Virtual Certainty

My problem is that I'm as impressionable as a dollop of warm wax. When I hear someone make an impassioned or well thought-out argument I can't help but rethink my own ideas. More often than not, I circle back around to my initial position, but I like to think of it as being a learning experience rather than a waste of time.

Like virtual reality. I already knew my position on virtual reality: It's too expensive, too cumbersome to set up, and too likely to trigger one of those vestibular migraines I've grown prone to in my old age.

And yet … .

After a year's listening to podcasts and coworkers talking about the amazing VR experience, I felt my resolve weaken. Then the horror of scarcity hit me as the second blow of a one-two punch combination. What if I want it for Christmas, but there aren’t any? Act now! Supplies are running out! If you follow, there may be a tomorrow but if the offer’s shunned, you might as well be walking on the sun!

I can’t walk on the sun. My shoes would melt, and I just got them broken in!

So I did what any neurotic technophile would do: I traded in everything I couldn’t live without (Farewell, WiiU. You’ve been almost like a game system to me!) and bought a VR machine.

After about an hour to set it up, I put on the headset. Then I fired up the demo disc, disconnected the headset, neatly packed it all neatly back into its box and brought it back to GameStop.

It wasn’t just the nausea, although that is certainly a factor. That could have been a calibration issue. I’m a tall guy, maybe the camera lost tracking on my head, causing the environment to heave in a physically unpleasant way. Maybe, with enough tweaking and twerking, I could have gotten the experience to be stable and not sick-making. I might even have managed to make my virtual hands act like they were attached to my actual ones in more than a loose, advisory capacity.

No, the real problem was that the part of the experience that wasn't nauseating wasn’t all that interesting either.

I played all of ten minutes before I felt like I needed to make a call on the white courtesy phone, and I still felt like I had seen what there was to offer. It wasn’t fun. It was just standing in a space where I can’t see daylight, waving my hands around and occasionally throwing random objects at passers by.

I can do that at work!

Try a different game, you say? Which one? Batman? Job Simulator? London Heist? Which one of those isn't just a variation of waving your arms and throwing things?

(And if I were any more reductive, you could sell me as a way to trim stubborn belly fat.)

This probably comes down to expectation management. That first ten minutes was supposed to knock my socks off! Make me finally feel Present in a video game! Instead it felt exactly like I had two small televisions strapped to my head.

Whee.

Perhaps if it hadn’t been for constant VR triumphalism that I hear and read absolutely everywhere, I would have been satisfied with the experience. I may have even convinced myself to sleep on it before returning the system to the retailer. But if it hadn’t been for that constant barrage, I wouldn’t have bought the bloody thing in the first place!

I should have known better. I did know better. Some things, though, you can't be told. Sometimes you have to spend over five hundred dollars and then get it back as store credit.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve learned that I should have trusted my own instincts. It took me years to stop buying racing games, even though I knew I’d get partway through the single-player campaign and stop because the mastery required to win a race was beyond my patience to achieve.

And yet … .

There’s something of a thrill in challenging your own preconceptions. Indeed, my recent foray into the Saturday Night Bottle Rockets event proved that even I can learn to fall in like with online multiplayer. So sure, I could have clung stubbornly to my prejudices about VR, how the cost-to-benefit ratio was too imbalanced for me. I could have sat on my laurels and ignorantly lamented the trends turning video games into something I don’t think I want them to be. But there’s no growth there. That’s intellectual stagnation.

I’m much happier having tried VR. Now I can hold fast to my absolute certainty that the cost-to-benefit ratio is too high for me. My lamentations against the fads of the day are now well informed, and I know exactly that video games are becoming something I don’t want them to be.

See how that’s better?

Plus, who’s to say I wouldn’t have enjoyed VR in another pant-leg of the multiverse? Maybe there’s a version of me standing somewhere playing the hell out of London Heist. A version that found the experience compelling enough to play through the nausea and get the camera set up just right. A version who painted himself blue and swam to the moon on his vacation.

Hey, it’s a multiverse. Everything must be happening somewhere, if I read my Pratchett right.

The point is, I wouldn’t have known but for trying, and that alternate-pant-leg version of me wouldn’t be enjoying himself right now. I’m happy for him, wherever he is. On balance, the multiverse is a better place, because there's that much more joy in it.

But in this pant leg, VR is not for me. Which means I was right all along. That might not be good for the multiverse, but I enjoy knowing for certain (and being right).

