A video and article exploring the current state of Virtual Reality and their head mounted displays.
Unreal Engine VR is a new mod tool that brings VR support to tens of thousands of Unreal Engine titles and for free.
For a few games it's pretty easy. Just need to apply the mod and settings. For most of them of course you need tinker yourself with settings at the moment but it's not that hard (apparently).
It's as easy or complex as you want, most of the big games like Hogwarts Legacy, Atomic Heart, etc, , hundreds of them (check flatscreen to vr discord) have some profiles already made, so you just load them and it automatically sets the best settings others modders have already found, so it's a matter of minutes, but of course you can tinker for hours to make it suit your needs.
Praydog is amazing..not only made a lot of modern Resident Evil games to work in VR, now its Unreal engine games...definitely a talented guy
Oculus founder Palmer Luckey was able to try out the Playstation VR 2 at CES and was "blown away" by the experience.
Yeah, you've got to be thinking he's used plenty of headsets. Not a bad person to impress!
True. And this PSVR seems to be pushing the envelope for VR with its marriage of eye tracking and foveated rendering. I have a feeling the fans are in for a nice surprise.
This is the guy who recently created a VR headset that kills you when you lose right?
Was that a joke? I read that and was like is it april fools? Lol I ask because even creating such a thing would be considered a crime.
For the people that try to downplay the original PSVR's success by comparing to total PS4 units, he also said:
"The first PSVR was arguably the biggest success of the generation, this version will do even better".
🤣🤣🤣 spec wise it weaker then what on the market already so, gotta be talking about games.
And he says that like it's a bad thing. Aren't games the most important part?
Pay no attention to the troll and they'll go back under their bridge.
it has the highest resolution of any currently available headset. Is the only one with eye tracking or foveated rendering... only one with full haptic feedback... sit down.
And it works, sonyslave has 10 replays. Some guys like him and Orchad love the attention when they talk negative about Sony cous they get a rush out of it.
technically it'll be the most advanced VR headset when it's released. Sure there will newer headsets that push the envelope further, but this will be a huge step up from what we have currently.
PSVR2 has the highest specs of any headset outside of the $1500 and above headsets out there which are not aimed at gamers, and even gives those a run for their money due to marriage of foveated rendering+Eye tracking.
It also has specs that the other headsets (even the $1500+ headsets) dont have which are game changers. Foveated rendering+eye tracking, haptic feedback, adaptive triggers.
PSVR2 is the biggest launch in VR and you could tell by the way it was treated at CES by the press and crowd. It also won headset of the show at CES.
Overall PSVR2 specs are well above anything out there currently.
I'm debating on getting the PSVR2 but not having backward compatibility is currently my roadblock
What game(s) specifically are you wanting? Loads of devs have confirmed they're working on patches, many for free, some we don't know yet.
I'd like to hear if this is happening for Superhot, but nothing as of yet.
Yeah, by release they have 30 and there are about 100 games in development.
That a sign that developers believe in PSVR2..,,
I was in the same boat(and still ticked about it), but I caved. I just love tech toys too much to hold that grudge I guess.
While it would be nice it's a silly road block imo. Maybe some devs will do a free upgrade or a patch or something but I wouldn't say eh I can't play my psvr games with my psvr2 so f that. It seems this one is gonna do good in the games department so there won't be a shortage or anything.
All I have to say is that I am very impressed with what the Oculust Quest 2 does. I still cannot play certain games as I get motion sickness, but I do like the games that I have played.
Though it doesn't bother me and I'm still having fun with it, all the games on Meta Quest 2 graphicaly look like GameCube games.
I agree, although the lack of a wire really is a 'game' changer. I've heard, wifi streaming from your PC is the way to go.
Love how all the console trolls purposely ignore the fact you can link it up to your PC via wifi or cable, and use said hardware to play impressive games like HL Alyx, or that adult game called virt a mate.
@Number1
I bought it because it was standalone VR, I don't want to bother with streaming with my PC. Also I'm not into the virtual girl thing, but hey if that's your thing w/e and half life Alyx isn't exactly the prettiest looking game.
