The Jimquisition: Virtual Real Talk

I'm very prone to motion sickness, so the laggy IMU in my phone makes Cardboard make me sick within minutes.

Twit In A Hat

Thanks for sharing :)

What kind of games have you played and what did they offer that's different from regular games? Was there anything more than the adition of 3D? Or where they MORE restricting than regular games?

God I love the clips of you just twisting with a Vive. I wouldn't mind the visuals, but their attempt at double dipping on motion controls kneecapped the chances it had.

shadowscribble

I have a form of distal muscular dystrophy that makes it difficult to stand for long periods, and I can't kneel or crouch without significant difficulty in getting up again... I spent 14 months saving money for my "privilege goggles" and a gaming PC capable of running them, and although I'd been planning to go with Oculus right up until the point that Fallout 4 was announced for Vive, that was the catalyst for me to switch. 4 months in, and one RMA later (for a faulty base station), I still think it's the best purchase I've made since I was diagnosed. It encourages me to be on my feet until I just can't stand up anymore, and when I'm finally sitting down again playing War Thunder SB in VR with a HOTAS lets me live out a life-long dream of mine. Speaking of dreams, as someone who used to love hiking and now just can't anymore, simply experiencing Vesper Peak for the first time in Valve's lab made me choke up and start leaking watery stuff in a way that caught me completely off-guard. You hit on the key attraction of VR: Immersion... But then proceeded to argue your case like that wasn't worth sacrificing other conveniences for. Speaking personally, it very definitely -is- worth those sacrifices. It's the first medium for me in which the idea of a 'walking simulator' suddenly makes complete sense, since sometimes all I really want to do is exist within place that's inaccessible to me, whether through fantasy or geography, and enjoy the opportunity to ramble through it. As you say; there will be people with disabilities who'll be poorly accommodated by the technology, but there will be others (like me) for whom it turns out to be a great boon... While it's unlikely to live up to all the hype being generated around it (what new technology ever does?) I definitely think, and hope, that it's one which will continue to iterate, diversify and have longevity because I'm heavily emotionally invested in it now. There are just so many experiences that I want to immerse myself in, and now see a way to achieve, that I'd be heartbroken if it turned out to be a short-lived-fad rather than a true innovation experiencing growing pains.

TheOldDruid

Hey Jim! Gonna have to disagree with you here. I own a pair of privilege goggles and using them has been the most fun I've had playing video games in a long while. While currently being very exclusive, that is true, I hope in the future the tech becomes more affordable and easier to use for wider audiences. I am a different kind of gamer than you, and so my opinion differs! Yay for freedom of speech!

As someone who suffers from chronic migraines, the Google Cardboard is exactly enough VR investment for me. I get to try fun gimmicky things every now and then, without feeling like I wasted my money on a barf machine. Also, what is even up with that pathetic round-edged castle in the Cash-tlevania slot machine? If you're going to ruin something, at least put some effort into it?

Moonfireflight

Wish granted. <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-ca/explore/playstation-vr/trial/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.playstation.com/en-ca/explore/playstation-vr/trial/</a>

Saugerdees

What amazes me is that there's still nowhere I'm aware of where I can walk in and TRY the damn thing. Twenty-eight years ago, the NES had outlets and kiosks in any number of major malls, calling people to try out Nintendo's game system and making the quiet statement that home video games were back, after departing in disgrace, and they weren't going to suck. Thus far, VR hasn't even gotten the half-hearted demo-ing that 3D television received.

Kraken

I quite agree about the whole VR thing. I haven't seen anything come out of VR that makes me go "OH, that's amazing! I need a headset right now!" because, like you said, it may improve immersion, but it certainly doesn't improve anything else beyond that, sadly.

Aron Marczylo