CNet:
it's 2019. I'm at CES, and VR is an idea gathering dust for all the wrong reasons, lost in a sea of strange peripherals and pipe dreams. Self-contained VR devices, like Oculus Quest and the newly announced HTC Vive Cosmos, are en route, but it feels too little, too late. VR has lost the attention of mainstream audiences.
In 2019, VR is a sideshow in a theme park, a marketing stunt, a slide in a PR powerpoint presentation, a niche hobby for people locked in rooms with a ton of money to spend, and -- worse -- no one seems to know what direction we're headed in, or even what virtual reality should be.
TFA cites motion sickness as a continuing issue, one of the same reasons VR didn't catch on 20 years ago. What will it take for VR to finally realize the potential everyone keeps believing it has?
Related Stories
Facebook will never break through with Oculus, says one of the VR company's co-founders
Five years after its $2 billion purchase of Oculus, Facebook is still pushing forward in its efforts to bring virtual reality to a mainstream audience. But one of the company's six co-founders now doubts Oculus will ever break through.
Jack McCauley told CNBC he doesn't think there's a real market for VR gaming. With Facebook positioning its Oculus devices primarily as gaming machines, McCauley doesn't believe there's much of a market for the device. "If we were gonna sell, we would've sold," McCauley said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
[...] The $199 Oculus Go has sold a little more than 2 million units since its release in May 2018, according to estimates provided by market research firm SuperData, a Nielsen company. The Oculus Quest, which was released this May, has sold nearly 1.1 million units while the Oculus Rift has sold 547,000 units since the start of 2018, according to SuperData.
[...] Since leaving in November 2015, McCauley has enjoyed a semi-retired life. He's an innovator in residence at Berkeley's Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation and he continues to build all sorts of devices, such as a gun capable of shooting down drones, at his own research and development facility.
The cheaper, standalone headsets are selling more units. Add foveated rendering and other enhancements at the lower price points (rather than $1,599 like the Vive Pro Eye), and the experience could become much better.
Related: Oculus Rift: Dead in the Water?
HTC: Death of VR Greatly Exaggerated
As Sales Slide, Virtual Reality Fans Look to a Bright, Untethered Future
Virtual Reality Feels Like a Dream Gathering Dust
VR Gets Reality Check with Significant Decline in Investment
Creepy Messages Will be Found in Facebook's Oculus Touch VR Controllers
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @04:43AM (10 children)
How about a drug that temporarily turns off the balance mechanism in the inner ear, maybe that would cure motion sickness ... but you better be sitting down, else you will fall down!
More seriously, from the first day I saw Jaron Lanier wearing VR goggles and crawling around the room (c.1990), I guessed it wasn't going to go mainstream. Jaron's a neat and very convincing guy, but to me he looked too weird as he tried to get into various places in the virtual world he'd modeled.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:27AM (9 children)
To quote Jean-Louis Gassée (at least I think it was him):
Once you can buy/download pr0n that puts you directly on the set with him/her/it, VR will take off.
After porn has paved the way, the various other uses that advocates have dreamed up can ride in on the coattails.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:13AM (8 children)
VR hentai is already a thing, and it even integrates with onaholes and related accessories.
Yet few people buy it, because imagination is free.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Wednesday January 09 2019, @10:35AM (6 children)
I dont know what onaholes are, but that set my imagination running.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @03:14PM (1 child)
Literally "woman-hole."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday January 10 2019, @12:55PM
The smart guys call it onahole. Otherwise known as inahole by the not so smart (Child Support).
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:05PM (2 children)
Onaholes are penis sheathes, used to aid masterbation. The inner molds differ among models, for differences in stimulation.
Or as I like to call them, jack-in-the-boxes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:44PM
Oh, yes I saw that video of a japanese dude in a weird VR masturbation machine.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:50PM
I never could understand how anyone would willingly eat at Jack-in-the-Box.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:27PM
To my eternal sorrow, I looked it up. If you're on the fence about doing so—don't.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Friday January 11 2019, @01:24AM
Problem is that a majority of people don't really want VR hentai, they'd prefer real Briana Banks, or failing that as-close-to-real VR Briana Banks.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by aristarchus on Wednesday January 09 2019, @04:54AM (3 children)
What it will take is for everyone to stop believing it has potential that it never really had. A rather simple solution, actually. Kind of like growing out of libertariantardism.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:09AM
VR has great potential. You put a funny hat on and all you can see are alt-rights everywhere. Then you punch them until you can no longer get it up.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:22AM
(Score: 3, Touché) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday January 09 2019, @06:08AM
If you criticize a libertarian they’ll never shut up
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:12AM
And they can't tell who you are.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Barenflimski on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:36AM (7 children)
While people are still on earth, the majority still can go to a park. When people hit Mars, walking through a forest in VR will be a thing.
