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Develop: PC VR sales has almost ground to a halt

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.


Not sure if $500 is a mass market price for a gaming accessory.
 

spekkeh

Banned
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.
PSVR doesnt have a mass market compatible price.
 

Klyka

Banned
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.

Usually the software comes when the hardware is established.
So if the hardware doesn't sell, making the software isn't going to be worth it.
 

Vuze

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.
nice ones :^)
 

bobbytkc

ADD New Gen Gamer
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.

It doesn't have the adoption numbers to support a VR market. The VR guys better pray that PSVR is successful.
 

Baleoce

Member
Depends on the games.
I actually see no game that will sell VR on console. Resident Evil 7 maybe.

Maybe it won't sell people on VR because it's not a massive company with a huge marketing engine, but if the creators of Redout play their cards right they could do well for themselves. I think in a more general term, and considering its current state, the racing genre has a lot to gain from VR (from the perspective of rekindling the mass market's enjoyment for it)
 

Genio88

Member
I called it, not that it was that hard to predict, VR won't ever succeed until price drops under 200$ and they fix the cables and the lack of content issues
 
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.

I think you mean the only chance right now is the most affordable device with over 40 million compatible hardware units out there.
 

Fitts

Member
Not surprising. There aren't any games.

And I don't think stuff with optional VR (ex. RE7) is going to drive sales either. You need purely VR games to show people the technology is worth the investment. Otherwise it is indeed more gimmick than platform.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
Depends on the games.
I actually see no game that will sell VR on console. Resident Evil 7 maybe.

I want to buy a VR headset but no software has enticed me yet. I refuse to early adopt on this tech and sit back and wait, hoping the software that appeals to me eventually comes. Not gonna happen.

Trying to be optimistic for a 2017 buy though.

I STILL have a psvr launch bundle on pre-order. If nothing shown off at this week's event convinces me to keep it... i'm cancelling to reassess at a later time.

Putting all those funds towards a NX, Neo, or both.
 

Xater

Member
Really unsurprising news.

Expecting PSVR to do so much better seems also foolish to me. It's still not a cheap add-on and I don#t think the software is there.
 
Psvr will sell decent at first and then fade into oblivion. Truly believe that, tried it quite a lot of times now and i don't think the HW nor the SW are there yet.
 

Dredd97

Member
Expecting PSVR to do so much better seems also foolish to me. It's still not a cheap add-on and I don#t think the software is there.

it's cheaper than oculus and vive, and there does seem to be games there... driveclub VR and battlezone both look excellent...
 
PSVR doesnt have a mass market compatible price.

The €400 set on amazon.de was sold out within seconds in Germany (at least what they had in stock for day 1). I think the pricing of PSVR is fine. For now.

Concerning killer apps, well, everybody has a different taste and I don't want to derange this threat into another list wars frency, but yes, I think that PSVR offers a couple of interesting / exclusive VR experiences, some of them tailored for specific markets like Japan.
 

NHale

Member
Hope MS takes their lesson out of this for Scorpio VR.

So you think the solution to VR has anything to do with the new Microsoft console, which consists in attaching an already too expensive product (VR Headset) for the mainstream to a new console that Microsoft is already saying it's going to be sold at a premium cost aka not for mainstream?

The €400 set on amazon.de was sold out within seconds in Germany (at least what they had in stock for day 1). I think the pricing of PSVR is fine. For now.

Concerning killer apps, well, everybody has a different taste and I don't want to derange this threat into another list wars frency, but yes, I think that PSVR offers a couple of interesting / exclusive VR experiences, some of them tailored for specific markets like Japan.

Oculus Rift was also sold out in hours. The problem is that after the rush of hardcore gamers, there is no 2nd wave of interest that comes from the mainstream audience. I doubt PSVR will be any different at that price.
 
I have psvr on pre order and no games for it on pre order hoping i will get something tomorrow night, otherwise will likely get VR worlds, have battlefront and volume as own both the games already, even if i don't i am getting the headset i just want one. PSVR will eat pc vrs lunch this year that is covered by the preorders it is next year that is the big worry that it does not become a 3dtv thing and support just dry up.
 
it's cheaper than oculus and vive, and there does seem to be games there... driveclub VR and battlezone both look excellent...

I think the trouble is no one outside of gaf really cares about driveclub.

GT sport would have been a MUCH bigger sell but sadly it was delayed.
 

iceatcs

Junior Member
My workmates keep forget which and who made it. Only he remember Sony one and know when it coming.

