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Develop: PC VR sales has almost ground to a halt

W

Wollan

Member
http://www.develop-online.net/news/vr-momentum-slows-dramatically-on-steam/0223756
The study, spotted by VentureBeat, shows the number of Steam users that acquired a HTC Vive only grew 0.3 per cent in July and was flat in August. Similarly, growth from Oculus Rift’s Steam userbase only reached 0.3 per cent in July, and 0.1 per cent in August.
Click to expand...
Speculation suggests that we’re seeing the end of the early adoption for VR. Anyone willing to splash out full price – hundreds of dollars for a headset, thousands for a compatible PC or laptop – is expected to have done so, meaning the only way the VR market can grow is to reach out to more mainstream or lower-spending consumers.

Sony’s PlayStation VR launches next month, while Google is hoping to launch Daydream soon. It could be that mobile and home console VR solutions prove to be more appealing and accessible to the broader market.
Click to expand...
 
A

Aranath

Member
Not surprising. In my own experience, the headsets are just too expensive (900 euros for the Vive) and there are nowhere near enough games to justify that kind of spending.
 
K

Klyka

Banned
There have been tiny, ever so small glimpses of games that are going into the right direction (like "Onward" which is a multiplayer VR FPS with actual proper game controls) but so far everything is basically just a gimmick or an experience not even remotely worth the horrendously expensive price of admission.

If they can keep VR relevant for another year or two and we get some better hardware + lower prices, maybe it'll grow again.
 
angelic

angelic

Banned
All expensive tech is niche, no one should be surprised. PSVR will be half the price next xmas and regarded like Kinect, Move and all the others in 3 years.
 
M

Mr Swine

Banned
I always knew that PSVR was going to have the market for themselves. I see it becoming this years biggest hit! Too bad that VR for PC won't take off
 
M

madmackem

Member
It's expensive and you need a rig that mass market users don't have to power it, I've said it from the off all vr makers need Sonys PSVR to take off, it's cheaper and easier to buy but it will be the gateway into VR for the mass market, we need PSVR to be the eye opener to push VR to all. On top of that the software isn't there yet, this is another area I hope Sony can push.
 
F

Forever Changes

Banned
Mr Swine said:
I always knew that PSVR was going to have the market for themselves. I see it becoming this years biggest hit! Too bad that VR for PC won't take off
Click to expand...

Of course it will, it's cheap and it's Playstation.

I still don't see it setting the world on fire though. VR is too damn early.
 
B

Brerlappin

Member
Time can prove me wrong on this, but as someone who was 100% sold on VR being the future m year or two ago, nowadays I'm thinking it was a fad after all. Don't get me wrong, it does work and it works well, but it's the lack of any killer apps, the cumbersome nature of the whole thing, the cost, the motion sickness, it just all adds up to something that is just a neat experience to try for 20 minutes or so and then forget about.
I don't expect PSVR to change things too much. Games just still work better without 5lbs of plastic on your head
 
O

orava

Member
Not really high hopes for psvr. With the new console versions releasing, the situation is just becoming a huge mess.
 
Deft Beck

Deft Beck

Member
I expected the enthusiast segment of the VR market to saturate already. The lower-priced entries will need to make some major strides to reach the same point.

I think that PSVR will do healthily at its lower price and entry point. Still, I think we will see a glut of VR software that will cash in on the VR phenomenon, which will cause an awkward situation at retail and digital platforms in a year or two. It's a similar situation with what happened to motion gaming a few years ago.
 
LordRaptor

LordRaptor

Member
Calm Mind said:
inb4 Krejlooc with reasons why its not.
Click to expand...

Well its July and August, traditionally lull periods for any sort of gaming related hardware (don't believe me go and look at NPD threads).

Also, if you follow the breadcrumbs to the original source of this information, you'll find its Reddit looking at Steam HW surveys rather than any retail or manufacturing numbers too.

Either way its a bit premature to announce PC VR is dead, even if a sizable chunk of people want that to be true, but hey, slow news day.
 
S

spekkeh

Banned
Yeah still waiting for that killer app. The best games for me are Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes and Land's End, and they came out a year ago on Gear VR. Stuff like Tiltbrush and The Lab etc. are cool novelties, but noone is rushing out to lay down 1000 euro for it. Especially considering how small the market that can run it in the first place is.

