A Third of Valve is Now Working on VR and the Next Generation of Headsets

[Bacon1]

http://uploadvr.com/valve-third-vr/

Cool video of the prototypes here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBxz7djQvc

 

[Paul98]

Yeah, in two generations I think it's goign to be really freaking cool. It's already quite an experience. Get the quality increased and you really will have something amazing

 

[Armsdealer]

I have a vive. I hope to hell they're making a full portal. Portal stories VR demo was great.

Highly recommend everyone try roomscale VR before they have an opinion on the future of VR. I am ultra optimistic

 

[cytg111]

Should be getting my vive tomorrow ... cant wait

 

[ViviTheMage]

Should be getting my vive tomorrow ... cant wait

I have stayed far away from VR, what can you even play with it yet?

 

[Creig]

This is it! This is what Gabe has been waiting for!

Half-Life 3(D)!

 

[nurturedhate]

This is it! This is what Gabe has been waiting for!

Half-Life 3(D)!

Oh my lord you have done it my good man. The mystery is unraveled.

 

[Armsdealer]

I have stayed far away from VR, what can you even play with it yet?

The games thusfar if you were to play in 2d (on a monitor) are total shovelware. That said, they're the most fun you'll ever have playing video games because the fact that *YOU ARE IN THE GAME* is a big deal.

My favorite so far is holopoint. Go watch youtube videos of it. I haven't tried battledome and in the last few days that seems to be gaining a large following. Solus project is also supposed to be good, but I haven't bought that yet either.

My favorite demo was budget cuts and Portal VR. Both are going to be amazing when they're released. Those are going to be closer to AAA titles.

 

[Armsdealer]

Should be getting my vive tomorrow ... cant wait

You won't regret the purchase for even a second.

The idea that people are paying for 4k monitors for what is effectively the SAME GAME and SAME EXPERIENCE as 1080p blows my mind. Does it really affect your enjoyment of the game *that* much? Not only that, we've been playing the same games for 20 years. Honestly, when it comes to FPS, I still go back to QuakeLive because I still think iD perfected the genre then, and nobody has done better yet.

The existing game types won't work in VR - it is genuinely a new medium with new gameplay types, and it is *finally* a breath of fresh air in gaming.

 

[Thala]

Indeed. The "you are in the game" feeling is incredible, in particular when coupled with Vives motion controllers.
I played most of Rifts exclusives on Vive, using the revive injector but they mostly feel like old content (despite of course being much more immersive compared to playing these on a monitor).
The real innovation that's going on you see on SteamVR where lots of developers playing around with new concepts in particular for room-scale VR with motion controls. Really exciting.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Well, we shall see. Having valve behind it should give a big push. Personally, having to wear the headset is still a big negative to me. It is ok for the kind of brief casual games they have now, but would one really want to do it for a hundred or more hour game like FO4 or witcher? Also, wonder how it works with those of us who have to wear glasses.

 

[Thala]

It is ok for the kind of brief casual games they have now, but would one really want to do it for a hundred or more hour game like FO4 or witcher?

You just take more breaks. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I also feel physically exhausted earlier than the headset starting to bother me in room-scale.
The Oculus games i played sitting with Vive and had longer play times. One issue i found was, that continues locomotion (when you control movement with XBox controller) tends to make you motion sick. So the teleportation scheme almost all Vive games support seems the way to go.

Also, wonder how it works with those of us who have to wear glasses.

My wife has glasses and no issue with the Vive. They just fit into the headset.

 

[Armsdealer]

The Oculus games i played sitting with Vive and had longer play times. One issue i found was, that continues locomotion (when you control movement with XBox controller) tends to make you motion sick. So the teleportation scheme almost all Vive games support seems the way to go.

What games have you liked best so far (oculus and vive)? Revive doesn't work any longer does it?

 

[Thala]

What games have you liked best so far (oculus and vive)? Revive doesn't work any longer does it?

For Vive i always coming back for Audio Shield and Space Pirate Trainer. I also like Vanishing Realms in particular the sword fights. Chair in a Room is very polished and immersive. House of the Dying Sun is very cool for a space shooter. I also would like to see a full version of Xortex (from the Lab) and that Bow/Tower defense game (from the Lab). The Gallery - Episode 1 is adventure with a nice inventory system. Of course Budget Cuts demo is a must have. I probably should try Holopoint.
From Oculus i liked Technolust and surprisingly Lucky's Tale.

As far as revive goes, i think they got it working again at least for Unreal engine based games. Thing is, there is not much going on in the Oculus Store i really had to check out lately.

What are your favorites as far?

 

[HeXen]

Eve: Valkyrie is supposed to come to Vive later this year. I like dogfight games, I think it would be fun even though no one talks about it. I'm also anxious to know for sure if Kingdom Come: Deliverance will have VR support, the dev mentioned it's possibility that and No man's sky has no further words about it.