HTC and Oculus are most forgettable name.
 

Filter

Member
At the moment it's expensive, it's for the same sort of people that buy high end driving wheels and HOTAS controllers.

But in a couple of years, all new computers will come with hardware that can run it at today's level of quality, and the components in the headsets will be much cheaper.

The manufacturers of these things know, and have stated that this is a long game.

All they need a somewhat steady flow of games as well as media like VR movies to get thru this transition of barely affordable enthusiast hardware, to impulse buy hardware that offers new ways to keep in touch socially and consume movies etc.
 

ViviOggi

Member
There's a limit to what the highly expensive first generation can accomplish market-wise, if you're quick to label VR as a fad already you can't ever have followed any new tech launch really. Give it another generation or two and things will look different.

The PSVR hype posts are embarassing
 

Xater

Member
The €400 set on amazon.de was sold out within seconds in Germany (at least what they had in stock for day 1). I think the pricing of PSVR is fine. For now.

You know what also sold out early on? These PC headsets. It's early adopters that buy the small allotment that gets produced. It's really not telling us anything about how things will go.
 

Klyka

Banned
Like, look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8N3aOn1iWE

This is really cool right? Sure it's not perfect, but it is really cool. And it's going towards what we want, which is actual game experiences.

But as much as I would love to play this with my friends, the price to be able to use it is just insane.
And I am sure I am not the only one looking at VR and thinking they would love to try it/own it but just literally can't or like in my case, don't want to afford it because the price/value ratio is just whack.
 

Shaanyboi

Banned
The software needs to be there for the excitement behind VR to really matter. Hopefully PSVR can be a home to 'the thing' that makes people need to have it in their home, but right now, there's just... nothing. Right now, we're just talking about a really expensive add-on that still hasn't been figured out yet.
 

Noobcraft

Member
The €400 set on amazon.de was sold out within seconds in Germany (at least what they had in stock for day 1). I think the pricing of PSVR is fine. For now.
Without knowing stock allotments, selling out in seconds doesn't mean much. What percentage of PS4 owners can be expected to purchase PSVR?

It's probably very low
 

Joni

Member
It makes sense. There might be a lot of PC gamers, but that market where performance matters, only the best is accepted, etc. isn't very large. And then those hardcore players, you need to convince that one of these two hugely expensive machines is worth it for the few games available. More accessible price and hardware of the PlayStation VR might help but console addons usually don't sell that well.
 
I've never tried VR beyond some brief go on Google cardboard or equivalent on mobile but the choice of games mainly so far just remind me too much of when the Wii was about. Silly, daft, gimmicky experiences that have little to go back for once you've had your fun. And the likelihood of seeing major AAA games beyond those experiences seems very slim. But in the end would you want to sit their with a headset on for hours on end regardless. I still stand by the fact that VR won't take off properly or become a standard and disappear again in a couple of years time.
 

KORNdoggy

Member
i honestly think PSVR has the best chance purely because it will have the support of sony and their studio's behind it. PC's offerings are very much in the realm of kickstarter indie experiences and i'm yet to see anything akin to RIGS in terms of money being sunk into it, or even visually. will it last? maybe not. but i expect to get good support for at least 2 years and i'm ok with that.
 

spwolf

Member
Usually the software comes when the hardware is established.
So if the hardware doesn't sell, making the software isn't going to be worth it.

thats why it is good for platform holder to be able to push it, like Sony is... and thats the problem with Vive and Oculus, they just hope some indie production will become smash hit.

vs console gamers getting a VR missions of major blockbusters coming out this year.
 

Kill3r7

Member
Admittedly I am skeptical on VR, does not fit my lifestyle/gaming habits, but I can't help but think that people touting PSVR are way too caught up in the hype. This thing has Vita written all over it. It will be great for those who play it but the mass market won't give it the time of day.
 

DavidDesu

Member
Obtaining PlayStation VR for a total newbie is quite expensive, most would say too expensive. So of course PC VR is then utterly ludicrous by comparison. Get a PS4 and PSVR for similar price to just the Vive on its own, and while the Vive is better, it's not that much better. From all accounts PSVR acquits itself admirably considering all the factors, and it still delivers real VR, it's not like it's as far behind as Gear VR for instance. It's in the same ballpark but for half the price.

Then when you take into account the number of casual gameplaying families who have a PS4 or will naturally be obtaining one very soon, thanks to cost cutting, PS4 Slim etc, then the outlay for PSVR becomes drastically more achievable.