On earth, the current audience is relatively small compared to future Mars when everyone is going to want a holodeck.
Folks can sneak in a little smartphone usage at work but plug into a 4 hour experience and people will eventually notice.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:22AM
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday January 09 2019, @08:27AM (2 children)
A proper holodeck won't happen until you have artificial gravity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @02:57PM
And much, much higher resolutions.
And detailed, full sensory engagement - not just sight, but also sound; touch; both imposed and radiated heat as well as imposed cooling; smell; air pressure and movement; imposed pain, pleasure, nausea, Coriolis forces, etc.
Essentially, your biology needs to interact with a totally artificial imposed physics regime, or, your mind must be convinced that is happening and your actual motor functions defeated so trying to interact with the illusion doesn't cause you to be damaged (such an approach is considerably more likely, IMHO. No "deck" required, just a couch.)
And a lot more computing power to run all that, presuming the tech can be put together.
And you don't have to wear something that feels like you have a rubber boot on your head.
...of course, if they get all that done, then you're going to need ad blockers of similar capability.
--
If thought bubbles appeared over my head...
I'd be so screwed
(Score: 4, Interesting) by istartedi on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:44PM
A way to safely "jack in" to the brain seems more attainable.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @08:33AM
FTFY! And how will they notice!
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:52AM
or people could get an education, learn about noneuclidian spaces, and realize that they can use VR to explore them.
there are already noneuclidian maps made with the portal tools (example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xFbRecjKQA). [youtube.com]
I made a particularly nice one myself, but I hit the limits of the engine (it won't show more than 4 portals at once, and this is a hard limit that I can't tweak unless I talk to the developers).
once the kids are old enough not to bite the wires and play bouncey bouncey with the goggles, I'm getting the htc vive (or whatever's better in 5 years).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 10 2019, @01:35PM
Ah but they only THINK they're in Mars... ;)
And why actually go to Mars in the first place? One of those asteroids with water would be a better destination than Mars.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday January 09 2019, @06:09AM
They don't do anything. They look weird and weigh too much. We're just going to have to wait for 3D full color and opaque holograms.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:18AM (2 children)
Not treated like a display and a mouse pad.
Instead have bullshit proprietary interfaces, thus can't be used with most things.
The early open-source versions were popular.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:47PM (1 child)
> Instead have bullshit proprietary interfaces, thus can't be used with most things.
THat's not even close to true. Oculus and Vive both use HDMI. Some newer headsets are using DisplayPort or the new open VirtualLink standard.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 10 2019, @04:12PM
i dont know where you are coming from, but i dont have any hdmi stuff either. its the low end connector that can't do as much as the alternatives. i had to buy an adapter to connect my raspberry pi and steam link, and even then they both sort of suck as far as graphics go. i dont even have a 1080 monitor. everything is either lower or higher. those displays are just for the masses due to being churned out as HD TVs and dropped the prices a bunch
oh i get it. these vr consoles are cheap. maybe then that is why they are selling poorly; they took a cool idea and gimped it and limited it to a few years of designed obsolecense then. i guess maybe nvida can come out with 'oculous rtx' connector or something that just integrates to facebook and does nothing else except make it look even more expensive while slowing it down? the vive seems to be the one that would offer more choice, but still hdmi, eew. i can see why rich gamers avoided them except for maybe the novelty.
i sort of thought the oculous popularity was fading because of the facebook stuff, but i see now there are a few reasons. hdmi and facebook? no way. no wonder its cheap and not selling. most people that know better avoid it. people that don't probably arent enthusiasts and aren't really supporting it like they would a typical console.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Bobs on Wednesday January 09 2019, @11:36AM (1 child)
Practice, practice, practice.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @02:31PM
Market, market, market
When you think about it, every major device was slow to catch on:
Digital assistants
Tablets
Ebooks
My prediction, it will catch on when Apple sells one
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jasassin on Wednesday January 09 2019, @12:34PM (2 children)
Setup Demo Kiosks in every Wal-Mart and Best Buy. I have never seen VR maybe it's so cool I'd save up $200.00 for an Occulus Go. Most people have never seen or can comprehend VR. I grasp the concept, but if they want to sell VR they'll need demo kiosks because a TV commercial for VR doesn't cut the mustard.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:42PM
Oculus already tried this at Best Buy for a while. HTC had Vive demos at Gamestop for a while and still have Vive demos at Microsoft stores. It seems like a great idea. I don't know why they both mostly stopped.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:29PM
I have played various VR games on a demo system set up at my local electronics store, and sometimes had to wait in line for a go.
As far as I could tell it didn't help them sell any units at all. I just don't think it offers anything compelling.
I did buy a headset I can use with my phone, and some of the apps work really well, but again, don't really offer anything compelling.
