The first week I had the Quest I thought it was the most game changing device of my entire life. Especially during the pandemic it was incredible to transport to another world. I was long a nay-sayer on VR but then completely changed my mind, I couldn't shut up to all my friends about how incredible an experience it was...
That wore off less than a month later. Even in a house it takes up too much space to use. Using it too much still gives me a headache. Plus being teleported to another world, while amazing at first, does feel isolating after too much use. I have put orders of magnitude more time into playing switch on my couch than my Oculus (which collects dust in my basement) and I got my switch a few months ago.
The most damning thing though is how little interest there is in VR by the broader gaming community. I never hear anyone on major gaming sites or youtube channels mention VR other than brief, occasional mentions when talking PC performance.
Outside of the tech community nobody I know at all cares about VR in the slightest. The Oculus is a huge step forward, but after having been so excited about it, I'm even more convinced that it will never really take off.
> The first week I had the Quest I thought it was the most game changing device of my entire life.
Did you own a Quest or Quest 2? Quest 2 is noticeably better.
> That wore off less than a month later.
A major use case for me is cardio exercise. Imo the Quest 2 is better than a Peleton for the variety of workouts. Many games are low key fitness apps. This is what keeps me coming back. I’ve lost 20 lbs so far with the Quest 2
> Using it too much still gives me a headache.
This might be related to Quest 2’s inflexible IPD adjustment. It probably isn’t an issue on higher end XR headsets like the upcoming Apple headset as well as PSVR2
> Plus being teleported to another world, while amazing at first, does feel isolating after too much use.
The trick is to only play multiplayer apps or games.
> The most damning thing though is how little interest there is in VR by the broader gaming community.
There are two major reasons for this:
1. Meta is still a toxic brand. Slightly less toxic than FB, but it still prevents a lot of early adopters from even trying it
2. Other alternatives are drastically more expensive AND complicated. While Quest 2 starts at $299, other VR systems start at $499 - $999, and they need a VR capable PC starting at $1599.
> 1. Meta is still a toxic brand. Slightly less toxic than FB, but it still prevents a lot of early adopters from even trying it
If Facebook wasn't behind it I would probably own a Quest 2 (even though I'll buy Apple's VR headset at release) but as-is I won't touch that with a 10' pole.
It’s rumored that the Apple headset will cost $3000. Hopefully, that’s not true or XR adoption will continue to be slow. Imo Apple will get XR into mainstream if they can control the price. The industry will either be made or setback by Apple
Triangle Strategy was a surprisingly fun and addictive game you might be interested in. Close to Final Fantasy Tactics in gameplay but with a branching narrative.
I have also been really enjoying my switch recently while my Oculus collects dust.
If they let me use it offline without an account I would be tempted. I have no desire to have hardware that only works when connected to the internet via an account.
To my knowledge, Nintendos are the only mainstream device or platform that allows that for well over a decade now. Everything else requires an account and internet access. If you want multiplayer, then no mainstream gaming device or platform will fit your needs.
