Will virtual reality end up like 3D?

[Intrinsic]

JPL78 said:

Intrinsic said:
Not. Completely not. And its not a fad either.

3D adds absolutely nothing to games. No functional value whatsoever. VR is a completely different thing. It will add a completely new dimension to some already existing genres fundamentally changing how those genres are played and it can create completely new genres too.

VR to gaming is like the controller growing analogue sticks. There are things VR can do for some genres that once a gamer experiences them, would probably not want to play games in that genre without it. Its just not something that will be bolted on and devs can say...oh yh, our game does VR. Its something that devs have to specifically design for.

Eg. You are playing a racing game and using the in car view. For the first time in a game it would feel like you are really sitting inside a car, cause what moves around isnt the camera, but rather your head. You can stretch your neck to look over your hood. you can look at the reiw view mirror like you would in a real car, you can look out of your driver side window to see who is your your blind spot. You can have contextual elements like looking towards the centre console and the nitro button lights up for you to interact with it.

Or when playing a flight sim, think Ace combat. You can be literally looking behind your plane at your six while still flying effectively forward due to a heightened positional awareness.

Really, the possibilities are vast, and this is me just thinking out loud about the things I had a problem with using a normal controller and TV setup that i wished could be changed.

I heavily disagree. It allows you to sense depth. I'm actually wondering if you've ever played a game in 3D because that is a very ignorant statement.

ive never understand why there are so many haters in 3D and now VR. If you don't like it don't use it. To me it seems only natural that you would want to view video games in the same way your eyes see the world, in three dimensions.

everyone who experiences these new vr devices are all blown away at how immersive they are. Can you guys not honestly see the promise of something like Elder Scrolls on one of these?

Errrr..... I don't think you realize we are on the same page. However, I still stand by what i said about 3D. I don't hate it, but i stand by it not adding any "functional value". It has even less functional value than a vibrating controller. Cause at least the vibrations in a controller can be used to convey certain messages in a game. But at the end of the day, you can play every game without a vibrating controller just fine and with no change in the core experience but only a change in the level of immersion.

This is why I believe VR will work wonders for certain genres. Cause it actually will add functional value to the genres it supports. With regard to VR I like to think there are two types of games. Out of body games (TPS, platformers, abstract puzzlers..etc) and in body games (FPS, Racers, RTS..etc). VR will be a God sent for in body games as they will add a layers of interactivity that no other control interface can provide and these layers aren't just novelties, they are things that will actually increase the enjoyment, immersion and performace in thos games.

Personally, I think anyone that hasn't played with VR (which most of us) but yet are knocking the tech down, are just being unimaginative and stoic. Because if they alowed themselves to just imagine ways that it could be used, the benefits are glaringly obvious. Then again, thats just how some people are, some people just get it others will need you to hold their hands or hear others talk about how awesome something is before they give it a shot.