Oculus VR Chief Technology Officer Identifies Nintendo Switch As Market Competitor

It can compete with Labo. This 50 games it's coming with will probably be on par with the Labo games anyways. 😛

VR has yet to come close to winning me over. You have a screen on your face, with a wiimote and headphones, and then controllers of some sort in your hands. I get that some people find that immersive.

I don't. I find it over hyped and annoying.

Everyone has their own opinions, and that's mine on VR.

When we have something like the sci-fi VR of Sword Art Online - with will probably never happen - then we'll talk.

@ReaderRagfish so basically like with Pokémon go

LABO is still my choice.
No need to put things on my head (Except Toy Con 02)

I watched the whole keynote live where they introduced the Quest, and I couldn't help but imagine how awesome it would be if Nintendo released the existing VR Mario Kart game for the Oculus Quest, which in a way isn't that different than planning to release Mario Kart Tour on mobile.

It's never going to happen, but I'm sure a significant number of additional Quest devices would be sold just because of it.

Instead of competing with Nintendo they should join forces, and figure out some way to make that thing compatible with Switch games.

Unlike Switch, VR is still a niche product.

Switch can't do VR. If the quest is a Switch hardware spec wise then it will probably give you motion sickness. (Edit: 72 fps. Nevermind)

My brother has a Rift. It's neat. Nothing that really draws me into being addicted to play it though.

@Anti-Matter have you ever used a Rift? It's a pretty neat experience.

"While most serious gamers wouldn't choose Quest over a high-end console or gaming PC, Carmack said that "realistically, we're going to end up competing with the Nintendo Switch... they'll pick up Quest as mobile device, just like Switch.""

Hmm. Apparently Switch isn't for serious gamers.

@WaveBoy Is VR doing well? I havent heard anything about it for awhile. My brother rarely touches his anymore. He preordered it years ago.

I find the idea of VR cool but I got vertigo after 5 minutes of Portal on my laptop. If that makes me sick, I tend to imagine VR would make me even sicker.

@Trajan
https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/16/sony-psvr-sales-3-million/

A small number in terms of console sales but it’s a decent chunk. I certainly love mine and would love Nintendo to do something with it in the future.

John Carmack (Doom, Quake) is a gaming legend on his own right even if Doom 3 was a mess. He was smart enough to move to VR wagon. VR didn't took the world by storm but Oculus got sold to facebook which is a success. And no, VR is not ready yet imo. Like 3d without glasses wasn't and kinnect failed. But i hope its here to stay. With Switch 2 you could have the best of both worlds

I wonder if he'll set up another Doom type game after its success on consoles like Switch.

If someone could make a VR headset that is super lightweight, with 1080p or 4 k graphics, using the 3d from the new 3ds or an upgraded 3d glasses free and make it accessible to the masses VR could finally work. Problem is the pricing for a 4k 60fps VR would be well out of mass market range for at least 10 years now.

@WaveBoy Idk, just in general. I thought the fad kind of died.
@Audiobrainiac Thats cool. Idk if Nintendo could do one with their design philosophy. It would require a powerful device. Then again this is coming out so idk. Would be interesting to see I guess. Also what games do they make that would benefit from it? Mario kart? But that's pretty linear and would just be kind of neat but no real advantage to it other than turning your head to see the sides.

I mentioned this to my brother. He checked and hasn't played it for a year. I'm at his place and we're playing Super Hot now.

@Trajan Metroid Prime, StarFox, Punch Out! There’s tons of potential with existing IP but ideally news ones would pop up. Prob won’t happen anytime soon but one can dream.

@Heavyarms55 have you tried it? Just curious. I totally thought it’d be stupid. How could having a bucket on your had with plastic in your hands be immersive.

But it sucks you in. It really does.

@Audiobrainiac I only ever played the first Metroid Prime but it made me feel sick so I never bought it (fortunately I rented it). Star Fox would be neat.

In order for Nintendo to have VR though they would really need to beef up their hardware. No idea how the other VR systems are, but Oculus requires a pretty decent PC. Even then the graphics aren't super great. With the trends towards 20k 900 fps I just don't know.

I guess I would like to try those types of games in 3d. I assume not all games require you to have a bunch of clear space and have you moving all over the place?

I really enjoy kicking back in my lazy boy and playing a nice action or RPG.

Hell lazy boy is a reason I don't game on PC anymore. Lol.

