Pundabaya wrote:
I hope it dies on its arse. But then I don't want VR, or other stupid gimmicks. I just want good games
I don't know if I would be that harsh quite yet but the more I read the more I become cynical. Expensive PC - check. Expensive device - check. Hardly any games made specifically for it - check.
I wouldn't compare it to 3D in a technical sense but right now it's just sounding all too familar. For 3D you needed a honkingly expensive 120hz screen, then the "Not very cheap at all" Nvidia 3Dvision kit and then a Herculean pair of graphics cards to run it properly with the settings at maximum. And then support for it was scant and there were only ever a very small handful of titles that worked in it properly and gave the necessary experience. And that's why I do have a very small amount of hope for VR because when 3D was firing on all cylinders and working properly it definitely added something extra to games. Chucking a pipe bomb in L4D for example was just epic. All you had to do was chuck it in, stand as close as you dare and then dodge the arms and legs as they flew out
There were some golden moments like that in 3D that really did add to the experience. Things like floating dust particles were also very impressive, as were driving games where the dash was implemented very well and looked like you could reach in and adjust the dials.
But through all of the expense and frustration there truly were moments that made me stop and go "wow".
I have no doubt that VR at some point should also be able to do the same thing, yet I think the PC is actually a bad platform for it, if it's going to work. There are so many extra problems thrown into PC gaming (driver support, SLI support, CrossfireX support and so on) that just make it all sound so tricky.
Then there's the issue that things like this really need to be able to make it into every home for them to truly catch on. Ironically 3D has ended up in a whole load of homes, yet no one actually uses it. I have two 3D capable sets in my house and neither have ever been used in 3D. The glasses for them are still in the packing and have never been opened.
This is why right now I am strongly leaning toward Sony and the PS4 for VR. I understand that done properly this thing could be absolutely mind blowing, I just think it's better done on a format that is solid and doesn't change like the wind (unlike PC stuff which seems to me mashed out every six months or so now).
When I went to 4k I knew that it was going to be expensive. Two Titan Black for example (so that I had enough high bandwidth GDDR) and the monitor cost me two grand. Then I was hit with issues. SLI issues, Gsync issues with SLI (something that apparently still has not been properly fixed) and so on. Drop down to one GPU and just watch the thing crawl. So I replaced those with an AMD Fury X and every time AMD change the drivers some games work better and others suck. Fallout 4 has been like a whore's drawers in terms of performance. One minute it's all nice and smooth, next minute Bethesda release a forced patch and it runs like treacle.
But again like 3D when 4k is all working properly it really does enhance the gaming experience.
TL;DR.