Alyx might not be cutting edge in graphics but you clearly haven't played it fully if you come out of that slating it's graphics.
@Papa
I never said it was a bad game or anything remotely of the sort, I'm only speaking of its visuals.
@Asplundh I don't think Valve pushed the envelope with graphics as much as they did in 2004 with Half Life 2, same with the physics, sad that there's hardly anything as good or even better these days in regards to physics.
I think Source 2 is capable of better than what you see in some of Alyx, if you check some of the screenshots there's definitely areas and models that appear to be more highly detailed than other areas IMO, which seems a bit odd. Go look up the L4D2 plantation remade in Source 2, there's some footage around somewhere and quite a few screenshots showing up close near the doors and walls of the building, it's pretty damn detailed.
They may have just cut back in some areas in Alyx so it's easier for those with weaker PCs to run the game, since VR is more demanding. But it's certainly not bad by any means, it's just a case of could look better, but looks good.
Me: wow!!! I would love to have a PSVR2. Looks very impressive but it is costly 😔.
My credit card 💳 : I'm here to help you. How are you going to miss on this spectacular peace of technology?
😥
I have no doubt it will be amazing because I loved PSVR. For me I need to see how they approach the nausea inducing element of it all. To me that was the biggest reason why I haven’t played it in years. I have RE7, Rogue Squadron, Saints and Sinners, Skyrim, Farpoint and that heist game Blood something something that is still unfinished because they made me
sick after a short while.
Games like Moss and Rescue Robot were pleasant to play. I wish they would actually make more 3rd person and les 1st person VR games.
It's a very niche market and will always be so until either it's bundled or a much lower price. Also Nothing will every replace the gamepad.
I love PS but I agree when it comes to VR. As it stands 117+ PS4 consoles were sold while only 5+ million PSVR units were sold. Compare 117 million to 5 million & that's a small amount of PSVR customers. The PSVR2 is going to be $550 which is a hefty price tag & with the prices of things going up only a handful of folks will buy the PSVR2 which are basically previous owners of PSVR. Folks on this site will more likely downvote my comment as they did yours but sometimes the truth hurts folks that don't want to hear or read the truth about something they like or admire.
VR will never replace traditional gaming. It's just another option for those who want it.
We all know how this goes, the same way with Video cassettes and tapes... VR will eventually outpace flat gaming. Yes, I love both but if you have 10 high-profile games an experienced them both on flat and VR, I can tell you for sure that the VR version will dominate and it's only a matter of time (lots of time).
This is what we're here for, gaming at it's most immersive, yes, the graphics need to get better and they have to deal with things like motion sickness a bit better but I can see 15 years from now that we're even or VR gaming having a slight edge (that's almost 2 generations from now).
Resident Evil 7 (imagine with psvr2 upgrades) and Astrobot alone... Their flat counterparts couldn't even begin to compare... Like, it's damn near magical.
If a game in VR is done right, no other version will compare, we just need to find a good way to get people trying these things on a more massive scale.
@AshleeEmerson - the problem is you can't accommodate every single person out there and you can't offer full VR experiences that cater to every different category of games. Sure, shooters feel great in VR, but platformers less so. Racing / Flight Sim are amazing, but a fighting game would be pointless.
When they announced the specs and showed the controllers I was hyped . Sony can really push VR with some big games I hope they come soon . Call of the Mountain is a good start. I hope they take some classics and make them VR capable . Some turned based JRPGS would be dope . Either way I’m excited for PSVR2 it’s some of the best tech for a really good price same as PSVR1 with controllers but a massive leap forward .
The rumors sound good: KillZone, Wipeout, Twisted Metal, Half Life Alyx, Gta5. Probably not all of them are true, but it's a good time to be a VR gamer!
I was a day 1 PSVR guy. Super excited because this new one looks bloody amazing, but the price plus my lack of free time means I'll wait. Prices will drop and I'll adapt it then if support is good enough.