Virtual Reality certainly is the future and is going to be in nearly every house hold within the next 20 to 30 years. At that point, it will be so realistic that the brain can be tricked into believing the world you're visiting is real. Whether that's a good thing for the human species long term is another thing but it's where we're heading, no doubt about that. We've gone from Pong to Red Dead Redemption 2 in 40 years, another 30 years of exponential growth in computer power and RDR2 will look primitive.

Virtual Reality movies will be a thing.
Virtual Reality sports events will be a thing
Virtual Reality shopping replacing traditional retail stores will be a thing.
Virtual Reality holidays will be a thing.
Virtual Reality trips to space will be a thing.

It's going to be everywhere by 2050,mark my words.

@WaveBoy I mean yeah, I don't drink the kool aid and some of the fanboys are unbearable, but I do have to question if Nintendo could even pull off VR, and if so would they not totally ruin it like the Wii ruined motion controls (over implimentation). I think it's neat for sure, but I don't think it will take over the future.

Have you played that space game where your ship blows up and you have to go around collection O2 bottles? That was the first VR game I played. Sort of gave me motion sickness.

Its experiences like that where I think VR is neat. VR platformer? Nope. VR RPG? Eh idk. VR crazy scenario? Yes. FPS? Definitely.

@Trajan You're thinking in the present rather than the future. Like I said above, we've gone from Pong to RDR2 in 40 years, VR in 40 years will go the same way. It's got too many other benefits outside gaming for it not to happen. Unfortunate people who are unable to go on holiday due to being paralysed, suffer or some other condition, will be able to visit places they've only dreamed of. Dementia sufferers can revisit places from their youth. Then there's the massive benefits it could have for training armed services,helping rescue services etc...

Computer graphics will get to the point that they're barely indistinguishable from reality and the point that they do likely isn't that far away, I'd say 30 years tops.

@SpottyBulborb I haven't had any extended chances with it and while I don't doubt there is at least some software that does pull the player in, I seriously doubt that has more to do with the VR than simply a good game or application. I can feel immersed in a good book, an old fashioned book. I can do that because the story is that good that I forget where I am and tune everything else out, not because the medium of reading words on paper is inherently immersive. I have no doubt that someone can take VR and deliver an outstanding experience, but is that because they wrote a great piece of software, or because VR is a great idea.

Personally, my money is on the person who wrote a great piece of software.

50 games, more like 50 demos that will probably only last a few months worth of headache.

Look what it did to Jobe

John Carmack finally came back to challenge Nintendo after being rejected by them in 1990.

Before id Software was founded, John Carmack made a PC version of Mario and pitched Nintendo to sell it on floppy disk for the PC market.

@Heavyarms55 Fully agree, I've only tried Super Hot on my friends PS4 with the VR, and I gotta say it wasn't all that special.

I'm surprised the Switch doesn't have a VR headset. The tablet could fit into one perfectly and Metroid V.R would be amazing an no doubt sell millions of systems.

I like vr. Mario kart vr was a blast

Oculus' biggest competitor is its price.

The only VR game that has ever caught my interest was Psychonauts, and that's only because I just recently played the original. That said, I'm not buying a PSVR just for one game, but it's still more than the number of games that appeal to me on Oculus Rift.

Currently VR is the gimmicky of all gimmicks. The things needs 10/20 years to even be called gaming. In sort of ways is like 3d in movies (something that costs a lot more to the consumer to get a sub par experience)

VR is a fad, I really don't know why some people and particularly Sony fanboys are still denying this.

The technology just isn't there yet and both the price and specs requirements are ridiculous as well, it's just not worth the hassle nor the money.

People need to remember that the consumer pays for these gimmicks (motion controls, touch screen, 3D) if it's affordable, hassle free and actually fun to use hence why 3D tv's died out quickly because they're expensive and need you to put on some 3D glasses which nobody likes.

Until VR can reinvent itself it won't become popular anytime soon.

Competitor? Pfff, now that's naive. VR blows and is nowhere close to working properly yet, or even being slightly immersive. It's also not even close to competing with anything like Nintendo Switch.

$400 for a bloody VR headset? How about no thanks.

