Virtual Reality has been touted as the next big thing in the video game industry. There are high-end headsets available for PC, and on the console front, Sony has released a more affordable experience for the PlayStation 4. Even Nintendo had some fun with this idea earlier this year when it released the cardboard accessory Labo VR on its hybrid system.
Does VR in its current form pose a threat to the future of traditional video games, though? According to CD Projekt's senior vice president of business development Andrzej Nowakowski, there's nothing to worry about. During a Q&A at a recent investor earnings call for the company, Nowakowski stated the following:
VR remains an extremely nichey niche of the market, like it’s very, very small.
This was in response to a question that asked if The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer was at all concerned about Valve's new VR game Half-life: Alyx (due out in March 2020) taking away sales from CD Projekt's April 2020 release, Cyberpunk 2077.
While we agree Half-Life deserves some respect, there are plenty of other big-name releases due out the same time as it, such as DOOM Eternal and Nintendo's lifestyle simulation Switch title, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
What do you think about Nowakowski's comment? Do you think VR gaming could one day surpass the popularity of traditional video games? Share your thoughts below.
[source au.ign.com]
Comments 33
While I am a huge fan of VR, I agree it's pretty niche, and it's not very profitable in today's market, but I wish it becomes that in the future.
@HydroSeptr This is why I'm not thrilled about the new half-life game being on VR
The best we can hope for are existing AAA games repurposed for VR. There's not a chance in hell that we'll be seeing any particularly ambitious games being made from scratch for such a minuscule audience.
Being able to play something like GTAV in VR is the stuff that dreams are made of though.
Bof, a month is a long time In video games. By the time their game comes out the fuss - if there is any - will have dissipated. A quality game should have nothing to fear (in an ideal world).
Alyx looks amazing and it's great to see a full length game (probably) setting a precedent for VR. It is still a niche market however. That being said, it'll probably end up selling better as the years go on! I wonder how profitable it'll be initially, or how Valve planned for that?
I remember getting PSVR, getting motion sickness with it, and never using it again. That was the last time I was interested in VR.
Lol yeah Animal Crossing will be the game that competes with Cyberpunk.
Definitely not Final Fantasy 7.
VR is fun for a very short time i like gaming the traditional way. TV (Or handheld) and a controller in my hand.
Very much a self-fulfilling prophecy that. If the big games makers all say it's too niche it will never grow since there will be no great games to encourage people to adopt it...
VR still needs it's Mario 64.
Although I hear Astro Bot is in fact that game.
VR is like 3D TVs. Big marketing, but little uptake in real life.
We don’t get 3D TVs anymore because they didn’t suit the purpose of people.
It is more likely that Augmented Reality (AR), where you have things coming into the real world, would be the future instead of VR and we saw how popular Pokemon Go was with that. But again it will still be novelty rather than the standard.
Screens are the best way to game. Wether in the palm of your hand or on your wall. That is what fits into people’s lives best. Improving the quality of those screens will trump novelty features like voice control, motion control and 3D. We will still be using mouse, keyboards and controllers for a long time.
And I’m still unsure how long it will take streaming to catch on as most of the world has slow internet.
Asking if VR is a threat to Cyberpunk 2077 is like asking if the PlayStation Vita is a threat to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2.
VR is cool and all but I'd rather companies put thier resources towards non-VR games. But I guess we'll see whats going to happen in the years to come. I'm sure VR or AR will eventually will become a lot more popular over the years.
You're niche!! runs away awkwardly, slamming every door behind me 😁
PSVR is such a pukefest compared to the other VR kits out there, launched with games that did everything that's bad if you're slightly prone to sim sickness.
It did get some people hooked on VR, but it has scared a ton more away.
HL:A will do wonders for VR adoption (it kinda already have), and Boneworks will help raise the hype level until release.
On a sidenote; I'm still waiting for the day when the majority of gamers and devs realise that VR doesn't have to be first person. It's sad that the short Mythos of the World Axis demo, from the DK days, haven't been surpassed yet by anything in that genre
I’m sure we’ll all get told soon enough that we’re all wrong...
@Dezzy Also MCC PC if Reach has a strong PC launch next month.