I'll say though - you havn't played RE7 unless you played it in VR. I'm hoping this would have been the same for RE8 (yet to play), but the more action intense gameplay has me wondering how this will play out with the new (albeit more capable) headset.
businessinsider writes: "His exit came on Friday, the people said. Carmack, who has been openly critical of Meta's advancements in AR and VR, core to its metaverse ambitions, posted to the company's internal Workplace forum about his decision to leave."
I hope he starts up another new company and can get another new game engine on the market too.
He's apparently focusing on AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, AKA trying to get AI to be sentient. Which according to Ray Kurzweil could happen by 2029.
Then I need to look more into this because it sounds like the backbone tech I need to make Projekt Monika a reality.
AI advances are really starting to open my eyes to us not even having scratched the surface. But with the field itself growing exponentially and stuff I'd never considered before like putting AI to work finding cures for major diseases - it's exciting but also kinda scary tbh.
More on topic - sentient AI. Creating a digital soul so to speak. Spooky in a what have we done and is it good or bad kind of way.
He is like: "Im done with F#@#$%NG nonsense, pff Metaverse da funk I was thinking!!, Im out!! :D"
Yeah he put a smile in his face too in the end.
I hope he goes back to traditional games.
VR gaming is a flop and the Metaverse has (fortunately) completely failed to take off.
VR has much more potential than flat screen games. Just need to tap the right market and fund AAA development. Meta is a rotten company though so good to see him leave.
That's where it becomes a catch-22 problem though. Very few companies (if any) are going to spend AAA amounts of dollars on VR if the market isn't there - and the market isn't there.
If it was the future of gaming we'd see the big publishers getting involved - and basically none of them are.
Agree on Meta 100% - horrible company and I really do hope FB (and social media) dies some day soon.
There will never be AAA games until VR sells at the rate of mainstream consoles. Understand that even if Sony do sell 3.5 million VR in the next 2 or 3 years like they hope, that isn't ever going to get any commitments for AAA budget. No investor would ever sign off on that.
The adoption has been terrible and the market basically non-existent as a result of that.
We're now 10 years into PC VR gaming, 6 years into console VR gaming and it just hasn't taken off - the reality is, most consumers don't care for it.
Even with a huge install base like the PS4, only a few million adopted it, about 3-4%.
He only thinks it in his mind. Because Microsoft isn't offering "high fidelity VR." Only Sony is offering "high fidelity VR" because they actually deliver.
I just read today that Honda is moving forward in using VR and has vehicles that were built in VR without an actual real vehicle.
Orchard just doesn't know any better. He claims he's a PlayStation fan but doesn't want Sony to succeed in growing the VR market. But he's okay with Microsoft buying up the industry and game pass. Tell you where his mind is actually at. Or he has investment in it.
But Carmack leaving is only that he was frustrated with higher ups. But he's very interested in AI. And that's a good field of investment too.
If any of the big 3 had sales were like VR for their console, they would fold like the Saturn. Right now VR is nothing more then a high priced peripheral and no one should expect AAA for it.
By the way , I am one who would like to see VR succeed, but it has a long way to go before that ever happens.
@Apocalypse
"Only Sony is offering "high fidelity VR" because they actually deliver."
And the reality is, from what we've seen thus far, the vast majority, about 97% of Sony customers don't care about it in the slightest. They can't even sell out of PSVR2 devices, which are supposedly in short supply. Better to just invest in traditional experiences instead.
"I just read today that Honda is moving forward in using VR and has vehicles that were built in VR without an actual real vehicle."
Yes. And that helps gaming how? I've said time and time again that AR/VR is great for enterprise. Just not great for gaming.
The lack of customers, lack of customer interest, and lack of AAA game companies investing & AAA game experiences being crafted says everything we need to know about the state and future of gaming VR.
When uncle philly announced true vr experience and demoed fallout 4 in one x, some xboys sings different tune..
'Just not great for gaming.'.
That's your heavily biased opinion. You are in every VR thread trying to project your doom and gloom. Why?
There are many genres where VR is at least equal to or better than flat. VR in a driving game destroys the flat experience.