Comments

(And if I were any more reductive, you could sell me as a way to trim stubborn belly fat.)
goad
ɡōd/
verb
1. provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate some action or reaction.
"he goaded her on to more daring revelations"
synonyms: provoke, spur, prod, egg on, hound, badger, incite, rouse, stir, move, stimulate, motivate, prompt, induce, encourage, urge, inspire; More

2. drive or urge (an animal) on with a goad.

It's perfectly fine to not enjoy VR in its current state. It's early in the VR lifecycle and it's definitely rough around the edges. The hardware is finicky, bulky, and difficult to setup properly and the game developers are still figuring out how to make things work well in a VR environment.

It's the playground of the early adopter.

If you enjoy messing around with the new hotness, then it's a great time. If you prefer to plug in and go, maybe it's not for you yet.

But at the same time... you kinda did it wrong. Your first 10 minutes of VR should have been on someone else's system - someone who's had it for a while, has got it all setup and calibrated and knows what the good games are. That's how you get a feel for what VR can actually be.

Good news is it's not too late, just find one of us VR ambassadors and stop on in. I'm sure any VR-owning goodjer near you would be happy to show you "the good stuff"!

I got a free GearVR when I purchased my S7 Edge, and I'm tremendously thankful I did. It's allowed me to dip my toe in the VR waters without a significant financial outlay.

When it works well, it's really amazing. I'm addicted to playing Smash Hit in VR. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I like watching Netflix in VR, watching shows on a big-screen TV in a Swiss chalet somewhere (I fear the headset would get too uncomfortable to sit through an entire movie, but I haven't tried yet). A short CNN clip put me in the middle of war-ravaged Aleppo and I swear I almost cried.

But that's when it works. And even then, I have to get the phone out of its case, unlock it and get it seated into the headset. And it seems to work better when I close all my apps and clear my phone's cache, adding more to the ritual.

When it doesn't work, even the smallest glitch kills the experience. And frankly, it either seems to work wonderfully or fail miserably, without much in between.

I believe there will be a day when VR is commonplace. But it's not going to be for a while.

Serengeti wrote:

But at the same time... you kinda did it wrong. Your first 10 minutes of VR should have been on someone else's system - someone who's had it for a while, has got it all setup and calibrated and knows what the good games are. That's how you get a feel for what VR can actually be.

As I was reading the post, I was thinking the same thing. Before I bought my Vive, I went to a Microsoft store and tried their demo. This meant that the experiences that I was having was chosen based on their merit. When Greg said

It was just standing in a space where I can’t see daylight, waving my hands around and occasionally throwing random objects at passers by.

I felt that his internal expectation was that this was silly and he focused on the silly. There is so much more to VR then throwing random objects at passer by. Some of my best VR experiences has been playing games with other people and actually seeing them in the game with you.

kazar wrote:

I felt that his internal expectation was that this was silly and he focused on the silly. There is so much more to VR then throwing random objects at passer by. Some of my best VR experiences has been playing games with other people and actually seeing them in the game with you.

Add to that things like Elite Dangerous (with a HOTAS), Google Earth VR, short movies like Henry or Dear Angelica. Hell, even controller based games like Edge of Nowhere or Chronos. While some people definitely get more joy than others throwing stuff at people in VR, there is definitely a lot more to do if you want a different experience

I have never tried the current VR experience and have no plans to. That said, I hope I'm open minded enough not to dismiss it out of hand if I do.

How does everyone feel about current gen 3D tech? I personally hate it and can't figure out why every movie has that as an option, in some cases, the only option I can find. I will choose 2D over 3D every single time.

I do still hope that my objections stem from some kind of uncanny valley effect, and not something less tangible.

I think VR is awesome and is the future. I don't find that 3D in movies generally adds much to the experience and will watch my movies in 2D whenever possible.

kazar wrote:
Serengeti wrote:

But at the same time... you kinda did it wrong. Your first 10 minutes of VR should have been on someone else's system - someone who's had it for a while, has got it all setup and calibrated and knows what the good games are. That's how you get a feel for what VR can actually be.

As I was reading the post, I was thinking the same thing. Before I bought my Vive, I went to a Microsoft store and tried their demo. This meant that the experiences that I was having was chosen based on their merit.

I'm going to invoke the Sean Sands Defense here: if "doing it right" means surrounding myself with strangers and then immediately depriving myself of sensory input connected to the real world, I'm happy doing it wrong. Unless I'm playing Dishonored, I prefer my gaming to be stabbing-free.

