| RolStoppable said:
From people who want immersive games. My point in the previous post was that people who weren't already into gaming weren't motivated to start because of a higher level of immersion. I wasn't refering to a single generational leap, but the sum from 8-bit graphics to what we have today. The jump from NES graphics to PS4 graphics wasn't good enough, that's why I think that another push for more immersion isn't going to hit it big either. Or in other words, the people who seek escapism from the real world and would be interested in VR are already playing video games. |
Hmmm, I do and don't agree. FIrstly I think your comparison is wrong simply because the home gaming market is bigger now compared to the NES, both PS3/360 outsold the NES by 20m and they're still selling, and what did the wii sell on? I think the type of immersive experiences we get Is a part of that expansion we saw, I myself am one of those weird people who actually really struggles to play and enjoy 2D games, unless they're arcade games just made as a minor distraction. On top of that part of the wii and Kinects draw was definitely immersion, motion controls is a huge part of the VR fantasy. I think you insanely underestimate the amount of people that want escapism, traditional games just don't offer it as well as you'd think, especially for those who weren't introduced to gaming from a young age. All popular media music, films, books are forms of escapism. Games by comparison are clumbsy, hard to control and grasp, they require a lot of investment unless you're playing angry birds and are the least convincing and accessible of the bunch. Have you tried VR? In controlled demos it really does transcend any gaming jump the industry has offered thus far in terms of immersion. So in that sense I don't agree with you that VR won't catch the imagination of those not already considered gamers.
I do however agree with you that this gen it won't really make a difference. The two main reasons is that only those greatly interested in technology, or the specific technology (games+VR) or those with large amounts of expendible income will splash out $200 on something that just intrigues them. Many will want to try it and they probably will, but that doesn't translate into sales. Second is content, which you already covered. Other things include the form factor of VR, its too big and clumsy right now... But anyway time will tell.