@kukabuksilaks Unfortunately we're still at the first picture, so this will likely be true (if VR sticks, which I doubt until the technology is there)

They’ve tried twice to push this VR thing now and it’s not taking off. It’s still at least another decade off I reckon. People either don’t like the isolation or struggle with motion sickness. And the games are generally crap. Me personally I like to be aware of the world around me.

As an owner of a PSVR... it most certainly does have borders. You can't forget you're wearing the headset because there's a big black surround around what you're seeing.

Can't imagine this Quest thing being much better than PSVR, in which case I wouldn't spend 400 bucks on one.

PSVR is fun, but it's pretty similar to the 3D on the 3DS, but with surround vision.

Most people have limited time and money and if something new comes along it could dilute the other markets if it catches on.

But the biggest threat to the Switch is Nintendo. Or maybe it's the other way round. For over a year Nintendo has neglected the 3ds/2ds. Ok they have brought a few new 2ds designs to continue the selling older games. But the Ds is Nintendo's only truly portable console. The Switch is a handheld device but not really portable.

Unless Nintendo has a replacement or updated device for the 3ds coming soon they will leave a gap in the market for something new.

My main passion for gaming is innovation in the industry. VR does excite me that it could become something good, but it misses the biggest point of for me, that is controller input. As much as the experience immerses you into the gameworld, the controller input does not and makes the whole experience feel separated and wrong. I feel sure that further developments will try new ideas.

But for me they this should have been almost the first thing they thought, thus making me think that they just can't do it!

VR won't survive in gaming.

VR headsets are okay for about 1 or 2 hours but i can't do extended periods of time.

I gotta be honest though, this guy actually has delusions of grandeur if he thinks his product is competing with the Switch.

Does he actually believe people want to sit there with screens on their faces for any longer than an hour?

VR is an experience, but thats all it is, experiences last for an hour to 2 hoursat most... Any longerand you stop enjoying it... Damage to eyes aside and believe me there is more than enough cases, what about the fact that you are essentially putting a bag over your head and walking around your room...

Accidents will.and HAVE happened.

Plus damage to eyes is no jole either. Trust me i know, after 3 hours of this very same headset this dude is selling, i couldn't look at my phone for the rest of the day without my eyes watering and the headache i had that night like 8 hours after i took it off... My god that headache turned me off VR forever.

@zool i have no issues taking my Switch out and getting 6 hours of game time with it with my battery pack.

Its actually what i got from the 3ds...

Sorry your "Switch is handheld but not portable" actually makes no sense at all.

@gcunit This is exactly my experience with it... It's good as an experience, something everyone should try to see...

As far as becoming the norm and doing 6 to 8 hour gaming sessions with one of those things on your head.

No thank you... 😂😂😂

@Trajan I get motion sickness in real life pretty easily. But somehow I can play PSVR for 4 hrs and barely get sick lol. Yeah the tech has a long way to go yet. U can try a bunch of free demos on PSVR to know which one’s are for u, because for a lot of them that’s the only way to find out. Plenty of them are calm experiences that have u sitting down with the DualShock 4 so that Lay-Z-Boy could still come in handy

@Heavyarms55 VR is much more immersive than you give it credit for. Plus you do realize that the specs can increase to a ridiculous degree right? We can get 600x the resolution, 3x the FoV, full body tracking and full body haptics, much better audio, better graphics, HDR, depth of focus... the list goes on. If VR is already the most immersive form of gaming by far (it is) then getting to those above features only makes it increasingly more real, at an exponential rate.

Remember that VR is not just about immersion, it's about presence. The sense of being there is always going to be solely unique to VR as even 8K 120HZ photorealistic graphics on a huge TV cannot give anyone a sense of being there.

@firstnesfan Not exactly. Oculus said that doing 4K x 4K per eye 90 FPS VR would be a piece of cake to ship over the next few years. They have certain goals they want to achieve by 2022 and the resolution will likely be closer to 6K x 6K per eye if I had to guess.

VR, the gimmick that just wont die!

@Trajan You're actually wrong here. VR works for almost every genre, in fact VR platforms? A perfect combination! Astro Bot looks like it could be the next Mario 64 for example.

@Nomad VR is not a gimmick. Anyone who thinks this has never properly used it.

@DartBuzzer I'm pretty sure I know how to use my VR headset properly thanks.

@Yalaa VR will reinvent itself though, and soon. In 4 years everything today will look positively ancient.

@Nomad No you do not. Have you tried Echo VR? Moss? What about non-gaming applications? Social VR? Virtual computing? Telepresence apps? Self-expression apps?

