Virtual Reality, THE FUTURE....well not quite
If you have at all been following some gaming news, you have most likely come across this little company that calls itself, Oculus. Oculus is devoting itself too bringing us "Virtual Reality". You know, that thing from sci-fi films? Oculus has been developing their headset, the "Oculus Rift", and it has been going fairly well and people are talking about it which is great, however, is it something that's really going too change the face of entertainment and gaming?
The Oculus Rift is allowing us too place a device on our heads and instantly be transported too a 3D environment, with the addition of the Omni Treadmill (A multi-directional treadmill) it is even possible now too walk around those place. This sounds like the future that we have been dreaming about, however it is very very far from that dream.
There are three areas where Oculus is going to shine through the most: FPS's, Skyrim like games and driving simulators.
These are the games that are, or can be, very first person dependant. Which means that you will be able to put on the Oculus and get on your Omni and walk through a battlefield and shoot enemies or take up your sword against a fearsome dragon for example. They have even shown you being able too do this with an Omni tech demo.
I know what you're thinking, this sounds incredible and it's something that you very much want too do. But stop for a moment and think about it practically. Do you really want that? Do you not find comfort in the fact that when you want too play a game you just sit down, pick the controller up and go? Do you really want too: Turn the tv on with the console, connect the Oculus, connect the Omni, start playing the game, run around on the spot, get out of breath, take all that stuff off too go and get a glass of water or too go to the toilet?
Not only does this device make the simple act of playing a game tiresome but it also causes you too be active. I know that sounds terrible but lets face it, fitness games DO. NOT. SELL. Yes the Wii did pretty well but it wasn't all that active really was it? If the last generation has taught us anything, it's that we don't want too move about much when we're playing a game. It's also proved that motion controls are not something that we like too use.
This brings me onto my next point, the controls. So, you've been given a "Gun" or a "Sword" that responds too your swings or firing. Now that is pretty cool (providing you have the space too swing it), so you're running around when suddenly and enemy attacks. If I was playing a game I would just instantly go and crouch behind a wall. How do you do that on the Omni? You don't. This starts too be a problem, here's another scenario, i'm running through the forest and I have a sword out, I spot an enemy in the distance, I want to change too my bow. I now have too take my headset off, go connect the gun attachment, put the headset back on and get back into the game. All just for the sake of taking a enemy down too only then want to switch back into sword mode. Two things that will be incredible issues for these kind of games will be changing weapons. It's just not practical. If you're saying that we should just put a button on the gun too change what i'm using then let me ask you this: Why not use a controller? because you don't want too be using one, because then it breaks the illusion.
This not only has problems with those kind of games, which is a shame because they are kind of games that you'll want too play on the Oculus and they will be the best games too showcase it, but they're too complicated still.
Some of my favorite games of all time are the Batman: Arkham games. They are incredible. Will they work on an Oculus? No. I have too be in third-person, plus I don't want too be Batman. The whole reason I am not running around sneaking up behind people and climbing over gargoyles or beating up clowns is because i'd be lame at that and would be killed instantly. That's a level of reality that I don't want which is counter intuitive too what these devices are trying too achieve. This won't work for games like Devil May Cry, Dynasty Warriros, Dead Space, Gears of War, Civilization Revolution, Fifa, Madden, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tekken, ....the list goes on and the gaps in the market for this device shrink rapidly.
If we take all of these things away and just look at the device, what is it really? It's a headset that allows me too see a virtual screen in front of my very eyes....but why do I want that when I can just watch TV? TV is pretty good being a screen too show me something like a film or show.
We are in a stage at the minute where we think this is cool and on the face of it, it is. This is a great technology and it's a big step forward in getting us too that dream of playing with the likes of Tron or killing a dragon. It's just not there. It's not close. It's not even at a stage that it can be practical yet because currently nothing is going too be as good as sitting down and doing everything with a controller which people will prefer because it's easy and it's simple.
I am not saying that we need too stop what work is being done on virtual reality, it's natural that the only way too advance with technology is too build. What I believe we need too do is, stop trying too commercialize on it. It is not at the stage yet where we can do anything decent and change the face of gaming or entertainment. One day it will. One day the controller or a TV will look silly but at the moment, we simply are not there.
