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Take-Two's CEO (2K/Rockstar) weighs in on VR, doesn't sound very impressed

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
This is a more pessimistic take than John Riccitiello's from yesterday's thread.

GameSpot said:
"It's way too expensive right now," he said to an audience of analysts and investors. "There is no market for a $2000 entertainment device that requires you to dedicate a room to the activity. I don't know what people could be thinking. Maybe some of the people in this room have a room to dedicate to an entertainment activity, but back here in the real world? That's not what we have in America."

"We have like $300 to spend on an entertainment device and we do not have a dedicated room. We have a room for a screen, a couch, and controllers," he added. "We don't have something where you stand in a big open space and hold two controllers with something on your head--and not crash into the coffee table. We don't have that."

Zelnick went on to say there are "any number of constraints" to virtual reality taking off. This isn't to say he's completely down on VR in general, however.

"I'm not unexcitied; I'm just saying it remains to be seen," he said. "There are impediments."
Source: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vr-is-too-expensive-and-takes-up-too-much-room-tak/1100-6440381/
 

MilkyJoe

Member
People still use coffee tables?


It's almost as if there was no market place outside of the US. Or people with more than 300 dollars. Wait how are Ferrari still in business?


Does he know that if no one buys it then it will never evolve... Jinkies.
 
Agree with him to be honest. The average person has a limited entertainment budget and $2000 for a VR device and capable computer is too high barrier of entry for the average consumer. VR is fascinating to an extent but too many people are financially locked out of the technology.

When the price comes down to reasonable levels - that's when VR might have a shot. At the moment though? I'm as doubtful as this guy.
 
There's more to VR than room-scale experiences backed by intense visuals. I can't wait to be able to slip on a headset and surround myself with a virtual desktop, which will make the work I do on PC that much easier.

There's still a large barrier to entry to VR.

There's plenty of large barriers to VR. They won't remain so large over time.
 
I do have to agree. Roomspace VR is exciting as hell, but also increasingly in-feasible for me. I'm currently apartment hunting, and finding the space to fit a 'great' Vive experience... That's an insane investment. Especially if you wanted to dedicate the space, instead of having to move furniture every time you want to play Hover Junkers.

It makes Oculus' commitment to 'seated' VR a bit more reasonable, even as Valve chruns out a more impressive product. I know I can fit the best experiences on that platform in my life. I can't say the same for the Vive.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
People still use coffee tables?


It's almost as if there was no market place outside of the US. Or people with more than 300 dollars. Wait how are Ferrari still in business?


Does he know that if no one buys it then it will never evolve... Jinkies.

Because owning a Ferrari isn't dependent on a bunch of other people buying in. VR needs software to have any value. No customer base = no software = no value.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Well I'm fairly certain VR has to scale to the more affordable price over time, particularly concerning PC tethered VR.

Also, the companies and houses I have been at thus far with Vive in particular, do not dedicate a room to it, simply because they don't have one to spare specifically for it. Having said that it certainly seems to work fine enough in all the rooms. Most interestingly, none have committed to mounting lighthouses - they are either placed and left their, removed after use or on tripods that are moved around or hidden away.

But yeah, far too expensive for the vast majority, and not a good idea to develop massive games for right now, because obviously the audience will not be there or join anytime soon.
 
The man is so right and so down to earth, in my case they fooled me twice with Playstation Move and Kinect. Not again sir, no way.
 

Zojirushi

Member
Well him speaking of "We" sure sounds strange. I'm sure he definitely has a room and the cash for this in his CEO mansion.
 

Calvero

Banned
People still use coffee tables?


It's almost as if there was no market place outside of the US. Or people with more than 300 dollars. Wait how are Ferrari still in business?


Does he know that if no one buys it then it will never evolve... Jinkies.

???? how is that comparable at all
 

KorrZ

Member
He's not wrong. I'm someone who does have the disposable income for that sort of thing and even I'm not ready to invest in it. For the average person who maybe enjoys games but hasn't even made the leap to PS4/XONE yet? No chance.
 

Trogdor1123

Member
There's more to VR than room-scale experiences backed by intense visuals. I can't wait to be able to slip on a headset and surround myself with a virtual desktop, which will make the work I do on PC that much easier.