You have not got much experience with VR so you have a half-empty opinion.

@Blizzia Everyone agrees that VR (high-end) is immersive. So if you think otherwise this means you have never tried it.

@DartBuzzer Wow, you know me so well.

@Razer VR does not damage your eyes. Not even screens damage your eyes. These are all myths. Eye strain is not damage.

Also eye strain and headaches CAN be fixed. Oculus already has a varifocal display prototype that eliminates these issues.

The idea is that as VR advances, it gets smaller and easier to use for longer sessions. In 10-15 years, even the elderly will have no trouble using VR all day. Does that mean they will play games 10 hours straight? In some cases, sure. But VR is much more than just gaming, and it can all be very relaxing if you want it to be.

@Nomad At the very least, I know that you just don't have much experience with VR.

@DartBuzzer good one lad, good one. 2/10, wrong and extremely low effort at that. I have tried it and I am not impressed. Next!

@Blizzia Let me rephrase, anyone who has tried good high-end VR games will agree. I don't care if you tried some shovelware title. Imagine if I suddenly started trashing Switch because all I played was 1-2 Switch? Immerse yourself in Echo VR, Moss, Budget Cuts, or some other great game. It is objectively more immersive.

The headline's subtitle should have been "It wants to be the VR-y best".

(EDIT: Sorry for the quadruple post. Looks like the site didn't get my "POST" clicks and then published four comments in a row.)

@DartBuzzer How much are you talking about spending on kit?

@WiltonRoots In regards to what? Oculus Quest is $400 which is a fair price for what it offers.

@DartBuzzer Ah ok I wasn't clear enough, and what sort of PC/video card spend are we looking at as well?

@kukabuksilaks

LOL, great response! I'm #3 but want the graphics that my PC can power to such a unit.
The Occulus Quest is the kind of product that really will push VR more into mainstream at $400. Its not impressive compared to a tethered PC unit but its doing some pretty advanced stuff for a SoC standalone unit.

@WiltonRoots None. It's a standalone / all-in-one device. This is what VR was always going to be if it wanted to reach mainstream appeal. You get the essence of high-end VR with accurate hand presence and the ability to move around in a warehouse-sized area free of wires.

@DartBuzzer Again, no. It wasn't immersive. Everyone won't agree. People have different opinions. In my opinion, it wasn't. That's how it is. Accept it and move on.

@Blizzia What games did you even try? Immersion differs from game to game, but VR itself means that a game can always be much more immersive if it wants to. If a VR game is horrendously bad, running at a low framerate, has bad audio, or inconsistent graphics, then that can take you out - but otherwise if a game is made even to a normal or mediocre degree, it's more immersive, period.

Games like Lone Echo / Echo VR and Elite Dangerous are much more immersive than anything that non-VR offers.

In fact, this isn't even about comparing the two, you just straight up say that VR isn't immersive which is a nonsensical statement.

@DartBuzzer I can see that you are enthusiastic about the future of VR. And it probably will, sometime in the near future, become a mass market, fully immersive experience.
I've probably clocked up about twenty hours on VR, mainly PSVR and I quite liked Skyrim, but I just find the whole set-up at present to be too uncomfortable and gimmicky. That's just my opinion though. I'm glad you are enjoying it. Lot's of people love it and I can appreciate that.
My comment was a bit flippant, so no hard feelings mate.

@Nomad The setup itself is certainly leaving a lot to be desired although that's actually what Oculus Quest fixes - no wires, no connection as it's all standalone. High-end VR will follow suit in a few years with wireless.

@DartBuzzer Delusional AF, I'm out. I could start listing games but it'd inevitably turn into a game of me listing titles, and you doing the best possible to shoot them down in order to make sure your "opinion" is the one and only truth, bestowed upon the peasantry below you.

Have fun, no use discussing things with ya.

@Blizzia You seem to ignore objectivity, but alright, suit yourself.

@DartBuzzeran you are beyond sold on this stuff. You have fun.

@Heavyarms55 I'll disagree slightly in that I have played VR games that were certainly enhanced by simply being VR. I really enjoyed any cockpit base games, especially racing games with a wheel & pedals. That's probably the most immersive and one of the coolest experiences I've ever had with games. Even Lucky's Tale (A mediocre platformer) was incredibly neat due to the sense of space and being able to look around objects.

