Is PCVR Dead?

[Veemstar]

Not looking for a lame answers like "it's always been dead," I want to hear what people are thinking about the future of PCVR, as it seems more and more games are console/quest exclusive and no one is looking into making more PCVR headsets. Crazy how we hit an apex and we're not doing anything with it. Just open to thoughts.

[Veemstar]

Just a note, I'm aware that Quest and standalone is a lot more accessible, but I think it's still fair for both PC and Quest to get fair treatments eh?

[AC Denton]

If I remember correctly Valve is making a new VR-focused console designed to provide better wireless VR. If this is the case then it could mean better support and a target platform for PCVR.
We already seen how successful the Deck was, where devs now had a target platform they could optimise for and made all their games work on it.

My assumption is that if this is realised, they'll announce it alongside a new VR headset.

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally posted by Veemstar:

Just a note, I'm aware that Quest and standalone is a lot more accessible, but I think it's still fair for both PC and Quest to get fair treatments eh?

Devs are free to choose their platform, and their motivations lie on a spectrum from a vision they don't want to compromise on, to simply a payday. The visionary hobbyists will develop for their own hardware (likely top tier), while the most mercenary devs have already gone all the way back to flat gaming (with 50x the sales of VR titles). In the middle is the Quest, with hardware sales subsidized by parent company Meta with its dreams of eye-tracking, ad sales and user-monetization.

I've seen devs who want to remain in VR but attempt to maximize VR income by leaning towards the Quest, under the logical fallacy that the customers owning the most common and affordable hardware are likely buyers for their game. My opinion is those VR users tend towards kids who were gifted a Quest, and without much of a gaming budget, who are playing free games almost exclusively. Devs who court this demographic might find themselves in bad company.

I've seen people say "VR is dead" when they mean "I don't see a new VR game that interests me." I've seen people say "VR is dead" when they mean "it'll never achieve the market penetration of the TV or Smartphone." Your point as I understand it is that PCVR seems destined to be less popular than standalone VR. Yes, cheap usually wins*, and so does uncomplicated, and standalone VR is both.

I'm grateful for the visionaries that have made and continue to make possible the revolutionary gaming experiences I'm having in VR. Quest won't swallow those VR devs who won't compromise, they'll make their vision and port it as an afterthought. As for Valve's support, which is crucial, I don't know... they stopped selling their Steam Link and their trackpad controller, but I think they still support them. Hopefully they bring us the Deckard soon.

*android vs iphone, PC vs Mac, Beta vs VHS, tablet vs PC...

[marcelo]

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[Veemstar]

Originally posted by Bob Loblaw:

Originally posted by Veemstar:

Just a note, I'm aware that Quest and standalone is a lot more accessible, but I think it's still fair for both PC and Quest to get fair treatments eh?

Devs are free to choose their platform, and their motivations lie on a spectrum from a vision they don't want to compromise on, to simply a payday. The visionary hobbyists will develop for their own hardware (likely top tier), while the most mercenary devs have already gone all the way back to flat gaming (with 50x the sales of VR titles). In the middle is the Quest, with hardware sales subsidized by parent company Meta with its dreams of eye-tracking, ad sales and user-monetization.

I've seen devs who want to remain in VR but attempt to maximize VR income by leaning towards the Quest, under the logical fallacy that the customers owning the most common and affordable hardware are likely buyers for their game. My opinion is those VR users tend towards kids who were gifted a Quest, and without much of a gaming budget, who are playing free games almost exclusively. Devs who court this demographic might find themselves in bad company.

I've seen people say "VR is dead" when they mean "I don't see a new VR game that interests me." I've seen people say "VR is dead" when they mean "it'll never achieve the market penetration of the TV or Smartphone." Your point as I understand it is that PCVR seems destined to be less popular than standalone VR. Yes, cheap usually wins*, and so does uncomplicated, and standalone VR is both.

I'm grateful for the visionaries that have made and continue to make possible the revolutionary gaming experiences I'm having in VR. Quest won't swallow those VR devs who won't compromise, they'll make their vision and port it as an afterthought. As for Valve's support, which is crucial, I don't know... they stopped selling their Steam Link and their trackpad controller, but I think they still support them. Hopefully they bring us the Deckard soon.

*android vs iphone, PC vs Mac, Beta vs VHS, tablet vs PC...

If you don't mind me asking, what companies/visionaries are you speaking of? I've played many VR games in my time, but I'm curious if I'm just missing the good ones...

[Bob Loblaw]

Here's the most recent "Best VR Games" thread, with opinions from me and others:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/250820/discussions/0/3802777845421582219/?tscn=1690130946

Companies/Visionaries: Valve (Gabe Newell & Alan Yates), HTC, every game dev on the Best Games list above especially indy devs, Ana Ribeiro (for Pixel Ripped 1989's mid-game genre morphs), and Iron Galaxy/ Escalation Studios (for porting Fallout 4 to the Vive), and I have a suspicion there's an unknown hero at Google Earth VR keeping it from getting terminated.

This video covers several engineering challenges in the development of tracked motion controllers, it's the reason I feel that Valve's VR development was visionary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75ZytcYANTA

[Bob Loblaw]

Based on your review of Vertigo 2, you should check these out:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16930/Ultimate_VR_Comedy_Bundle/

[๋]

👍

[User]

I don't think PCVR is dead per say, but it's in a weird spot. Most devs are going for the Meta quest 2 (or 3 since it's comin out soon) but I do see those games get ported to PCVR or the other way around. The only weird issue I can think of is when the quest version of game is more updated than the PCVR counterpart (creed is the only one I can think of on top of my head) and that shouldn't really be happening.

I love my quest 2, but I do want to keep all my games in one place personally, but a bit tough to do sometimes, ah well.

[Spooky Chair]

it is because STEAMVR IS HERE...... THANK YOU DEVS
https://steamcommunity.com/app/250820/discussions/0/3883848063131093705/

[temps]

Meta getting huge numbers of people from the public into cheap standalone VR headsets doesn't kill PC VR, it actually grows PC VR.

Because any of those millions of people in cheap Quest headsets might one day get a PC and say "hey I could just pop an RTX 3070 in there, plug in my link cable to the PC, and then play games with better graphics like Half-LIfe: Alyx or Lone Echo, or whatever.

I think when people say stuff like "VR is dead" they're just whining because we don't have any more of those AAA games PC VR users had come to expect like HL:A or Medal of Honor: Above And Beyond coming out anytime soon.

[Mirco Sfot]

me love VR. Cant belive i played 2D games all my life time. the meta quest 3 changed my gaming live. thx Mark! yesterday i flew in space around some planets in No mans sky and in my spaeship was a lifestream up by Dr.D. thats faqin cool!
World of Warcraft in VR? it feels like. the game asgard wrath 2 seems like it. i am in a desert, looks like Tanarsis by WoW and this kicks me back in memories.
watching 3D movies!

[slocik]

VR is dead overall.
Meta tried to cannibalize the market, then made the worst designed and most confusing store ever created, with 3 versions, no cross buy and impossible to buy ♥♥♥♥ you want, and bought up and closed bunch of game dev studios.
Now market is dominated by a company whose only first party game, asgrads wrath, has a limited marketability.

So you can make a PCVR only game, and sell nothing, or a Quest game and make nothing ... or like a sane company get a deal with Sony like capcom and make some money.