Seriously, though, I've said multiple times in the past that gaming is what I do so I don't have to talk to people. It lets me recharge my batteries so I can go back out and fake being a "normal" person for another day.

kazar wrote:

When Greg said

It was just standing in a space where I can’t see daylight, waving my hands around and occasionally throwing random objects at passers by.

I felt that his internal expectation was that this was silly and he focused on the silly. There is so much more to VR then throwing random objects at passer by. Some of my best VR experiences has been playing games with other people and actually seeing them in the game with you.

So instead of throwing things at passers-by, you're throwing them at active participants?

I kid, of course, but right now there just isn't the value proposition for me. As I said in the article, VR is exactly what my preconceived notions of it were before I tried it: Too cumbersome, too expensive, and not impressive enough to overcome those two challenges.

It's healthy to challenge preconceptions, that's how we learn. You just have to accept that sometimes the learning will be "I wasn't wrong."

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
kazar wrote:
Serengeti wrote:

But at the same time... you kinda did it wrong. Your first 10 minutes of VR should have been on someone else's system - someone who's had it for a while, has got it all setup and calibrated and knows what the good games are. That's how you get a feel for what VR can actually be.

As I was reading the post, I was thinking the same thing. Before I bought my Vive, I went to a Microsoft store and tried their demo. This meant that the experiences that I was having was chosen based on their merit.

I'm going to invoke the Sean Sands Defense here: if "doing it right" means surrounding myself with strangers and then immediately depriving myself of sensory input connected to the real world, I'm happy doing it wrong. Unless I'm playing Dishonored, I prefer my gaming to be stabbing-free.

Seriously, though, I've said multiple times in the past that gaming is what I do so I don't have to talk to people. It lets me recharge my batteries so I can go back out and fake being a "normal" person for another day.

Fair enough, but I still think that 10 minutes spent playing with the demo disc is in no way representative of the VR experience, and making a judgement based on such an experience does a disservice to yourself and your readers.

If you're determined to make a judgement in 10 minutes, you need to make those 10 minutes count. That's why enlisting someone with a fully configured and tested system and a library of actually good games is important. I guarantee that there are VR experiences out there that will make you say, "wow, ok, now I understand", but you've got to at least make some effort to find them - and they're aren't on the demo disc.

Well, you've got me there. I made a snap judgement in a very short amount of time and played it up for comic effect. That was probably uncalled for.

By the way, have you checked out my latest TL;DP review?

Seriously, though, you're absolutely right that people should give unfamiliar ideas the benefit of the doubt. As I said, that's how learning is done.

Maybe someday that killer app will show up and I'll give VR a second chance. For now I'm content to designate it as "a thing other people like" and be happy for them.

PS: I hope nobody's making purchasing decisions based on anything I write, but if this bit of scribbling is enough to stay your wallet, you probably didn't want VR enough anyway.

That said, by all means, I advise anyone reading to follow Serengetti's advice and try it for yourself under optimal circumstances. If nothing else, you can avoid an afternoon laying on the couch with a bucket and a damp washcloth over your eyes.

Serengeti wrote:

But at the same time... you kinda did it wrong. Your first 10 minutes of VR should have been on someone else's system - someone who's had it for a while, has got it all setup and calibrated and knows what the good games are. That's how you get a feel for what VR can actually be.

I'm sorry, but this right here is a good example as to why VR is struggling as a commercial product. If the average consumer can't take the box home, set it up, and immediately find the fun, then the vendor screwed up royally.

Yeah well it is way more technical than that. But I think you don't give consumers enough credit. There was a time when TV's weighed as much as a fridge, had antennae, station changing dials and only a handful of part time channels. Yet they flew off the shelves...

Take a modern example. The electric car was ridiculed when the first models were released this decade (lets ignore the 90s models that got killed by the oil industry). People said the range was too short and the inability to recharge for long trips would make it a niche product, not to mention the cost of ownership. but today there are a lot more affordable models, and there are quick charge stations popping up everywhere. It was the bleeding edge consumers that stuck with the vision of what was great about the product that helped carry it to be a successful "commercial product".

VR is in it's infancy. In 5 years I predict that there will be a lot more full experiences and even ways to improve our lives in the same order of magnitude that the smart phone did. The technology will be better (less nausea cases). And it will be available in a much more user friendly, affordable package.

kazar wrote:

improve our lives in the same order of magnitude that the smart phone did

IMAGE(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9010050560/h480D1A76/)

Seriously, though, I see where you're coming from. And I'm torn as to whether I want you to be right or wrong. I'm not sure I want VR to be the future of gaming.