@JayJ me too, my husband bought me Skyrim and I was so excited about it, but having attempted that, and a couple of other games to see if it was the VR and not the game itself, I know I won’t ever be able to play it without wanting to vomit!
"Flat screen 3D PC Gaming" was something of a niche market before the first Half Life, too, just saying...
Vr is just another waggle controller that doesn't work properly, not the future of gaming, or at least I hope so.
I think AR has a better chance of being the future of gaming
@m8e3point1415 yeah i was thinking this too but i can't see people doing 5+ hour gaming sessions with a vr headset...
Maybe im old fashioned but after 1 hour i had enough... at length gaming sessions on VR is a big no no for me.
I’ve had a lot of fun with VR. It is just another experience to add to gaming. It’s not the main activity people will do the most. But people buy all these ridiculous accessories that have no future and knock VR. Nintendo is a generation behind so I don’t see them providing a good VR experience for awhile. Power is critical for VR.
VR technology is a dead end and a threat to people's eyesight.
It should be abandoned as soon as possible.
Despite almost thirty years having passed, my level of excitement vs my level of disappointment was the same in 2018 as it was in 1992. Fool me twice I guess. At least we got "Lawnmower man" in '92.
I know it’s a niche and commercially challenging, but I wish everything not only would come to VR, but made for it from ground up.
It’s the biggest step in evolution of interaction since the beginning of videogames.
VR is awesome.... like a roller-coaster ride or going to an anmusement park. Those are all fun activities (unless you have motion sickness), but would you do that every day? Some may say yes. The majority would say no.
If you play game as an escape from reality, VR is awesome and you might be inclined to play more of it.
If you simply play games to relax, or to be entertained, then VR is still cool, but it's not something you'd be driven to play every day. It's like, a cool experience, a special one, like going to an amusement park. Or the theatre to watch a movie on the big screen.
I love VR. But then again, I only play VR here and there from time to time. I'm not going out of my way to play in VR. I much prefer sitting on a sofa, controller (or Switch) in hand, and just play a game.
I still might buy an Occulus Quest though. Because VR is still cool. Just not something I consider the same as regular gaming. When I want to play games, I usually just want to relax. Not "live an experience". But to each their own.
VR will always be niche.
AR will become the new market penetrator by phone companies.
Where is the champion of VR in this comment section mocking people and calling them stupid for not believing in the future where vr is king. Or did he finally get tired of all that posting?
@SetupDisk There were two. Or was it one with a sock account?
If only it wasn't so expensive and actually had worthy games to play
Half Life Alyx is going to be tons of fun. I'm excited to be in that world again, and to see the scale of everything. Portal 2 was an immersive adventure and It's looking like Alyx will be even more so.
@arekdougy @Silly_G
Asgards Wrath is a full length 40 hour RPG exclusively made for Oculus Rift. It's a stellar game, earning a 9.5 on IGN. Half Life Alyx will get more buzz by being multiplatform though.
I was sceptical about VR. I found PSVR to be awkward and unwieldy. Then Vader Immortal was announced as an Oculus Quest launch exclusive and after experiencing Secrets of the Empire I knew I had to buy one. It's been my best gaming purchase in years, with some incredible experiences and everyone who has tried it has been amazed. If your experience of VR has been limited to cardboard, gear, Labo (or even PSVR) then you haven't seen what it can really do.
@construx Why is it a threat to eyesight? Just curious. Work in the optical industry.
I'm not. Just an average customer here.
3DS's 3D technology ruined my eyesight (basically gave me a lazy eye out of nowhere after I was 30 and had never had such problems before).
That technology makes your eyes focus on two points independently. And as it turns out, your eyes may not be able to recover from that.
I tried VR once out of curiosity and my eyes immediately felt worse. That technology forces them to an unnatural position, too.
And I've already seen where that can lead.
I'm not saying it's dangerous for everyone but I'm the unfortunate living evidence what forcing your eyes in an unnatural position over a long period can do to your eyesight.
These technologies aren't properly tested before released to consumers. These are not drugs so laws are probably not as restrictive.
We are the lab rats here, just like we were in the case of glasses-free 3D technology.
Thank God Nintendo abandoned that one.
Tap here to load 33 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...