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Comment by golergka | Hacker News Reader

> we still haven't addressed the bigger problem of coming up with something compelling to do with it

For the most of the games that are developed today with first-person view in mind, adding support for VR isn't something that is very hard to add. And these games are already pretty compelling.

The only question is convenience. The post mentioned 3d in televisions — but 3d did win in cinemas. I recently wanted to watch Inside Out in 2d (I get dizzy from 3d), and I couldn't it, although it was just released into the theaters. Only in 3d.

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First person games as they exist today don't transfer well to VR. The issue is the locomotion problem: Moving the player in the virtual world but not the real world causes motion sickness, since they're not getting a matching input to their vestibular system. Oculus' system today is suited more for cockpit games or 3rd person games with gentle camera movement. Valve are also targetting room sized first person experiences, where the user has enough physical space that the play area can be mapped 1:1.

Cockpit simulators have a leg up in this department - not much movement expected in driving / flying / spaceships.

Not really. In the real world, you still moving and thus feeling acceleration. Problem therefore still exists.

It is for this reason that I think that the first successful iteration of VR tech will be experienced in next generation video game arcades. That will solve both the cost problem and the space problem. You'll plan in a very big (100x100ft) room where everything physical is wrapped with three inches of foam. Things you climb on will have level drops of no more than four feet, but with a total height of perhaps twenty feet. Of course what you "see" through your helmet goggles won't be grey foam.

Will be a great place to play.

But does VR make existing 3D games better? Better enough to wear the bulky headset? I think that is yet to be seen.

> but 3d did win in cinemas

lolwut?

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