Since we're on the topic of Vive. With games that say standing but don't mention seated, can you still play those seated if you wanted to? And do all games that use teleport for locomotion also offer the option to move normally using the controllers?

 

[Armsdealer]

For Vive i always coming back for Audio Shield and Space Pirate Trainer. I also like Vanishing Realms in particular the sword fights. Chair in a Room is very polished and immersive. House of the Dying Sun is very cool for a space shooter. I also would like to see a full version of Xortex (from the Lab) and that Bow/Tower defense game (from the Lab). The Gallery - Episode 1 is adventure with a nice inventory system. Of course Budget Cuts demo is a must have. I probably should try Holopoint.
From Oculus i liked Technolust and surprisingly Lucky's Tale.

As far as revive goes, i think they got it working again at least for Unreal engine based games. Thing is, there is not much going on in the Oculus Store i really had to check out lately.

What are your favorites as far?

I played the gallery - thought $30 for 2h gameplay was a ripoff, but made me excited for what the technology is going to be able to do... heard vanishing realms was a similar ripoff... SPT I love, chair in a room I haven't tried yet. Would you recommend I buy it? If I'm not mistaken, in the newest Lab update the longbow game has been dramatically lengthened. Holopoint is like that lab game except way better (imo) and a ton of exercise. I will actually insist you buy it because for me it's easily the most fun game out yet. I don't get what people like about Audioshield. I paid the $20 for it, but I found it to be the most overrated game out yet. Hover Junkers is also good, but somehow I don't feel the intensity in it that I get out of Quake. I just feel like while the graphics / movement are spot on, they haven't worked out how to make the game *fun*, which seems to be precisely the opposite of the problem in Battledome from what I hear (fun but bad gfx). Project Cars is a *must* in VR. Elite Dangerous is a nice relaxing sit down game I play when I'm done with the more physically intense games.... worth buying for $20 if that's your type of game.. I tend to like fps (Quake), but I also really like puzzle games (Witness/ riven / myst).

Hexen: Maybe you could play some them seated, like the gallery, but most of them (space pirate, holopoint) definitely not. The entire point of the roomscale games is to stand up and move around. It will definitely build your muscles to spend an additional 2-3 hours per day like that, and in some cases, like holopoint, I 100% expect VR gaming to revolutionize exercise because the game is goddamn exhausting if played for a long periods.

 

[HeXen]

I played the gallery - thought $30 for 2h gameplay was a ripoff, but made me excited for what the technology is going to be able to do... heard vanishing realms was a similar ripoff... SPT I love, chair in a room I haven't tried yet. Would you recommend I buy it? If I'm not mistaken, in the newest Lab update the longbow game has been dramatically lengthened. Holopoint is like that lab game except way better (imo) and a ton of exercise. I will actually insist you buy it because for me it's easily the most fun game out yet. I don't get what people like about Audioshield. I paid the $20 for it, but I found it to be the most overrated game out yet. Hover Junkers is also good, but somehow I don't feel the intensity in it that I get out of Quake. I just feel like while the graphics / movement are spot on, they haven't worked out how to make the game *fun*, which seems to be precisely the opposite of the problem in Battledome from what I hear (fun but bad gfx). Project Cars is a *must* in VR. Elite Dangerous is a nice relaxing sit down game I play when I'm done with the more physically intense games.... worth buying for $20 if that's your type of game.. I tend to like fps (Quake), but I also really like puzzle games (Witness/ riven / myst).

Hexen: Maybe you could play some them seated, like the gallery, but most of them (space pirate, holopoint) definitely not. The entire point of the roomscale games is to stand up and move around. It will definitely build your muscles to spend an additional 2-3 hours per day like that, and in some cases, like holopoint, I 100% expect VR gaming to revolutionize exercise because the game is goddamn exhausting if played for a long periods.

I mean you can't use a trackpad to move forward back or any other controller option? I don't need to move around to build muscle, I work utility construction for 10 hrs a day. A 90 lb jackhammer for a couple solid hours is a lot more than those wands will do. My ass is sitting down when I get home.
All I want from VR really is just the immersion of visually being more there.

 

[Armsdealer]

I mean you can't use a trackpad to move forward back or any other controller option? I don't need to move around to build muscle, I work utility construction for 10 hrs a day. A 90 lb jackhammer for a couple solid hours is a lot more than those wands will do. My ass is sitting down when I get home.
All I want from VR really is just the immersion of visually being more there.

Definitely not. You really have to try it to understand why that won't work.

You are actually standing in the virtual environment physically dodging bullets / arrows/ whatever. You might be shooting at one enemy with a gun in one hand and looking in the direction you're shooting so to aim, while you're blocking bullets with the other hand with a shield in a direction you're not looking, while simultaneously physically dodging bullets coming from a third enemy.

Get it? (and yes it is cool as **** and it makes you feel like a badass)

Watch a video of someone playing hover junkers, space pirate trainer, or holopoint on youtube.

