Your comparison of this to functional products like 3D printers is unreasonable given that 3D printers are not novelties. I considered at first the idea that when GPS came into the market, it took a while for it to become cheap enough to be mainstream. Then I realized that it had to because more people were going to buy it since it is a necessary item. No one needs a 3D head display and nothing we have currently (software and hardware) is conducive to a future where virtual reality would be mainstream. It is going to take both hardware and software developers forging a complete new era of technology in order for this to be successful. How would that work? What would it take to make people need a virtual headgear? That is probably where these companies should be focusing their energies, not on the lay gamer.
i really don't think it's that unreasonable at all- both are examples of new tech that were/are prohibitively expensive when they first came to market. 3D printers didn't start as something a hobbyist would purchase- they were geared to professionals where rapid prototyping has a real benefit. now a makerbot can be had for $900- that's still damn expensive to most, but for hobbyists that's not such a big ask (i play guitar as an example, and routinely spend as much on gear such as amps, instruments and effects).
i take your point about the non-gaming applications of VR- but i think part of the reason you don't hear about it is because most of the VR info you absorb is likely filtered through a gaming website. think about the applications for architecture firms, design, scientific research. i mean even will smith left tested.com to specifically develop a new communications platform for VR.
don't get me wrong- asking gamers for $800 (no pc hardware included) is a lot- but just because it's available to any consumer doesn't mean it's their run at the mainstream. this is their first time putting it up for sale- we'll have to see how the market and producers respond.
This whole "It's first gen tech, of course it's going to be a bit pricey" thing needs to stop. I could be on board with that if the pre-ordered items you received were all you needed, but they clearly are not. I haven't seen a single collection of replies, on GB or otherwise, that makes no mention of needing to upgrade just to use these headsets.
I know, people love shiny new things because humans are all easily impressed at heart, but we're talking hundreds if not thousands of dollars on top of the VR gear itself just to use it. That's insane. My computer isn't even that damn old and the idea that it requires a complete overhaul just so I can look like I slapped a black Virtual Boy on my head doesn't exactly sound like a selling point to me.
At this point, the only VR I would even consider is the Sony version and who the hell knows what that thing will actually cost in the long run. These things reek of 3D television to me: Too much marketing, too much money, not enough proof of concept.
i mean- if your main critique is that these things shouldn't be this expensive- i'm not sure what to tell you. this early in the game, i'm willing to bet it's almost entirely R&D and material costs. i think neither facebook nor valve/htc expect to be lining their pockets with the sales of these things- so it is what it is. don't buy first gen anything- you'll always pay more.
it's brand new tech- look at the price of 3D printers when they first came to consumer market vs. now. if you can manage to wait even one year from gen 1 retail release- at the bare minimum gpu's should be cheaper. but that said- even fully mature high-tech product lines aren't that cheap- a base model iphone 6s costs $649 unlocked.
you have to remember- facebook, valve/htc, and sony all WANT you to buy these things. the pricing such as it is now tells me they don't expect people for whom a $400 purchase is substantial to buy these things anyway!
and in terms of over-marketing- i dunno, aside from the occasional print article on palmer- where else have you seen VR companies pushing headsets on consumers? it's not like they were running superbowl ads.
sure, all of this looks expensive- but first-run hardware almost always is (see: apple products, electric cars, and early mp3 players). my bigger concern are the various VR ecosystems that will soon be competing for a relatively small userbase. between facebook's oculus, samsung's gear, sony's playstation VR, google's thing, apple's thing, and valve/htc's vive- it's going to be NECESSARY for these platforms to play nice together...and i know some promised they will. but they really NEED to.
oof! in terms of enjoyment- this is the game i've most thoroughly enjoyed in a looong time. i think it's a substantial improvement over enemy unknown. it would be a personal 5, but i appreciate dan's candor.
phew- what a relief. i'm so glad it's done (i was just listening to a bombcast from 2011 where the big man and kleptok were discussing the prototype) and appears to be everything it set out to be- a highly cerebral and personal experience.
i'm genuinely thrilled to dive in- can't wait to discuss it with the community! thanks for the stellar writeup @brad!
I've... I've never checked my blood pressure once in my life (I'm 29). I mean, I'm sure some doctor has at some point, but I've never been told if its good or bad (so I guess its good?) so that a TEEN of all people would drop a blood pressure line feels very weird to me.
should get it checked! it's like dental work- easy to ignore for years and then suddenly it's an expensive problem! but if you get routine physicals or check ups they always check it then.
mellotronrules's comments