This all just confirms to me the very obvious problem with PCVR from the start. The requirements are way too high and the average PC gamer simply doesn't have the equipment to run it, only a niche does, and now that niche that can run it has ran out of people left willing to buy at the current headset prices.
 

scoobs

Member
Well having a buy-in price of like $1,800 is pretty rough, I'm sure these companies were very prepared for this situation.
 
You mean Sony would just release a gadget and then forget about it? Sir you are being too pessimistic.
Considering they've started VR specific studios, I'm not so sure they'd just "forget about it". They're not in a position to be so careless with wasting money on studios like that. They may actually take VR seriously.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
Only hardcore enthusiasts would bother with it right now. With tech allowing headsets to be fully wireless, why would anyone bother with 1st gen? Plenty of mainstream gamers i know are simply waiting for the next iteration.
 
Obtaining PlayStation VR for a total newbie is quite expensive, most would say too expensive. So of course PC VR is then utterly ludicrous by comparison. Get a PS4 and PSVR for similar price to just the Vive on its own, and while the Vive is better, it's not that much better. .

The Vive is in a completely different league to the PSVR, the moves are absolute shite in comparison to the vives controllers.
 
So you think the solution to VR has anything to do with the new Microsoft console, which consists in attaching an already too expensive product (VR Headset) for the mainstream to a new console that Microsoft is already saying it's going to be sold at a premium cost aka not for mainstream?

No, I think that MS should be well aware of the extremely limited prospects of delivering a high-end / expensive VR solution on a console.



Oculus Rift was also sold out in hours. The problem is that after the rush of hardcore gamers, there is no 2nd wave of interest that comes from the mainstream audience. I doubt PSVR will be any different at that price.


You know what also sold out early on? These PC headsets. It's early adopters that buy the small allotment that gets produced. It's really not telling us anything about how things will go.

Of course, but do you really think that Sony wasn't able to produce much more PSVR sets for the upcoming months than OR / Vive did?

Concerning the 2nd wave: VR is a hard sell on regular channels. Just seeing someone playing a VR game isn't very compelling. Or watching a stream on youtube, as most VR games, especially for PSVR, just look "meh" in 2D.

I actually hope that the first wave works as a multiplicator for the second one, making people wan't to buy one after they experienced it themselves on a set from a friend for example.
 
It's cost prohibitive, lacking in killer-app level software and the software that is there isn't as mature in terms of content offering/experiences to conventional gaming. That and the fact that right now we haven't seen the definitive way to engage games in VR arrive yet, so they're still reliant on somewhat conventional means of playing even if immersion is deeper than ever. I think the seeds of the future are in the fancier controllers and Lighthouse tracking, personally, since that's what will eventually lead to deeper simulation. It remains to be seen how long the market is gonna take regarding wanting full simulation. The allure is there but I don't think the general public cares yet.

It's a technology in its infancy -- I personally wasn't expecting it to catch on like wildfire right off the bat, maybe not ever. Saw it was more of a long tail thing in terms of growth and relevance, since cost is a huge barrier right now.
 

SoulUnison

Banned
Price too high, content level too low.

C'mon developers! Grab this opportunity.

You've got to make content that justifies the tech and the price tag.
 

Sevenfold

Member
Can't agree with the summary. Surely there are people like me who want a V2 headset. It's not the sort of purchase I want to make multiple times. I want a higher res unit without the first gen lenses/black level and I'm happy to wait for the early adopters to fully explore the units available and feedback to the companies involved. I'm sure Oculus/Valve etc are thinking this way, and I'm sure V2 is well on its way. This news will play well for those with an agenda though.
Not to mention those desperate to see VR fail to vindicate their early 'predictions'

Resi 7 may yet show us the way as far as AAA full length VR.
 

bobbytkc

ADD New Gen Gamer
Can't agree with the summary. Surely there are people like me who want a V2 headset. It's not the sort of purchase I want to make multiple times. I want a higher res unit without the first gen lenses/black level and I'm happy to wait for the early adopters to fully explore the units available and feedback to the companies involved. I'm sure Oculus/Valve etc are thinking this way, and I'm sure V2 is well on its way. This news will play well for those with an agenda though.
Not to mention those desperate to see VR fail to vindicate their early 'predictions'

The Vive launched for less than half a year, and sales have pretty much tapered off. I don't see any 'agenda', just simple interpretation of the facts.
 
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