That said, I actually agree with your first post. Despite finding it to be incredibly immersive at times, given the right setup & game, I sold my Oculus Rift and my racing setup for a few reasons - the main one being I just don't have the time to play games while 100% shutoff to my wife and kids - I need to be able to easily hear/see them, and playing in VR completely eliminates that. I also just don't think it's technically ready yet for some people. I'm really sensitive to frame rate, and the screen door effect bothered me as well, so until we have more powerful PC's that can drive much higher resolution headsets, I'm out. There's not much in the way of compelling games (To me) outside of racing sims. I find the headset uncomfortable after about 30 minutes. That all added up to having a very expensive setup that I barely ever used, even though I enjoyed it when I did. I do think we'll see better iterations in the future, and maybe I'll return then, but for now I do agree that it is a bit over hyped and impractical for many people.

@DartBuzzer I agree the setup could use improving, but I don't agree that the Quest will solve all of my problems, personally. First, I love the idea of a smaller, lighter, more comfortable wireless headset. However, that also means you are tied to games designed specifically for it, which I am not a fan of. It would make more sense to me to have it tied to a platform (Like PC) that can be upgraded, play your existing library, etc... I understand what they are trying to do, it's just not for me I guess, though I do like the idea of being free from wires.

VR will truly take over when it can somehow fool your central nervous system into feeling like you're moving when you're not. I'm sure that will happen at some point.

@Razer it make sense to those who slip a DS in their pocket and those who have to carry a large bag to cart the Switch about.

It's completely pointless to make predictions like "VR is going to be ALL THE THINGS!!!" when technology evolves as rapidly as it has in the past 50 years. VR is definitely not just a fad as some people say it is, it has a plethora of applications beyond gaming and there is serious money being put into it, but it has such a long way to go before becoming mainstream that there are any number of ways it could become no more than a blip in history.

Twenty years from now we could be talking about neural implants as the Next Big Thing. If that happens, today's best VR rigs will seem as primitive and irrelevant as an Atari 2600, and the people currently betting on VR as The Way of the Future will be struggling to justify their devotion to a silly and antiquated technology.

It's also entirely possible that without any major breakthroughs, VR will continue to be what it is today, an expensive niche item with a few really cool real-world applications but far from the dominant platform. Just being cool doesn't guarantee that a technology will thrive. History is full of oddities and forgotten experiments that were absolutely, positively, going to be the Next Big Thing until suddenly they weren't.

I'd say the switch is a competitor with this device in that it has created a niche alongside the more powerful gaming machines. However if they think mobile VR is going to truly take off, they're pretty delusional.
I used my Samsung Gear VR on a plane once, just to watch a movie. I felt like the biggest dork, and never bothered bringing that bulky thing again. Wouldn't even consider playing a game in that situation, or using it somewhere less "safe" such as a bus or a park or a laundromat.
And then there's the marketing... With the Switch promoted as something you can share, and VR by its very nature dropping you instantly out of society. I tell you, I am super excited about VR but it is the death of a party.

@DartBuzzer what makes you think i haven't tried high end VR? Your opinion isn't the standard on this so gtfo your high horse.

there are plenty of cases high end or low end, with people using VR and coming off the experience with itchy and irritated eyes.

Who the hell are you to doubt them?

VR is relaxing? Really? Lmfao you enjoy what you enjoy and others will do what they like... Dont try and sell your opinions off as facts... Makes you look bad.

@zool 2 things... The first is obvious even to a child...

Take the Joycons off the side, put them in your pocket and put the console in your other pocket... Smaller than a 3ds....

Second is obvious to anyone who's ever played portable gaming:

How many people who use to put their DS or 3DS in their pockets like a phone and walk around with it??? In jeans too! 😂😂😂

Everyone always put the damn thing in their bags regardless of size... Plus 90% of people i knew had cases for their DS and 3DS... You put a DS with its case in your pocket.

The Switch is 100 portable.

@TheFongz This isn't mobile VR. And it isn't anything like a Gear VR. This is the difference between a tablet / phone and a Nintendo Switch.

Standalone VR will likely be much bigger than the console market.

@Razer people carry tablets and others carry smartphones. The DS is the Smartphone equivalent, the Switch is similar to the tablet.

