games, which isn't to say he was necessarily wrong there (it contributed), but it's clear he views 'VR' in the same old-fashioned paradigm of a 2001 console launch where you just need one big game™ for it to suddenly take off and sell gangbusters. Things haven't worked that way in years.
 

dispensergoinup

Gold Member
My expectations for VR have been mixed.

I have a Quest 2 and haven't used it in a long time. Poked around with it but nothing lasting. Half-life and other games listed I'd rather play on PC.

Doesn't yet have the killer app for -me- which would be:

A platform based on official D&D rules that have:

-decent art style and smooth graphics (anywhere from BOTW/Genshin level or even Enshrouded, maybe Dragon's Dogma)
-multiple views (first person, 3rd person, overworld view etc.)
-play official premade games and customized campaigns by other creators
-interactive items and environment
-customizable characters obviously
-spells, monsters, magic items and all that shit in a turn based combat
-multiplayer (on and offline)


Not sure if WOTC or anyone even has this on their sights but if I can get that kind of experience, I'm 1000% sure I can get my friends to get into VR.

We're a bunch of older folks across the country but would love to be able to run a game like this.
 
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