Valve: "The idea that VR must get you sick is bullsh*t"

Chet Faliszek told the EGX crowd that the developer, not the hardware, is responsible for creating feelings of nausea

[SaveFerris]

Interesting. Perhaps having a control system which mimics natural movements will help with immersion and also help to lessen the nausea? It could depend on the game though. For instance, if you are engaged in a VR sword fight, wouldn't it be better to use a wand type controller rather than a gamepad so you could move it like a sword. I'd love to see if a developer could make a Mechwarrior or Gundam type game for VR with some motion controls to complement a physical control system similar to the Steel Battalion sequel that was on the 360.

[donthate]

I think this is what will likely kill VR.

All you need is mass hysteria and it already started to the point where hardware makers have to address the issue. Fact of the matter is, consumers don't care if it is the hardware or the experience. All they know and care about is not getting sick especially after paying $300 for it!

I hope VR succeeds, but if I were to bet, I would bet on VR failing and AR succeeding.

[Roaddhogg]

Very similar to Sony's response. It's a valid one IMO. http://n4g.com/news/1796298...

[Snookies12]

Why are you getting all those disagrees? You're making a valid point, this was brought up with Sony as well. I also agree that it's up to the developer to ensure that people won't get sick. You need 60+ frames per second, at the very least to have VR work right. We weren't meant to see things in choppy frames. Our eyes can't process it normally, and it in turn makes us sick.

[die_fiend]

The only thing that makes me sick is that intelligent people like John Carmack actually think that VR is going to take off when this all launches. I'm sorry but if people found wearing 3D glasses too much, then obviously VR is going to fail. It might be a good experience but it's a gimmick.

People want to game with a controller and dems da facts.

[Anderson8]

VR is definitely going to become mainstream in the future its pretty obvious when you can think of the possibilities and what it could potentially do. but i think that this first generation of VR stuff wont be the one that gets massively adopted itll be 1 or 2later

[amiga-man]

VR is and will happen and is going nowhere, I agree with Anderson this is just the first step, future iterations of the tech prove what it is truly capable of.

[Mystogan]

Sorry but it will never go mainstream. People don't like wearing shit on their head. It will only be popular with core gamers and that's it.

[donthate]

anders:

I'm pretty sure the people looking at Kinect and 3D also said the exact same thing. It is "pretty obvious" if you think of the possibilities. Heck, Kinect even went on to be the fastest selling hardware in history and won awards only to fizzle out on the next release.

My feeling is look at the drawbacks:

* uncomfortable and relatively heavy headsets
* cannot use for extended period of time
* can make you sick depending on the content you are viewing and varies from person to person
* costly

I want VR to succeed, and will be getting my Oculus Rift, but reality sets in and it has all the hallmarks of a trend that will fizzle for all, but the niche. It is the next motion control.

[TLG1991]

The problem wasn't wearing the glasses with 3D, the problem was it was piss poor. with pathetic simple attempts in most movies being the best 3D you could get where one part of the film was made to come out at you and the rest of the film was normal. it wasn't worth it.

I tried VR at the weekend and comparing 3D with VR is possibly the stupidest thing you could do. like comparing the kardashians with Einstein. completely worlds apart.

[die_fiend]

I'm not saying 3D and VR are the same things. I'm saying people had a problem with wearing 3D glasses. It wasn't that the quality wasn't good because 3D became pretty good pretty quick.

People just won't be willing to sit there with a bulky headset on their heads to play games. I agree that this is just the first iteration and that in a few years time this is a possibility, but this is going to sink next year. I'll PM you next year to remind you how stupid I am in saying the VR is going to bomb in 2016.

[amiga-man]

PM me too, VR is here to stay, not saying that os going to be Playstation VR, Oculus etc, but it will come to it's own, these are just the first steps in it gaining a foothold.

Kinect, 3D TV have nowhere near the impact of VR and it will continue to grow.

