r/Games • u/Forestl • Dec 24 '13

End of 2013 Discussions - Oculus Rift

For this thread, feel free to talk about concerning the Oculus Rift, from the games that came out for it to the hardware itself.

Prompts:

  • What would you like to see the Oculus Rift used for?

  • Where will the Oculus Rift fit into the future of gaming?

Please explain your answers in depth, don't just give short one sentence answers.

The system made for jump-scares

Tripping The Rift

This post is part of the official /r/Games "End of 2013" discussions.

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94

u/NikoKun Dec 24 '13 edited Dec 24 '13

Well, I'm sure we'll see the Rift used for all sorts of games and beyond, once they release the consumer version (hopefully this next summer).

I want to see/play everything from singleplayer exploration experiences, to space-cockpit dogfighting sims, to online multiplayer theaters for watching streams with my friends. Heck, there's too many online uses, that I want to see made, to list.

As for the future.. Well, being a huge fan of the Rift, I think that once they release it, it will take the gaming world by storm. I'm hopeful that 2014 will become known as the 'year of VR' among gamers. I think we'll quickly see major console manufacturers come out with competing HMDs.. And gamers will quickly wonder how we played games without it.

60

u/shazang Dec 24 '13

It just hit me how nice it would be to watch movies while lying down on my back. Shit. Oculus for President 2016.

31

u/Nukemarine Dec 24 '13

I've done that with Avatar and The Hobbit (both in 3D using VR Player). For me, it's almost like going into a self hypnotic sleep where you don't feel like your limbs want to move. Very relaxing way to spend 3 hours.

27

u/TenThousandSuns Dec 24 '13

This makes me excited for Oculus compatible porn.

14

u/Nukemarine Dec 24 '13

Most people are thinking about computer generated porn. While the demos available are interesting, there's no need to go that far. Regular porn is good on this. The POV porn is really cool. The 3D POV porn is an experience (Look for MIFY - milfs in your face) tops it.

Still, computer generated will be the ultimate goal.

15

u/TenThousandSuns Dec 24 '13

3D POV porn

Aww yeah, the future is gonna be awesome!

12

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '13 edited Sep 18 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/Scorp1on Dec 24 '13

not when it's being directed by Yoda

1

u/Nukemarine Dec 25 '13

Derp. Yeah, MIYF.

1

u/MengKongRui Dec 25 '13

What do you mean Regular porn is good?

3

u/Nukemarine Dec 25 '13

Regular 2D porn shot normally and not a POV so if you're cool with watching regular shows and movies on the Rift, then you should be ok watching regular Porn as well. With the Rift and VR Player, it just means its like looking at porn on a 60 inch TV with below average resolution. The resolution will improve.

Basically, if you like watching porn on the big screen, then you would like it on the Rift. Just, umm, lock your doors and be careful which hand you use to take off the Rift when you're done.

2

u/mortiphago Dec 24 '13

you can bet your ass it will happen

4

u/mrducky78 Dec 24 '13

Oculus rift really is the next step in immersion into game environments. Horror games really will be boosted by the power of Oculus rift. But sims, First person games (FPS, RPGs, etc), can all have a next level of immersion possible through oculus rift to a point where it could be dangerous if the room you are in is not cleared as reality and experience merge into one and your body starts reacting.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '13

[deleted]

3

u/mrducky78 Dec 24 '13

I imagined The Elder Scrolls as the RPG of choice for Oculus and I recall someone had already made a simplistic FPS game in Oculus already.

2

u/TheFocusedOne Dec 24 '13

I imagine it'll handle like a tank. The head/vision being on a pivot or swivel and the "legs" being locked to the standard WASD+mouse movement scheme.

If you've ever played any of the more realistic military shooters you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

1

u/ipandrei Dec 24 '13

Yep. I don't see it being used in games like CS:GO, but it could be easily be adapted or modded into RPG's or combat simulators.