In other games (way less fun in my opinion) that are just walking around / solving puzzle games, you can probably just do it all sitting down, and there is a heightened sense of immersion.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I mean you can't use a trackpad to move forward back or any other controller option? I don't need to move around to build muscle, I work utility construction for 10 hrs a day. A 90 lb jackhammer for a couple solid hours is a lot more than those wands will do. My ass is sitting down when I get home.
All I want from VR really is just the immersion of visually being more there.

The main issue is that it's convincing enough that your brain thinks you are there, and if you move with a controller or pad your brain expects to feel actual motion. Your brain then freaks out when it doesn't feel the movement and it makes you get sick.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[ViviTheMage]

The games thusfar if you were to play in 2d (on a monitor) are total shovelware. That said, they're the most fun you'll ever have playing video games because the fact that *YOU ARE IN THE GAME* is a big deal.

My favorite so far is holopoint. Go watch youtube videos of it. I haven't tried battledome and in the last few days that seems to be gaining a large following. Solus project is also supposed to be good, but I haven't bought that yet either.

My favorite demo was budget cuts and Portal VR. Both are going to be amazing when they're released. Those are going to be closer to AAA titles.

The problem I see with stuff like that though is its a bit gimmicky, as in it looks like the fun will wear off in a few weeks. Similar to the Wii.

 

[Qwertilot]

In other games (way less fun in my opinion) that are just walking around / solving puzzle games, you can probably just do it all sitting down, and there is a heightened sense of immersion.

Walking around is actually the thing I'm after - google earth VR or some alien world simulator - and one place where it might break mainstream first. I'd imagine a fair bit less GFX grunt needed for that.

On some treadmill style thing for me I think, although many others would no doubt be happy teleporting round tourist attractions instead!

The attraction to this sort of thing isn't remotely gimmicky of course.

 

[Meekers]

Only experienced VR once, it was the one where you put the samsung phone into it. Within 5 minutes of walking around some level doing nothing I had incredible motion sickness. I am someone that can read for hours straight in a car and have never felt something like it before. I took off the headset and it was a couple hours until I felt normal again.

Count me out for now.

 

[pj-]

The problem I see with stuff like that though is its a bit gimmicky, as in it looks like the fun will wear off in a few weeks. Similar to the Wii.

It's not at all comparable to the wii. Partly because it actually works well, but mainly because it is an entirely different and new way of experiencing games.

A lot of the current games are the "fun for an hour" sort, but at least on steam they tend to be mercifully cheap. The lack of depth in content is due to the small market and short amount of time that developers have had the hardware, not any inherent gimmickyness of VR.

There is actually quite a lot of fun content out already, but the fun/$ is muuuch higher than 2d gaming right now. If you aren't super excited about the prospect of VR, give it a year. There will be a lot more games, and many of the (very) early access games that have just come out will have had time to incubate. The headsets will likely come down in price as well.

Only experienced VR once, it was the one where you put the samsung phone into it. Within 5 minutes of walking around some level doing nothing I had incredible motion sickness. I am someone that can read for hours straight in a car and have never felt something like it before. I took off the headset and it was a couple hours until I felt normal again.

Count me out for now.

Don't write off all VR because of bad VR.

Good VR won't make you sick. The simplest way to prevent it is for the game to never move the camera independently of the player's actual head movements. This introduces limitations such as not being able to just press forward on a joystick to move across the wastelands in Fallout, but there are alternate ways of moving around the world, such as teleportation. There is also some research happening now on preventing motion sickness by constraining the field of view during artificial locomotion.

I have had my vive for over a month now, played 30+ games/demos, and the only time I had motion sickness at all was kart racing in project cars. Those things move way too fast, the tracks have a lot of verticality, and there is no cockpit for your brain to anchor to. Lucky's tale also gave me butterflies a couple times due to forced camera movement, but that is much more tolerable. Valve's decision to focus on "roomscale" games was incredibly smart because it entirely bypasses the issue of motion sickness.

For the record, I can't read in a moving car for more than a few seconds at a time without risking nausea.

 

[Raduque]

I went and bought a GearVR while I was on vacation. I quite like it, but I think it's my limit. I'm not interested in "room scale" or physical movement games. I really do think the "YOU ARE THERE"/telepresence feature is amazing, but I have no interest in moving around or waving my arms to play games. Even having to stand up and spin in place for Affected: The Manor is about the max I'm willing to do.

What I'm drooling for is to strap on my HMD and be inside a race car, a fighter jet, or a giant stompy mech (along with the proper wheel/pedals or joystick setup).

 

[pj-]

You should try motion controls and roomscale before writing them off. Even sitting games can benefit from 'waving your arms around'. Top down strategy games are an obvious one where you could play on a virtual table and use controllers to move units, place buildings, etc.

Roomscale VR is not the thing to do when you want to zone out and kill 6 hours, but for me it is definitely the most pure fun I've had from gaming in a very long time. 45 minutes to an hour a day is all I really want from that kind of VR.