(Score: 2) by rob_on_earth on Wednesday January 09 2019, @02:52PM (3 children)
I had access to the original HTC Vive that ran at 120 fps and I rarely got motion sick. Lots of amazing games, demos and experiences.
Currently it lives in a box because there is nowhere to set up the lighthouse sensors(how the Vive does its tracking).
I also got to go to the Dubai VR Park a few months ago https://www.vrparkdubai.com/ [vrparkdubai.com]
You pay for a package of game passes and then wonder around picking which games/experiences to play. All high end stuff, mostly wireless Vives. Very enjoyable.
Tried Google cardboard and was feeling ill within half a minute.
There seems to be no good middle ground, either you buy/access the expensive stuff or you are left with the bargain basement rubbish.
Windows 10 was supposed to hail a new market of mid range AR/VR headsets last year, but apart from a few preview reviews, not heard anything. They were supposed to be available in major retailers.
The only way I can use VR is if the frame rate is high enough(*) AND my head is tracked as it turns. Heads do not pivot on the same centre as the VR headset and you always twist your shoulders/body to some degree. Offsetting your head/eyes in 3D space.
(*) I did some development with the Vive and accidentally caused the frame rate to drop to 80fps. Was not noticeable until I became very dizzy and then could not return to VR for some hours.
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:38PM (1 child)
Are you talking about a prototype or something? No commercially available HTC Vive has ever been capable of 120hz. Vive runs at 90hz just like every variant ever since.
(Score: 2) by rob_on_earth on Thursday January 10 2019, @01:34PM
you are right, no idea where I got 120 fps from.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by nishi.b on Wednesday January 09 2019, @10:36PM
Exactly my experience too : I have a sensitive vestibular system and I was told at my workplace that the vestibular-vision brain loop has a latency of around 11ms. The Vive tracking is around 15ms so most people tolerate it well.
In my case, when developing our own software we also increased accidentaly the tracking-display loop latency and I was sick in about 15s, and needed about 10min to be ok again.
I only tried once a Google cardboard VR app, and a few seconds were enough to get sick because of the latency. So some people will try this and think VR is still a vomit-inducing system.
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Wednesday January 09 2019, @03:08PM (2 children)
My 20-year-old nephew, who at this time in his life has more disposable income than God, invited me to try out his VR setup. I played three games, each one lasting about 20-30 minutes. They were interesting -- even a little bit fun. But after playing them I had no desire to ever play them again. For one thing, they were all a bit like tv shows or movies. I mean, even if you have some weird desire to get "better" at the game, who wants to sit through all that crappy dialogue and what-not over and over again? VR is dull, boring, repetitious. Hundreds of dollars spent on a few minutes entertainment. I don't get it. Perhaps VR today is where Pong was in 1976. I guess we'll see, but as others have pointed out, they've been working on VR for 20 years now and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.
When I was 20 I spent my disposable income on women and booze. It was a hell of a lot more fun and provided me with a lifetime of amusing anecdotes :-)
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:31PM
You don;t mention what his VR setup is, but it very much sounds like you were more a victim of his personal taste in games, that what is currently state-of--the-art of VR.
Its stupid and incorrect to assume that all VR must necessarily be like that. There are some very good and in-depth PC-based VR games out there.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @06:09PM
There's only so much you can do with an hour of testing out VR. Personally, I suggested a specific title or two to the few people I've shown my VR setup to. You want something that's fun and easy to get into, if you only have 30 minutes to an hour in VR. Probably the most Wow, I've gotten from people I've demoed it to is from a free Roller Coaster demo I've downloaded. You can buy a bunch more tracks, but that demo is a really good way to introduce a new person to VR. They can get the feel of what VR can be, without the need to figure out the interface. My nearly 4 year old kid has tried it a time or two and the thing she loves the most is the robot dog in the Lab VR demo thing made by Valve. She did get to ride in a sleigh with Santa on the roller coaster as well.
Fallout 4 in VR is really fun and has a huge amount of content. The action areas can be quite intense. Ditto with Skyrim in VR. There's also Serious Sam in VR, which I highly recommend. It gave me the wow + fun vibe that I had when the original was first released. It's a really fun VR experience that gets straight to the action/fun. The Wii was/is a console that really made shooters on rails shine. VR definitely makes for awesome shooters on rails as well. That's a fairly niche genre nowadays, but it's a lot of fun anyway. What you're mostly seeing released are "easy dev" games and "VR as an extra feature" games. There's not a big enough market for there to be a "AAA" game designed solely for VR. I did have quite a blast on the Star Trek: Bridge Crew game in VR as well.
VR done right is anything, but dull and boring.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday January 09 2019, @03:35PM (2 children)
Since the 50's video calls were a promise of how all communication would be in the future.
