Posted on 01/26/2024 9:18:39 AM PST by fireman15
Table of contents
1. VR Is Cheaper Than Ever
2. Major Improvements in VR Experiences
3. VR Games Lead the Way to the Metaverse
4. VR Games Follow Monetization Trends
5. Mixed Reality Experiences
6. Standalone Headsets
7. VR Cloud Gaming
8. Better and More Engaging VR Content
9. Adventure, Shooter, and Simulation Genres Are the Most Popular
10. VR Is Extending Beyond Gaming
VR Game Trends: A Summary
The VR games market is evolving and maturing. It's predicted to almost double in size in 2024 and grow at a CAGR of 42%. (Newzoo) That's thanks to key developments in VR technology, hardware, and software that drive the market forward. Here are the most important VR game trends you should know about.
Data source: Newzoo
1. VR Is Cheaper Than Ever
One of the main reasons why VR is moving closer to mass adoption is more affordable hardware and software. While it's still not accessible to everyone, it's cheaper than it ever was before.
There are even some headsets for under $100. However, don't expect exceptional performance from these.
The best affordable VR headset that also has good performance is currently Meta Quest 2. Even with the $100 increase in price in summer 2022, this is still the best budget VR headset – you can get it for around $400.
2. Major Improvements in VR Experiences
The improvements in headsets, controllers, and peripherals are resulting in more interactive and immersive VR experiences. For example, features like eye tracking or haptic feedback in controllers that are available with headsets like PlayStation VR2.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.udonis.co ...
I have had a long-time interest in this type of thing. I purchased one of the first consumer VR headsets, the SimulEyes PC VR goggles back in 1996. They worked with a CRT monitor with a high refresh rate. I thought that they were quite amazing.
I got into 3D photography and set up matched pairs of cameras and also purchased a Fuji FinePix REAL 3D W3 digital camera. I bought various types of 3D viewers and also a full size 3D television to view my photos and videos on. I even bought the HTC Evo 3D cell phone which has a 3D screen. Of course I also have several inexpensive "headsets" that you place a phone in to play 3D games and/or do walk through 3D/360 tours for real estate, etc...
At some point in the not too distant future, I will be purchasing a full fledged current VR headset. I can guarantee that it will not be the $3500 Apple device, but I am happy that this technology has been growing enough that Apple decided to jump in the fray.
Now, I also have a 3D television from 2014, but the 3D content fad has waned. I've been putting off replacing my 75" TV because I don't want to lose the 3D capabilities. I sometimes turn on the 2D->3D converter to watch some sports events, but the conversion process has some interesting artifacts that distort the picture.
I don't think I'm ever going to try the VR experience, though. I might have considered in 10 years ago, but I'd rather spend my time doing other things these days.
-PJ
Fun stuff!
VR glasses will work to turn your squalid and impoverished life in a “fifteen minute city” into something roughly approximating an anime castle.
My first vr headset was a Oculus Rift S, I got it just to play VR Rhythm Games (Beat Saber...etc) for cardio. I currently have a Rift S, Quest 2 and two Quest 3s.
I take a lot of 360 panoramas and videos with a Drone (DJI Mini 3 pro) and a dedicated 360 Camera. I use a VR headset to look at the photos and videos I’ve taken, Its like your are there, especially with Drone Panoramas as the photos you capture are 8192x4096.
Many of the players take a "Whose Line Is It Anyways" approach and absolute hilarity ensues. So dang fun.
Watching my kids character interact with pro Roleplayers is the most entertaining thing in my life.
I own a Oculus Quest 2 that i have hardly used in the past 3 years.
The technology is really cool and the VR games are impressive but i just can’t really get into it.
I find it a pain to use and wear, especially because i wear glasses.
My primary interest in VR at the moment is to improve my flight simulator experience. A small fortune can be spent on multiple monitors and other accessories and the experience will still not be as close to flying as what VR provides.