FPS, horror games, even Tetris is better in VR.
You speak about AAA as if it's the only consideration, moving goalposts.
Capcom.
Are they not a AAA publisher?
Is RE4 not a AAA game? RE7? RE8?
The Metaverse is one big flop but VR gaming on its own still has steam and growth potential. Remember Mark and his Meta wants you to associate gaming with the meta verse the gaming industry and its large number of users has the capacity to sway the opinion of the mass market.
Incidentally, Meta is haemorrhaging money and expertise that’s what this article is highlighting.
See, the problem orchard is that you see what you want to see. Sony sold PSVR at profit. They made money on software. They made money on a 10 year old peripheral. Yeah. It didn't sell 100 million. How many games sell bucket loads when they cost almost 10 times less than PSVR was at launch? That's why the new headset is coming. Before, there was no console VR. There is now. To grow the market, you must keep pushing and not be afraid like Microsoft. Facebook, HTC, ByteDance, Varjo, Valve, Sony, etc are growing the gaming market. Did flat gaming sell millions overnight? No. It took time. Just like any other product. Fads fade. VR is not a fad because it has potential in many areas. Sony doesn't want PS VR 2 to be a Kinect. A fad. Millions on advertising but no substance. It's why PS Move still exists and works on PS5. And Kinect is dead. Move had substance. PSVR had substance. Which is why PS VR 2 exists.
Honda is an example of VR entering other sectors. It's fairly obvious that it "ain't no 3D TV." Bugatti also uses VR as well as other car manufacturers. VR is here to stay. I know it hurts you that it's growing bedsides flat gaming being successful too. Just like mobile.
You just like to lie to yourself and others. VR is in education, in construction, in the automotive industry, medicine, real estate, music.... AND GAMING. The market wasn't there. Now it's here and it's growing in every sector besides gaming. But you want it to jump out there immediately like some viral video or fad. That's not how it works.
Chances are, you developed something, because you call yourself a developer. And no one wanted your product. So you're projecting.But there are other companies and developers who are successful in making VR work. You just sucked at it.
You claim Sony isn't selling out on pre-orders. But you don't even know what numbers they have allocated. Or how many they are producing to meet demand. You just pull it out from you know where and lie to everyone that Sony is failing. Sony has said they will have headsets for launch and not have to worry about production. What do you have that goes against Sony's statements on the matter? Absolutely nothing. Put up your facts against Sony's production lines?
But tell us. What software you made for VR that failed so that we all can know where your mindset is?
@Knush You just highlighted the problem perfectly - the only AAA taking part in console VR is Capcom. Where is COD VR? Battlefield VR, GTA VR? All the big pubs are skipping on it because they don’t believe in its future - if they did they’d be investing in it now.
@Apocalyspe At the time I thought MS were insane for not getting into VR, but looking back on it, given where we are now, that seems like a very smart decision.
Honda making VR for car showrooms or whatever means nothing for gaming. The vast majority of gamers - PS gamers included - don’t care in the slightest about VR. The numbers show that.
I’ve never worked on a VR game nor do I want to. The market being non-existent means salaries are substantially lower when compared to AAA salaries. I wouldn’t take the pay cut - I’ve been in AAA since graduating college, and I intend to keep it that way.
But that’s also the good point of being a developer, ultimately it doesn’t really matter to me if the game sells well or poorly - I still get paid the same at the end of the day.
It’s funny that you mention Kinect because I consider the Kinect a failure too - but it still had 4x the sales of PSVR and a way higher attach rate.
We are supposedly still in the tail end of a chip shortage, so clearly we would expect a new device like PSVR to sell out - Sony themselves were too or they wouldn’t have done invites to get one initially - they thought it was going to be difficult for people to get one (so did many on here) but when it turned out it wasn’t they opened it up to everyone.
Clearly it isn’t moving as many units as they’d anticipated.
Come talk to me when we’re all sitting in our living rooms with VR headsets on and the attach rate is so high they ship it in the box as the default controller method - so I guess I won’t ever be hearing from you again :p
@Orchard
'the only AAA taking part in console VR is Capcom'.