Well the future arrived like 10 years ago; and it turns out that very few people desire this. In fact, very few people desire voice calls anymore. The only person I know that calls instead of texting first is my dad, and that is because he is a truck driver and usually calls while driving.
It is amusing to look back at what people in the 1990s though life would be like in the 2010s.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:35PM
Texting and voice both have their places.
Sure texting gives you a useful record, but you can get far more information from a voice call than a text. Voice tone, inflection etc communicate far more than just the words themselves do.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @06:11PM
My parents do video calls quite a bit with my brother who is overseas. Perhaps, it's not very useful for day-to-day communication with people you normally see, but it sure is nice to see someone you wouldn't otherwise.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:28PM
Self-contained VR devices can only ever be lower-end toys. The best VR experiences will always need far more compute/GPU power than can ever be provided by a small, low-power CPU/GPU as used in any self-contained headset.
A lot of the reason that VR is not more popular is exactly because many people's only VR experience has been a budget headset such as PS4 or some even worse thing that amounts to a no-name android tablet with some cheap lenses infront of it, and is only capable of running some superficial cellphone-like game. Then they incorrectly believe that their experience is representative of where all of VR is at.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:47PM
I put the heavy vest and pants on, feeling thick elements added to strategic locations.
I put the special boots on, then the thick gloves lined with rubber bumps.
I put the helmet on, not too heavy, but limiting my view and not something I'd do all day long (thankfully I'm in between my years of wearing glasses).
I punched the key on the machine, a couple other buttons, the noise came through despite the helmet. The vibration was present, and the range of motion was limited for safety. The controls were not intuitive at first, but you get used to it, and the weight you are dealing with is definitely reminding you not to make abrupt motions and anticipate more.
The world flew by. It was thrilling. The freedom to look around, to go places that would normally take a lot more effort. But yet, still arbitrary rules and limits.
The setup was a bit hot after a while, but it was a blast just to roam around. Met others, who saluted a fellow as they went in their own happy exploration.
No motion sickness, and a giant grin on my face.
After an hour I realized I had to take a break, exit, and gas up.
Call me when VR figures out inner ear stimulation.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @06:42PM (1 child)
VR is Awesome, but that doesn't mean all the games will be. Where's my VR Theme Park / Roller Coaster building VR game? Hopefully to be released soon. Motion sickness, blah, blah, blah. Some people get motion sickness just from normal 3D games on a flat screen. I get motion sickness pretty easily, and do get the problem of motion sickness in VR. I just think it's a bit blown out of proportion. While teleporting everywhere isn't as immersive, etc. It is a very usable solution. It works great in Fallout 4 VR and most other VR games (that allow free movement) default to that form of locomotion. Don't let a dumb thing like the fear of being motion sick put you off giving VR a try. There are so many fun things that can be done with VR, ignoring it entirely for a single possibility is crazy.
Here's a few games to give a try: (Headphones are almost a must in pretty much everything as it makes you feel more like you're there.)
"Short, but fun games."
Epic Roller Coasters (Sit down experience. You will definitely want to use headphones, it's kind of sad without it.) Demo is free.
The Lab (Valve/Steam game. Lots of stuff to do from Arcade style games, gallery shooters, environments to explore, etc.) Game is free. Kind of like the old CDs with a bunch of Arcade games on it.
Portal 2 (Get the free Portal Stories VR mod. It's an extremely fun VR game. It has slightly different mechanics, but it's a huge amount of fun.)
Guns 'n Bullets (I forget the exact name, but it's a fun shooter on rails. There's a free demo available as well.)
() Insert here, several games I forgot about, but that are also fun.
"Real Games"
Fallout 4 VR (Get your postapocalytic wasteland fix. Yes, tons of content, too.)
Skyrim VR (Shoot Flames out of your hands! Again, tons of content and story. You can be a Cat Person, thing.)
Serious Sam VR Collection (These are the classics and the new game all on the same newer engine. Now, go shoot something.)
() I have a limited amount of mad money, so can't comment on most "Real" games. Fallout 4 VR and Skyrim VR took a lot out of my game spending funds. I got the Serious Sam VR collection at a decent price during the holidays. Lots of fun.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:40PM
Roller coasters are about throwing your body around, giving you a few Gs or weightlessness, the scare that it won't make that sharp turn, the rushing wind in your face, the drop from scary heights ...
How much of that do you get in VR ?
VR is not immersive, and therefore not thrilling, if your other senses don't get overwhelmed at the same time as your eyes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:25PM
Marketers and a few enthusiasts are super excited about it. The general public doesn't give the tiniest crap, and never will.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 10 2019, @12:47AM (1 child)
VR will be popular in flying cars controlled by AI and powered by cold fusion. Just wait for those first.
(Score: 2) by Appalbarry on Thursday January 10 2019, @04:10AM
... And paid for using Bitcoin!