[hellothere1977]

Actually, the stupidest thing you can do is make a statement about someone making a bad comparison by offering up an invalid statement to try and prove your point.

Fact is, the idiot Kardashians and Einstein can be used for making comparisons. Whether or not it is a logical or valid comparison depends on the premise behind the comparisons.

If you can't connect the dots to see the undeniable truth behind the VR movement and the other past gimmicks that failed, not much can be said for you.

I'll give you a freebie. Use this information how you see fit. Here are the facts that will likely crush VR:
1) It will be seen as a $300+ peripheral (we know how well peripherals sell)

2) People are lazy...they aren't going to want to strap a helmet on their head to relax after 9 hours at work.

3) The medical issues that will arise after moderate size of the population start complaining about EYE ISSUES and INJURIES associated with players oblivious to their surrounding due to strapping said helmet on face.

4) No EULA can protect Facebook or Sony from medical injuries that will arise from claims. Hell, they can't even make a statement about what extreme longterm use of the product can do to the eye or mind. Why? Because they likely have not done research to see what longterm exposure can cause.

There isn't a bleeding heart Jury in America that will not award insane damages for negligent failure to research the possible medical problems this stuff causes.

5) Follow the money. Wallstreet and the hedgies will talk this stuff up and then short the hell out of it once real numbers and real stats come in.

ONLY THING THAT CAN POSSIBLY SAVE THIS IS PORN.

[SniperControl]

"People want to game with a controller and dems da facts"

"dems not da facts"

Why do people always assume that a controller cant be used with VR?

Alien:Isolation works great with a controller, I use my T500rs with Project CARS and a Hotus joystick with Elite:Dangerous.

I've had my DK2 for just over a year and have yet to own a VR game that requires me to move my body or have a special controller to control anything in the game.

Seems alot of people slagging off VR have never even tried it or they associate it with 3D gaming.

[Bobafret]

I get frame rate sickness from crappy games, but that has nothing to do with VR.

[Bobafret]

Not even going to ponder at the disagrees any longer.

[WheatBread]

Choppy frame rate + fast moving action + no control in cut scenes + using a gamepad = instant nausea and headache

[slappy508]

In GabeN we trust

[slappy508]

2 disagrees? forgive them Gaben, For they know not what they do

[Tonykid]

Just do what people did for mirrors edges add a little dot in the middle of the screen to reduce naseua for people who can't handle it. To me its high fps with too much camera shake that gives me nauseus in games. We can go on tengent how the fuck high fps gives me nauseau but I really don't write out a winded comment just for you to read only the first two sentences.

[Officialxandr]

I don't get any type of motion sickness. Can't wait for PSVR.

[TheUndertaker85]

Can we just stop the nonsense? Everybody's going to be different, namely first time users of VR.

Upgraded my TV from one of the 30hz TVs to one that does 120hz. My first experiences with it did give me a slight feeling of nausea. After a few days using the TV that changed and it's now the norm.

Same with 3D. Used the 3D feature of my TV and at first I experienced eye strain along with general uncomfortably. After using the feature a few times however both calmed.

[Yo Mama]

I don't want a homogenized experience. Admittedly, I haven't tried any VR headset. With that being said, I feel like I'd want something that felt so real that it'd make some people sick. It's like a roller coaster. Who would want to get on one so tame that it didn't have the power to make weak stomached people sick? If you can't handle it, you can't handle it. And those people know not to use it.

[FoxyGotGame]

A ton of "Gamer's" on this very site have been using motion sickness as an excuse to rubbish PSVR, but not Oculus Rift or the other brands so much. Truth is, some folks will experience nausea with VR... and some people will get Sea sick, Car sick, a bad reaction to pharmacy drugs such as Aspirin etc

In the 80's when 3D began to take off, people said the same thing, yet the box office shows people love to watch 3D Cinema as seen with the incredible success that was Avatar 3D. You shouldn't dismiss VR if you haven't tried it. So try it before you knock it /