My point is, if Nintendo does not come up with a replacement for the DS it will be at their peril. My guess is a lighter Switch with controlls built in and compatible with Switch and DS cards but does not connect to a TV.

I would also guess that many more games are played on a Smartphone than a DS but DS games are better. A DS Is more comparable to a Smartphone that a Switch.

@Razer I never made any claims like that. You're putting words into my mouth. And VR as a technology does not do anything to harm your eyes. Eye strain is the only negative aspect which isn't damaging and is clearly solvable. Irritation would be a result of dust, hair, or something else, not VR as a technology.

Also VR can be relaxing, that is a fact. Oculus Go is meant as a media consumption and relaxation device. The entire device exists to chill. Please know what you're talking about next time.

@DartBuzzer Idk man. Your points are true though for non-gaming applications. Haven't tried then yet. I've heard Brazzers has VR too so.... Maybe it will pick up.

@Trajan Try Moss if you can. It's the perfect example of showcasing 3rd person and platforming in VR. Astro Bot might be an even better example but that releases next week.

@DartBuzzer edit: I see. Hopefully there is a demo.

@Trajan It is: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1942343732456615/

@WaveBoy just imagine what metroid prime would be like in VR gorgeous. but i don't understand this article, the switch doesn't even have VR so how does oculus see it s a competitor? i guess like you said it's the hardware or the portability factor?

@DartBuzzer astro bot will show nintendo how it's done in VR.

Personally I find it kind of dispiriting that the great John Carmack, the backbone of the engines that drove the entire industry for decades, the legend of engine design has been reduced to this. Peddling tech demo VR headsets to niche audiences in the thrall of a communications giant. It seems like such a waste and dead end for his storied background.

As for Occulus, it's cool. It's obscenely priced. The wireless headset is definitely a step in the right direction, and a necessary one, but now it's a choice of wireless and below Switch graphics (remember if it's Switch grade inside, it's half the power since it's rendering twice!) and even the flagship model still has screen ppi that causes a measure of screen door effect which still makes it a tech demo than a consumer product. I'm a fan of my PSVR, it's cool, but it's a tech toy for gadget freaks, still with the idiosyncrasies of the screens and lenses, and we're still nowhere close to it being otherwise. It may get there, but even when it does, who actually feels comfortable having imagery pumped into their retinas by any facet of Facebook?

@DartBuzzer yeah ok...

https://youtu.be/hf478Xe9sL8

Why don't you watch this video then come and tell me how he's wrong.

Eye fatigue
Head aches
Long term damage over long term use

This is MODERN VR as stated by a qualified opticians...

Now i bothered to ask my own opticians as i wear glasses and LOL... You are wrong on EVERY level.

I rather trust them than your "it must be dust"... 😂😂😂

@DartBuzzer i love how within the first 180 seconds of that video he actually said exactly what i said, that this can give you a headache after a couple of hours and laughed at people saying you can use it for 30 hours.

Ahhh, no. Guy is out of his mind. Bit of a bold statement. Don't get me wrong I like the idea of this but don't see it as a competitor for the Switch. Think he is just trying to gain hype by association.

@Razer He doesn't really know much about how VR headsets work. The point of the lenses is to allow the retina to focus on the display, which he either didn't know or glossed over. (It's his first time using VR so somehow I'm not surprised)

And he barely even gets into the topic of the vergence accommodation problem which is a vital aspect to bring up on this topic.

Yeah, overall not an expert on the subject, certainly not one to trust. I'd much rather test optical scientists working WITH VR as they know the ins and outs better than anyone, and so far nothing has come out saying there is long term damage.

Eye strain / fatigue and headaches are known issues but these are NOT long lasting damage. They are symptoms that are temporary and not harmful - and like I said they are fixable and probably won't ever exist in 5 years.

@DartBuzzer I was mainly referring to this quote from John Carmack which @Trajan posted:
"realistically, we're going to end up competing with the Nintendo Switch... they'll pick up Quest as mobile device, just like Switch."
Seems to me like they are believing in mobile VR... My opinion is that will never really become a thing.

I will say that I was in a toss-up between buying a Switch or VR when I bought my Switch, however, the Oculus wouldn't have even been in the list of options

@TheFongz That means mobile quite literally, a device that is mobile. Not a device that is comparable to mobile VR. (Gear VR)

If they don't have belief in standalone VR, what are they supposed to believe in? Because their 1 billion VR user goal isn't going to happen with PC VR. It requires all-in-one systems.

