News Fewer than 2 percent of Steam users own a VR headset

Not surprising. Most steam users don't have the hardware to game above 1080p.

 

As some comparison:
- VR is ~10x as popular as Windows XP (0.12%)
- VR is as close to as popular as the RX 580 (1.64%)
- VR is more than twice as popular as the 2080Ti (0.81%)
- VR is more popular than every Vega GPU variant combined (0.58% + 0.33% + 0.21% + 0.20% + 0.18% = 1.5%)

 

oh were trying to start that fad up again

 

VR is ~10x as popular as Windows XP (0.12%) - that is very surprising considering the number of computers in the developing world that were running XP until recently.
VR is more than twice as popular as the 2080Ti (0.81%) - also surprising because of the cost associated with a 2080Ti and VR.

 

Also people doing the survey on say a laptop while the VR headest is connected to their desktop won't show up in VR ownership numbers.

 

Personally, I see VR going the same way as 3D TV. Headsets tend to be expensive, the hardware to drive them properly is expensive and, many users experience motion sickness. I may be wrong but, I think it will prove to be another passing fad.

 

I don't see it as a fad that will go away soon.

However I see it as a niche thing that will probably remain niche for a long time to come, mostly on account of what the most popular games on the planet are...
When was the last time you heard of widespread VR use among players of stuff like Fortnite, Pubg, CoD, Fifa, Minecraft, LoL, Dota etc?
Never?
Yeah, exactly.

But look at other types of games... in the sim racing community for example VR fever has taken over.

 

I'd like to get a VR headset for my sim racing as it looks brilliant but then I'd have to upgrade the 2070 which isnt that old. Beyond that though, there has been little in the way of games to grab my attention.

 

£400 for Oculus Quest that has 150+ games in its store, many of which are well regarded and as must-have for VR gaming. All runs directly on the headset.

Half Life Alyx is considered a triple-A VR game in 2020. But I have completed it as Valve intended, zero tweaking just launch and play, using a 2014 GPU and 2012 CPU. Total cost for my hardware today second hand would be no more than £300.

Motion sickness is true, but it depends entirely on the game design. Here's a post explaining the problem: https://forums.bit-tech.net/index.php?threads/vr-legs.375715/#post-4786030

 

Personally, I see VR going the same way as 3D accelerators. Right now it is expensive and you have to be seriously committed to want one, but the experience is dramatically different than anything available without one.

Motion sickness was a serious problem with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. The first-person shooter thrived in spite of it.



The comparison to 3DTV makes me sad, as it indicates a fundamental misconception about VR. A 3D display is another window into the game world, just with depth now. While it presented some interesting options, it never offered enough to justify its existence.

A VR headset immerses you inside that game world, so you are no longer an outside observer puppeteering some hapless guy with a gun. It is as big a leap as the move from sidescrollers to over-the-shoulder and first-person games was, and while I acknowledge it is a clunky and awkward experience right now, the gleam of something great already shines through.

 

This is so true.

When I looked back at recording I made of HL Alyx ending, it was underwhelming, doesn't feel the same. When I re-loaded up the final savegame and re-played the ending sequence, it felt like I was there and I am Alyx.


But unfortunately VR gaming is held up by catch 22, just like electric cars. Need more people to drive EV to make sense to install more charging stations, people won't buy EV unless there's more charging stations. Need more people to own VR hardware to make sense releasing VR-only games, people won't buy VR unless there's loads of must-play exclusive games.

I am hopeful this is where HL Alyx comes in, as suggested by almost 100% increase in Steam VR headset percentage. It's a must-play for Half Life fans, it pushed me over to spend £400 for VR headset (let's face it, it's not much more than a high end graphics upgrade, something not needed over last few years due to stagnated market). Now, just like buying the Geforce 2 many many years ago, this single purchase has opened up to a LOT of games and new experiences for me.