VR

[Darkness]

Having tried out VR headsets, I'm sold on them as the next step in gaming. Not for every game, because the advantage of VR is redundant for certain types of games but, certainly VR offers increased immersion for certain gaming genres.

The key thing about VR is that it conveys a sense of scale from the first person perspective in a way traditional monitors cannot, short of using mammoth display screen array and even then, you don't get the effect of depth of field that VR can convey. Any game running from the first person perspective could, in theory, benefit from VR. Simulation type experiences in particular but, even first person shooters or RPGs would benefit.

I think there is some benefit to the walking around/moving element of VR. I'm not wholly sold on it yet. The climbing simulator I tried on the Occulus Rift was an incredibly intense experience that pretty much sold me on VR for gaming. I'm scared of heights. That a simulated experience can make me feel that scared, is an achievement in my book. That my body instinctively responded to the experience, is also a sign of how well I was immersed in the experience. I'm less convinced by the idea of games which might involve more moving around than that (given the climbing experience is linear) and I'm not sure I'd want to try that for something like an Elder Scrolls type game. For a more puzzle/environmental interaction game akin to Myst or storytelling games like 'Home' or 'Everyone's Gone to the Rapture' I can see VR really making those experiences even more engaging than they already are.

[Timinator]

Yep, I'm yet to actually experience it, but I can see definite potential in it.  From some of the companies I've seen, you don't want to just "port" an existing game" into VR, you want to have a think about things, especially some of the controls/UI elements

Eg this, they spent some time reworking bits of the game. http://store.steampowered.com/app/552440/The_Talos_Principle_VR/

For me its not just the price of the VR gear, I'd need a whole new PC to be able to run it!  With my financial situation I have no idea when that will be. 

Looking around and using your hands to do things seems very normal.  Actually moving your character when you don't physically walk seems to be a challenge.  Some do the "on a rail" type thing, but that gets a bit boring.  Some have teleportation movement, look, push a button and get there.

Some of the others have locomotion movement by holding down a move button from what I've heard.  I can imagine some of this might have a learning curve attached.  I remember learning to smoothly control a First Person game with a mouse took some time.

[Darkness]

For me its not just the price of the VR gear, I'd need a whole new PC to be able to run it!  With my financial situation I have no idea when that will be. 

Microsoft's new VR headset is designed with that particular accessibility issue in mind. Unlike the Vive or the Rift, Microsoft VR will run on lower specc'd machines and its performance will scale proportionally. The specs are not so low that it will run on any machine but, for buying a new PC that is VR capable, you don't have to bust the bank.

I tested the Microsoft VR on a lower spec machine and whilst the graphics were not as crisp as the Rift's on a high end machine, they were playable and it was still an immersive experience.

[TheMikrobe]

Looking around and using your hands to do things seems very normal.  Actually moving your character when you don't physically walk seems to be a challenge

I'm not really interested in VR for myself, but I really like the idea and I'd definitely give it a go if I got a chance. This issue seems to me like it would be a big one to overcome. The more you fool your brain into perceiving a real environment the more you'll want to use natural movements to control it. For flight sim then obviously it should work great, but for something like an FPS then I'm not so sure. I was talking about VR for games with some workmates a couple of months ago and I joked that what you really need to go with it is a 2D treadmill (if such a thing is possible) and a set of Wii-like controllers for your hands. Also you'd need some kind of tactile feedback so that you feel it when you push on a door...

[Darkness]

Yeah, for sims and what not, VR works pretty well by all accounts. My expectation is that as the technology progresses and becomes more mainstream (which it is already on the cusp of), I would expect to see a VR headset to become the standard for sim gaming.

Also you'd need some kind of tactile feedback so that you feel it when you push on a door...

For other experiences, I agree it is tricky. For the climbing game I tried, I found that my body generated a lot of the "feedback" itself in response to the simulation. So whilst tactile feedback through a controller might enhance the experience, I'm not 100% sure it is essential. Again, though, it will depend on the sort of game you're playing. The brain seems to do a pretty good job of convincing itself.

I've yet to try it, because I like my bowels to be as undisturbed as possible, but, Resident Evil 7 has gotten very positive reviews on its VR experience although that is more a sitting down FPS experience than a full on standing-up RPG type simulation. Whilst I don't doubt developers are going to push in the direction of the latter (something Microsoft's new headset is designed to facilitate), I think there is plenty of fertile ground to be plowed using the model provided by RE 7 and also Alien: Isolation.

I am going to try Alien: Isolation on VR when the opportunity presents itself. I've always wanted to try the gaming experience of shutting myself in a locker and never leaving there again.

[Timinator]

Darkness, swap your gaming chair for a commode and you are good to go!  I hadn't heard about the Microsoft VR, that sounds like an interesting compromise. lets hope some marketing fools at Microsoft don't cripple it and say "hey lets make this only work with things bought on the Windows Store!

You know they do crap like that that can be a real deal breaker.  Eg https://www.polygon.com/2017/8/21/16180714/age-of-empires-4-pc-relic-entertainment-definitive-edition " It will be available exclusively on Windows 10 in the Windows Store. "

my pc is 7 years old and counting, has the very first gen i5 CPU and a 1GB graphics card.  New FPS games want 2GB minimum.  I've got some running, but need to turn everything right down to low.

I'll be reading up to see what I can find though!

[Darkness]

Darkness, swap your gaming chair for a commode and you are good to go!  I hadn't heard about the Microsoft VR, that sounds like an interesting compromise. lets hope some marketing fools at Microsoft don't cripple it and say "hey lets make this only work with things bought on the Windows Store!

It will be working with Steam by the start of 2018 apparently. I think MS have learned that if they want this to be used by the "mass market" then the peripheral has to be usable with the software the mass market is using.