You can take the Oculus Quest into a warehouse and run around fully untethered in games like Robo Recall, Moss, SuperHot. That is fundamentally different to mobile VR.

I'll always prefer playing games on a screen versus anything VR or Occulus-related.

VR is niche. It's OK I guess, but I choose playing on my Switch portably 100000% over a cumbersome headset all day.

The only thing stopping me getting VR is the price. I want the PSVR as thats an easy sell just dont have spare money laying around. PC VR is still way too expensive for the average person..with a life..and a house lol

@ejf1984 Well you do you, but I'd prefer playing VR 100000%.

VentureBeat are clickbaiting. He wasn't talking about them competing for market share, but competing in terms of similar power lowel:

The full quote is:

"Quest is in the neighborhood of the power of a previous generation console, like Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, just in terms of CPU and GPU and what you can expect to do on it.

It is not possible to take a game that was done at a high quality level – like a AAA title – for that generation and expect it to look like that in VR. It’s too many more pixels to wind up rendering.

Realistically, We’re going to end up competing with the Nintendo Switch as a device. I don’t think there’s going to be that many people who say, ‘I’m not going to buy a PS4, I’m going to buy a Quest instead."

@DartBuzzer he's not an expect on VR but he is an expert on your eyes and you would be a fool to disregard his advice.

Do as you please. Enjoy your VR, but this thing will never be mainstream, not in its current format. No matter how much you want it to be.

@WaveBoy I'm so glad to see people who think this. It seems like every time I talk about vr they say it's over hyped or overrated. It seems like do many people are shortminded about it and so not see it's potential.

Makes sense. Heck, if the games are good and the price is right, I might buy the Oculus Quest one day. I've been thinking about getting a Rift at some point anyway.

@ReaderRagfish VR is usually used indoors...

@WaveBoy Take a chill pill bro. You sound as closed minded as the people you are complaining about.

Different people like different experiences. Let everyone enjoy what they like.

VR does have a lot of potential and can be very imersive. But right know it requires a lot of prep work and the technology is limited right now. As it improves it will slowly start to form it's own niche, and is already on it's way to do so.

Whether it takes over the main stream or stays a niche thing; only time will tell.

2 different types of hardware, 2 different kinds of experiences... where is the competition again?

@WaveBoy I'm not sure whether VR will take over the main stream.

I only played a few PSVR games for a short time at a friend's house. And while I had fun it wasn't something I felt like I needed to play again.

I feel like many new trends in gaming start off as gimics. Taking the 3DS for example the early games that used the 3D effect was cool when it worked, but it was so unstable that I rarely used it. It wasn't until the New 3DS came out with the Super Stable 3D that you could play the games with 3D left on.

But even then it never felt like any of these games needed 3D. Yes it enhanced these games, but it never felt like it needed to be there. And now Nintendo gave up on including the 3D effect on the new 3DS games.

VR right now is a gimmick. It needs many things including time, improved technology and new ideas in game design; before it will start to be considered in the main stream.

It has potential to become the next big thing in gaming. Remember that there was a time when people thought all games were going to have motion controls, only for it to mostly die off during the next console generation.

@WaveBoy "The people have spoken and most unfortunately want analog stick aiming. Sad times"

I'd say the people have spoken and don't want to be isolated from the real world and don't want to have motion sickness, eye strain and headaches.

@Trajan @ReaderRagfish Yeah I’ve been waiting to hear the specs on this, and I just don’t see how a Switch-level device can output 1440 renders simultaneously. Like how is that even possible? If it is, John Carmack is a super genius

@Trajan @ReaderRagfish Yeah I’ve been waiting to hear the specs on this, and I just don’t see how a Switch-level device can output 1440 renders simultaneously. Like how is that even possible? If it is, John Carmack is a super genius

@Trajan @ReaderRagfish Yeah I’ve been waiting to hear the specs on this, and I just don’t see how a Switch-level device can output 1440 renders simultaneously. Like how is that even possible? If it is, John Carmack is a super genius

@Trajan @ReaderRagfish Yeah I’ve been waiting to hear the specs on this, and I just don’t see how a Switch-level device can output 1440 renders simultaneously. Like how is that even possible? If it is, John Carmack is a super genius

@Trajan @ReaderRagfish Yeah I’ve been waiting to hear the specs on this, and I just don’t see how a Switch-level device can output 1440 renders simultaneously. Like how is that even possible? If it is, John Carmack is a super genius.