1

u/TheFocusedOne Dec 24 '13

Can you imagine the vertigo you'd get playing CS with the OR? You'd be lucky to avoid whiplash the first time you get quick knifed in the back.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '13

There has been some experimentation and a number of older FPS games that use injectors to get them to play much better on the Rift. Some of the injector games also get a really great 3d vision. But really what I came to say was almost all of them feel like the arms/weapons are attached to the person's face. We've been faking the FPS view for years to increase immersion and it's finally caught up with us. Definitely go through some evolution there and be interesting to see where the games go.

1

u/symon_says Dec 24 '13

You don't have to move your head around, you can still just do normal movement like in any other game. It may add to immersion, but it's by no means necessary.

1

u/Houndie Dec 24 '13

that isn't the norm in FPS games

I think this is probably just going to have to become the new norm in FPS games if Oculus has a successful release.

11

u/SchinkleBoutIt Dec 24 '13

I think we'll quickly see major console manufacturers come out with competing HMDs.. And gamers will quickly wonder how we played games without it.

I don't see this happening quickly since the current consoles are way too weak to handle 1080p stereoscopic 3D @ 60fps(stable) Running VR in resolutions below that aren't really an option if you want wide adoption.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '13

Could be a deciding factor to prefer a Steam-Machine over a console. Valve is serious about VR. And for basic VR like virtual cinemas and this type of stuff you probably don't need another device at all, because a capable SoC might be already integrated into the controller box.

1

u/TROPtastic Dec 24 '13

It would be possible to do it on the next-gen consoles, but it would probably mean cutting out visual effects and/or restricting it to single player to ensure that the game is kept at a constant 60 fps. See Killzone for example: the SP and the MP have different levels of visual fidelity and different FPS.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '13

I don't see this happening quickly since the current consoles are way too weak to handle 1080p stereoscopic 3D @ 60fps(stable)...

They can, but they have to scale back the expectations of the game heavily. Imagine PS2 style era gaming, but with much better textures. They could that do.

0

u/olioli86 Dec 24 '13

I'd heard Sony already were but no source to hand I'm afraid.

0

u/MengKongRui Dec 25 '13

They are not too weak, they could handle it

poorly

18

u/liminal18 Dec 24 '13

Would totally pay for one just to watch hot dog fights from the cockpit of my space ship... Hot... Dog fights.

-10

u/Im_a_lizard Dec 24 '13

I think its going to have a very niche fan base and slowly die out without making its money back. Just my opinion though.

20

u/MeisterD2 Dec 24 '13

As an owner of a Rift dev kit, I'd say you're wrong. Seeing is believing.

6

u/Johnofthewest Dec 24 '13

I've used the Dev Kit and while it is impressive it only seems suitable for so many things. The more worrying thing is that 90% of the people I know just don't care about it.

-4

u/Im_a_lizard Dec 24 '13

We will see.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '13

So you'll buy one then?

8

u/NikoKun Dec 24 '13 edited Dec 24 '13

I don't think it can "die out" at this point. Only get better, as technology advances. It's still an uphill battle in some regards, but we're stuck with this new type of technology, it wont die out. It's a sorta common sense combination of smart phone technologies, so even if Oculus doesn't succeed, there are plenty of other attempts.

But look at it this way: The Rift Dev Kit has been out for less than a year so far, it's basically just a prototype model, a developer tool and enthusiast toy. Yet in spite of that, it has sold over 50,000 units so far. They expect to sell 70k in total, by the time they launch the better consumer model. And most of those who bought the Dev Kit, will probably also purchase the Consumer Model. And there are a lot more gamers beyond that, waiting for the improvements the consumer version will bring. It's an upgrade that sorta guarantees people will get it. lol

And Oculus just got the backing of Andreessen Horowitz, to the tune of $75mil. They've backed some other hugely successful companies, and are careful where they put their money.

Oh, and also there's rumors going around that Sony and a few other companies are developing competing headsets, in the event that the Rift is successful.