No, EA and Ubisoft have VR games on console.
https://www.ea.com/games/f1...
Problem with VR is that it hasn't have legs. Everything from mevement, enemies, pacing, puzzles has to take that into equation.
I agree with you. I remember when Second Life was as the dogs bollocks and big business had store fronts or ambassador land parcels but soon discovered that it was pie in the sky. Second Life is still operational but only frequented by a stagnant population of people who were with it since it’s launch. New people sign up to try it out but tend to not stay. People want to browse the internet or use it to play games not live in it.
"And yet, you can provide me no evidence to the contrary."
Compare sales of gen 1 VR headsets with sales of gen 1 home consoles.
One of if not, the best game engine developer in the world. I hope he gets back into developing game engines.
I could see him in some kind of director role at Epic games working on Unreal Engine. That would be pretty cool.
They need to stick VR back in RnD departments everywhere that or let the porn industry lead the way like everything else that's been introduced then brought to mass market after porn made it a thing lmfao
Yea VR has that virt-a-mate thing which seems to be quite popular with adult Quest 2 owners, but i mean there is Half Life Alyx, few other things.. nothing huge after those so far.
Meta is about metaverse, commercial vr, and mobile vr. Not a good fit for Mr. Carmack ...
Pretty much. You can see Carmack is just a simple guy. But highly intelligent. He produced game engines for games, he helped build rockets and helped grow VR. And now wants to grow AI. That's a guy interested in the science of things. Not the direction Facebook wanted to go.
Facebook is all about growing VR but more interested in the end goal of advertising. Not VR itself. Carmack most likely wanted a headset that was of good quality that plays games. Like Nintendo of VR that's easy on the wallet but can potentially do more things and take on the go. And you can tell Facebook isn't fully there because they haven't really made any games. They just recently purchased more VR studios. But VR studios should have been already in place making games consistently. It's ass backwards. All they keep releasing is more music DLC from a company they bought because they didn't build the game. Just milking the game. It's why the market is going to squeeze them pretty soon because after Facebook did their predator pricing, other companies will be catching up to them next year with their own headset offerings. If Apple releases next year, Facebook will be run over. And they know it. And Carmack knows it.
Metaverse is for people who fail at real life. When you wake up every day you are already in the Meta.... Life and all its glorious ups and downs is the apex of human experience. I feel bad for people trying to escape the glory of your one real life just to put on a headset and live at the extension of Zuckerbergs thoughts. Sounds awful on every level. Real life wins and will always win.
Ugh, nobody wants Zuckerberg controlling their thoughts *shudder* metaverse is evil
This is good news if it's because he's getting back into game and engine design.
Really top notch article. You don't see something this informative on N4g often. You have to be able to send 1080p to each eye at 75fps. As the article says even with a high end card like a 970 you are getting PS2 or original Xbox graphics and severe screen door effects.
I think NEXT gen will be barely able to handle this, even with a $300 headset. This won't be mainstream till the add on is $50 or $100.
As much as people want VR to be the next big thing, it's just not going to happen anywhere else other than PC for maybe 2 or more generations yet. It's certainly not going to be the quality we already get from a normal gameplay experience.
I've said it a few times now, and it bears repeating, I think the VR headset will be like the physics card. For those of you who may not remember the physics card, it was a separate card that was installed like a video card in a PC; the card was supposed to process environmental physics, leaving your CPU and video card to focus on graphics and game mechanics. In theory, it wasn't a terrible idea, the issue was that most people didn't see much benefit from it, most people didn't care about physics. Now, the VR headset does have a more obvious visual advantage, but it also has issues that the physics card never had, such as are laid out in the article and also the "dork factor" in that you look pretty goofy wearing the headset. But the bottom line is this, given what these headsets will retail at, at the very least $200, how many people are likely to buy them? If the headset can't get a certain "critical mass" then it will be just like the physics card, an interesting side note in the history of PC gaming.