As far as escaping from my squalid and impoverished life in a “fifteen minute city”. My wife and I live in the foothills in a gated community with an airport. We have a hangar next to our house that holds two airplanes four hang gliders and a lot of other recreational items.
In our case the VR would be used to save money and time and increase safety as we age. I currently take a lot of “flights” in the flight simulator that help recreate previous experiences and bring back pleasant memories from younger days.
The problem wasn't so much that the shutter glasses technology didn't keep up... it was the refresh rate of the LCD monitors when they first came out. You can now purchase monitors that would work with the shutter glasses, but the software for them is so old that it likely would be difficult to get them to work with newer operating systems.
If it was not for my interest in flight simulators I am not sure that I would have much incentive to participate in other VR experiences.
You may want to consider new projectors. I have an Ultra-Short-Throw (UST) projector at 100”, although it’ll do 120”. Most of these projectors support 3D. It seems part of the problem people had with 3D was the immersion. Watching 3D movies from 10’ away at 100” is fun. I don’t see any cross-talk between left and right images. The active glasses are at 140hz now. It’s also 4k and does a descent job at upscaling. The 4k movies look incredible.
Modern projectors are moving to laser light sources, no bulbs. With UST projectors nobody can walk between the projector and the screen either. The only real downsides are the effort getting everything calibrated for the space you’ll use and the black levels don’t come close to OLED. That said, I don’t have $20-30k for a 100”+ OLED and you’ll probably still not have 3D. To get the best blacks/contrast you’ll also need an Ambient Light Reducing screen, which aren’t cheap. I’ll take the size over “blackest blacks” all day (personal opinion). My projector and screen totaled ~$4k....but that was 2 years ago.
I have an older Oculus Rift. It’s still great imo...but things have definitely improved enough, in both specifications and price, I’m probably going to upgrade soon.
Some of that old software still works on my laptop, but with anaglyph images.
-PJ
-PJ
VR still makes everybody sick.
Players have to take medication or get high in order to cope and most people can only last about 2 hours before quitting.
The headset still causes sores, gets hot and putting that much radio frequency in direct contact with your head in order to make rigs wireless is only going to make things worse.
if you have any alcohol in your system it can become quite nauseating..
It takes some getting used to...especially for an old dude like me.
Unfortunately found "I" cannot wear it for more than 20-30 minutes(nausea/headaches).
...despite that(and the "sweet-spot" issue, for older/cheaper sets)...the immersion factor is very cool, pushing further realism in the flight sim world anyway.
Smaller apparatus? 4K/3D-photo-world?
...sky's the limit : )
Sorry, not true.
The headset still causes sores, gets hot and putting that much radio frequency in direct contact with your head
Most people who fly already deal with large headsets or even helmets that can become uncomfortable especially on long flights. And the VR headset that I am planning on buying has a cable going to it for a better picture with less artifacts... so there little or no radio frequency exposure coming from it.
I really could not care less if you have any interest in these... I am not sure why you are here wildly exaggerating the negatives.
I really appreciate the feedback! That is my first choice at this point.
Unfortunately found “I” cannot wear it for more than 20-30 minutes(nausea/headaches).
That is a limitation that may not be the worst thing in the world. I have a wife that gets after me after about the same period of time in front of the computer. You might be able to find some type of optical solution that would give you some relief... or you might get used to it and this might not be a problem for you after a while. I don't know.
One of the main reasons why VR is moving closer to mass adoption is more affordable hardware and software. While it's still not accessible to everyone, it's cheaper than it ever was before... Even with the $100 increase in price in summer 2022
Now that's a head scratcher🤔
I was not using interlacing on the monitor that I used with them. I had the video card set for progressive video at a fast refresh rate where every other frame was for the other eye. The shutters merely blacked out one eye and then the other.
I suppose that it was possible that some setups did use interlacing, my monitor was compatible of a high enough refresh rate that this was not necessary or desirable.
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