In general it came at least a year to early, with only now semi affordable graphics cards that can run it. I'm hoping they can rekindle the hype next generation. Otherwise, here's to 2026 when VR will definitely certainly break through.

(I'm still clinging on to hope Galaxy S8 has positional tracking)
 
K

kitsuneyo

Member
I love the idea of VR, but I've got no interest in spending my time that way except very occasionally. Guess that's a common feeling.
 
T

Tenki

Member
So the only chance right now is the worst VR by far. Great.

This shouldn't have been the year of VR. The technology is too expensive and the software isn't there.
 
Bitch Pudding

Bitch Pudding

Member
PSVR has a couple of major advantages cp. to PC sets:
- A mass market compatble price
- Plug & Play
- No high-end rig required
- Killer-apps

So, it's not only a price issue.

PSVR will be fine for now, on the long run? That remains to be seen.
 
P

Primethius

Banned
I'm thinking PSVR will be the most successful but nothing to write home about.

Aside from RIGs, there hasn't really been a VR game that I've truly wanted to play.
 
F

funkystudent

Member
Bring a early adopter for VR seems real dumb.

Give it a few years and this shit will be wireless, 4k and not look like a virtual boy strapped to your face.



PSVR will probably do fine like move and eyetoy but that's about it. The giant sea change won't be for years though
 
E

eFKac

Member
Is anyone surprised?

Those things cost an arm and a leg while offering games that you otherwise wouldn't give 5 seconds of your attention.

That's why I'm afraid for the PSVR, the launch window is strong but there isn't much to forward after that, currently. And it will need meaningful software to sustain itself long term.
And it can't rely on ports to fill in the gaps like the PS4 did early on, because there isn't much on the PC side besides indies.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Brerlappin said:
Time can prove me wrong on this, but as someone who was 100% sold on VR being the future m year or two ago, nowadays I'm thinking it was a fad after all. Don't get me wrong, it does work and it works well, but it's the lack of any killer apps, the cumbersome nature of the whole thing, the cost, the motion sickness, it just all adds up to something that is just a neat experience to try for 20 minutes or so and then forget about.
I don't expect PSVR to change things too much. Games just still work better without 5lbs of plastic on your head
Click to expand...


This is exactly how I feel. I was hyped until I tried it. After 20 minutes I was pretty much done with it.
 
S

sprsk

force push the doodoo rock
It has to actually sell for it to be a fad, guys.

We're still in the infant stage of the whole thing, not a lot of software out there yet, but give it time.
 
K

KurtSloane

Banned
HowZatOZ said:
Price is definitely a factor for how PC VR has performed but PSVR isn't going to suddenly boom because of price alone. You need games, and so far VR is offering experiences and piece meals of true VR content.
Click to expand...

Sony have plenty of VR content, full games and experiences by the looks of it.
 
R

Roshin

Member
As someone who has tried VR and is interested, I'm going to need some standout games and apps before I commit to a system. Glorified shooting galleries are not going to do it, I'm afraid.
 
M

M3d10n

Member
This first gen of consumer VR is horrendously expensive, but that's kinda expected. I'll wait for 3rd/4th gen devices before even considering one. By then we'll have wireless/standalone, high resolution displays, better eye comfort (light field displays) and improved usability.
 
J

justsomeguy

Member
Brerlappin said:
Time can prove me wrong on this, but as someone who was 100% sold on VR being the future m year or two ago, nowadays I'm thinking it was a fad after all. Don't get me wrong, it does work and it works well, but it's the lack of any killer apps, the cumbersome nature of the whole thing, the cost, the motion sickness, it just all adds up to something that is just a neat experience to try for 20 minutes or so and then forget about.
I don't expect PSVR to change things too much. Games just still work better without 5lbs of plastic on your head
Click to expand...

This is pretty much how I feel - it's an "experience" device, and as such for me the cost of entry is too high. Also the antisocial nature of it doesn't fit well with my lifestyle as someone with a family.

I had some time with a Vive and the immersiveness blew me away - but I'm not going to spend £600 on something that I'll probably use as much as my Kinect. But as I've said before in these threads if they bring out WoW 2: VR MMO, then I'll buy one instantly - Ready, Player One?

So I kinda *want* one, but not enough to actually buy one if that makes sense?
 
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