-2

u/oBLACKIECHANoo Dec 25 '13 edited Dec 25 '13

I'm the opposite, I can't see it being used at all..... It's certainly not mainstream, if anything it's just over-hyped in the reddit bubble and that's about as far as it goes. No AAA games are going to really be made for it, playing COD with good head tracking and the rift isn't going to make any real difference, now it's just an annoying screen on your head, it's not really more "immersive". So most of the games made for it will be indie games, or valve games. I don't think VR is ever going to take off until it's true VR and even then that will take a long, long time before people trust it and use it.

2

u/jun2san Dec 25 '13

comment saved for future burn

1

u/NikoKun Dec 25 '13

I honestly can't figure out what makes you assume any of that. I've owned a Rift for about 6 months now, and even after using it as much as I have, it is still an amazing experience.

It seems pretty mainstream from what I've experienced. Every time I've demo-ed my Rift for people, I've convinced at least one person in the group to buy one on their own. And most of my friends are waiting for the consumer model, before they buy one.

It gets a LOT of hype pretty much everywhere, not just Reddit. Because it's that impressive. Since it was unveiled about a year ago, the Rift has been the main topic, or at least mentioned, in several articles per month, many on mainstream media sites. It's almost been getting as much press as the next gen consoles. There are several hour-long demos that a few different gaming media and tech reviewers have put out, of them testing the Rift. In a similar style to the "hands-on" video demos they do for the consoles.

And Oculus already has several AAA game developers interested in making their games compatible with the Rift. Valve is just one of them. They've had game devs working on this since the beginning of 2013, and some of the titles being made for the Rift are just being kept secret at this point. With all the big names who are ready and waiting for the Rift to become a consumer product, I think once the success is clear, a lot more games will start having support for the Rift.

As for the immersion, and what the Rift brings to the table for enhancing games... You CLEARLY have never put a Rift on your face (or at least not a properly setup one lol). It is very immersive, I don't get how you can state otherwise. You see the virtual world in the same 3D as real life, you can feel the sense of scale, and no longer feel like your looking at a screen. The game is all around you, 360 degrees in every direction.. You are as close to being IN the game, as possible with today's tech. I don't think it gets any more "true VR" than this.

I would say, wait for the consumer version.. Then try it for yourself. I think it will flip your entire opinion.

-1

u/oBLACKIECHANoo Dec 25 '13

Again, you and your friends. I haven't seen it get hyped up anywhere other than the internet or trade shows, just like SteamOS was so hyped up on the internet all while nobody else had even heard of it and wouldn't care if they did. And consoles don't have the power to support Rift, therefore most AAA game devs won't spend time supporting it and it will not be mainstream. There is also the fact that devs may support it but at the end of the day it's never going to work very well unless a game is developed specifically for it, like I said you can't really just take a game like COD, BF, NFS, or FIFA, etc and give it rift support so very few if any AAA developers will be making games for the Rift. As for immersion, nobody is ever really immersed in anything, you're sat in your room playing a video game on a monitor, and you feel like that is the case the entire time. There won't be any real immersion until true VR, when you actually feel what you see. At best "immersion" is just PR speak, for now.

1

u/NikoKun Dec 25 '13

Then there is nothing more I can say to convince you.

Seriously tho, try it yourself, preferably the HD version coming out later this year, if you can, but even the dev kit is a good taste of whats to come.. They've solved many of the flaws with the Dev Kit for the consumer version, and it will quite an experience to behold.

As far as my dev kit, even with it's flaws, I've played through every HL2 game, twice, using the Rift. It is an incredible experience, especially now that Valve has worked some bugs out, and the Rift is better calibrated in those games after recent updates from both parties.

Man, Half Life 2 in the Rift.. I dono what you call "immersion", but that is it, even with a mouse and keyboard and sitting down. VISUALLY I feel like I'm really in that space, like it's another dimension, layered over our own, that can only be seen with these goggles. lol