There's plenty of large barriers to VR. They won't remain so large over time.
Not sure if the average consumer sees it that way
 

Hale-XF11

Member
I have the space. I just don't have the money. Seems like those who have the money for it don't seem to have that much trouble making space for it though.
 

Abounder

Banned
People still use coffee tables?


It's almost as if there was no market place outside of the US. Or people with more than 300 dollars. Wait how are Ferrari still in business?


Does he know that if no one buys it then it will never evolve... Jinkies.

Americans have the biggest homes, and is the best market for tech. As for Ferrari, investors don't like them and have been on a downward trend.

That CEO knows VR is more of a beta test and being skeptical is fine for now. Does seem like a rushed launch
 

thelatestmodel

Junior, please.
"No market". The Vive is still sold out everywhere. Can we really not see past these "barriers to entry"?

It doesn't matter that not everyone can afford or make room for it right now. It's doing well enough that it's here to stay, and it will get cheaper.

The need for space is an interesting one too - obviously next to no-one has a dedicated VR room. Don't you just clear some space if you want to play a game that needs the room? That's what I'd do, it's not hard. Claiming to speak for the US and saying "we don't have that" is pretty arrogant to be honest. Lots of people seem to be managing just fine.
 

artsi

Member
Well, I think Vive is great, but I have to a agree that roomscale is pretty bothersome for many people. I have space and it still was, have to move furniture etc.
Games need to properly scale from sitting / standing to roomscale, if they want to be successful in markets like Japan where space is an issue.
 

DarkKyo

Member
Let me know when VR has neural interface and more senses involved than just sight, sound, and quasi-touch(holding two wands is not touch). So in 30+ years when that technology is upon us, I'm so in.
 
I mean, he's not wrong on a mainstream level when we're talking about the market as of today, but the market has also already proven that there are more people that DO fit these requirements than supply can fulfill right now. Eventually the price will come down.

Also the dedicated room stuff is hyperbole. If you had enough room to play Wii (which apparently a lot of people did), you have enough room for a standing VR experience with motion controllers.
 

Majine

Banned
Yup, he's right.

Also, there's no one piece of software that stands out from the rest and lead the demand (the Wii Sports of VR if you will). It's just a lot of smaller, less marketable games.

VR will soon be over, but some day it will rise again, hopefully with more promising basis.
 

Fredrik

Member
Didn't Kinect sell quite okay? VR shouldn't need more space than Kinect. The pricing is way off though, even PSVR, so he's still somewhat right. Personally I'm sitting on the fence during the first gen VR.
 

Alexious

Member
Completely agree with him (and yes, I've tried both PS VR and Oculus Rift).

4K with HDR is the way to go forward for gaming.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
Not surprising. VR represents a large investment for relatively small return at this point of time if you're the CEO of a major publisher.
 
Good thing they don't cost $2000.
The space thing I think is an imaginary complaint. It's not that big of a hurdle to work around if you want to.
 
People still use coffee tables?


It's almost as if there was no market place outside of the US. Or people with more than 300 dollars. Wait how are Ferrari still in business?


Does he know that if no one buys it then it will never evolve... Jinkies.

To the bolded, yes.

And to the rest, he's saying it will appeal to a niche but mainstream is a ways to go
 
It's a gimmick and so were the 2 cases I mentioned. I have no interest and no need for such a thing, and I can afford one, that's not the problem.

How is VR a 'gimmick'? It's a genuinely enabling new medium that has applications across all walks of life. You can achieve meaningful experiences and QOL enhancements using VR in ways that are impossible or tenuous with the devices VR is commonly compared to on this forum. It seems to me as though you're looking at VR from the exact same limited perspective I already pointed out - that it's a video game device, for video games. VR can be so much more than that and just handwaving it away as a 'gimmick' says to me that you don't understand VR and moreover that you don't even want to. Fair enough, but gimmick sure as hell isn't the word for what VR is.

Yes it is, you need to have it plugged to a PC or PS4 AFAIK, just like a Move or Kinect.

Move and Kinect, as dedicated 360 and PS3 peripherals, were destined to be gaming-centric devices from day one, and were marketed as devices through which you'd change the way you controlled games. VR is not simply 'for games' in the same vein that those devices were.
 
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