@WiltonRoots Eye strain and headaches can be totally fixed and likely quite soon. Varifocal displays from Oculus are a huge step towards this. Motion sickness might have been solved according to Palmer Luckey who is demonstrating something later this year.

Isolation can be solved as well in a few years by having the headset scan real life to merge it into VR.

@DartBuzzer I have to ask, do you work for Oculus? 😄

@WiltonRoots No. Shills almost never exist on the internet; people just see what they want to see.

(Not saying that's exactly what you're implying)

@DartBuzzer I was just pulling your leg....you have made me go and investigate the kit though so that's something, but me personally, I couldn't justifying buying something like that.

@WaveBoy Saying that though I do like motion controls. I wish there were more games that utilised them. There's something about flicking your wrist in split joycons to aim in Splatoon that moving an analogue stick with your thumb can't compare to.

@stache13 One thing I have observed about gaming, that has surprised me, is that genres and formats don't really go away, we just get more choices.

When 3D came along, young me legit thought that 2D games would be gone forever. But now they have had this indie renaissance. There has somehow been a resurgence in the first person dungeon crawler RPG. PC Gaming, contrary to what has been said over the years, has not died. Motion controls didn't replace joysticks, and motion controls and joysticks both live on.

I definitely think that VR will be a huge thing (it is truly amazing, even now), but I don't think it will supplant everything. I have some anxiety about Nintendo waiting too long to move into the space, but they know what they are doing; they know how to create joyful experiences that perfectly fit whatever medium they are in. There's plenty of room in the market for killer VR and killer non VR, I think. Even though it may seem like VR will eventually supplant everything, history would suggest otherwise.

@DartBuzzer You do that. But VR will never be mainstream.

People like to game and chill, sit back and relax playing games on their 50 inch TVs or portable systems with small screens. Not VR headsets, and VR that requires physical movement and all that other mumbo-jumbo. Do you think people are going to want to play NFL Madden or CoD in VR mode? Nope. How about a great platform/rogue-like game like Dead Cells? A game like that would make zero sense in VR mode. It would be more of a chore than anything else, too.

I have a buddy who works for Oculus Rift and even he agrees with me that VR is a cool novelty item, but it will never go mainstream, and it would never replace his beefed up MSI gaming laptop.

@ejf1984 Sigh, you just don't understand what VR is, do you? You think it's all extreme activity. No, that doesn't describe VR at all. VR is all forms of gaming. You can sit there and play a VR game with a gamepad or mouse / keyboard. You can sit there and use motion controls. You can stand and move around and use motion controls. And lastly you can play non-VR games in a virtual environment with virtual screens.

Portable systems will be replaced by AR / VR. There is no argument against this, it is going to happen because there is nothing that they offer over VR except other people being able to see your screen. You'll just have lightweight glasses that project an IMAX theater for you, or anything of your desire. Or if you still want to see the real world, the glasses will project into the real world instead.

Also no, your buddy doesn't work at Oculus, nice try. Otherwise he'd be consistently exposed to the many reasons why it will be mainstream.

Also you do realize that people are calling Astro Bot the Mario 64 of VR right? Platformers work BEST in VR, not outside of VR. And while 2D platformers don't make too much sense in VR, you can always play them on virtual screens. In a few years you could invite friends to a virtual LAN party all with photorealistic avatars and tracked movements and have a true social gathering no different from real life playing Dead Cells on a virtual home theater.

You're going to look back at this in 10 years and wonder what the heck you were thinking dismissing the possibility of VR going mainstream.

@DartBuzzer I never meant it as not being feasible, just not mass market feasible. 1000 dollars is too rich for the mass market, under 300 would be that sweet spot.

@BetaWolf what I'm saying is to put a higher resolution 3ds screen in a headmount instead of the 2 view 3d that is being used now. My thought ia that this type of display could similar 3d for less processing power. It may not work that way by I'm thinking that it is possible.

! ! ! Hey Nintendo ! ! ! .... I want a 3D headset for my Switch. I'm not all that concerned on if it's fully VR or not, even if that's preferable. I can't find an ordinary headset that can hold my switch and for some reason yall haven't made one.

I say again. Hey Nintendo I want a 3d headset for my Switch