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0 pointsmikl6y ago0 comments

I doubt it. VRcades will have to compete with people being able to play regular video games from their homes. Not only will playing from home be a lot cheaper, it’s also a lot more convenient.

Unless VR becomes a lot more compelling, I don’t see a significant chunk of gamers being willing to go down to the local VRcade to do their gaming on a regular basis.

And imagine the cost. A VRcade would have to have a lot of space per player, they’d have to be staffed, cleaned, maintained. A good game these days takes at least 40 hours to play through. I’d wager that 40 hours of VRcade time is going to be a lot more than people are willing to pay for a game these days.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

Sohcahtoa826y ago· 1 in thread

You know VRcades actually exist, right? These aren't theoretical.

There are several VR arcades near me in the Portland, OR metro area. And as the other commenter said, people don't play games that have long storylines at them. They aren't playing Skyrim VR. Instead, they're playing games like Beat Saber or racing games. In other words, they play the type of game you'd play in a normal arcade. Games that you can easily enjoy in 3-5 minute sessions.

VRcades also aim to be a place to hang out. You pay to rent a VR space for a certain amount of time and can play whatever you want on the headset for that time. There are couches nearby for friends to watch, and they sell food and drinks.

It's actually a great model, though I'm not convinced it'll survive, but not because of a failure of VR, but because the whole "arcade" concept has been slowly dying.

miklOP6y ago

Not denying they exist. Just doubting that they’ll be a common, widespread phenomenon. The competition from home gaming systems is hard to overcome.

cwkoss6y ago· 1 in thread

> A good game these days takes at least 40 hours to play through.

I think you are speaking to a very specific segment of the gaming market that will probably not be captured by VR.

There are plenty of games (roguelikes, casual, shooters, racing) that have more emphasis on semi-episodic 'rounds' of gameplay vs long form narrative RPGs that would adapt to this model easily.

miklOP6y ago

True, but Half-Life Alyx is not one such game.

I do see a niche for simulator-type games, like a driving/flying sims where you get put in a simulation-rig to make it feel like you’re driving/flying.

Like the four-player Daytona game that was everywhere, even far into the 90s, that’ll provide some serious added value over just playing at home.

But I don’t see the huge appeal for first-person games, since most players don’t actually want the real physical experience of running around on a battlefield, getting shot at. Just half an hour of that would be exhausting to most people.

Maybe some hybrid fitness-studio/VR experience would be viable, give people an entertaining experience while grinding away on the stairmaster.

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0 comments

4 comments · 2 top-level

Sohcahtoa826y ago· 1 in thread

You know VRcades actually exist, right? These aren't theoretical.

It's actually a great model, though I'm not convinced it'll survive, but not because of a failure of VR, but because the whole "arcade" concept has been slowly dying.

miklOP6y ago

Not denying they exist. Just doubting that they’ll be a common, widespread phenomenon. The competition from home gaming systems is hard to overcome.

cwkoss6y ago· 1 in thread

> A good game these days takes at least 40 hours to play through.

I think you are speaking to a very specific segment of the gaming market that will probably not be captured by VR.

There are plenty of games (roguelikes, casual, shooters, racing) that have more emphasis on semi-episodic 'rounds' of gameplay vs long form narrative RPGs that would adapt to this model easily.

miklOP6y ago

True, but Half-Life Alyx is not one such game.

I do see a niche for simulator-type games, like a driving/flying sims where you get put in a simulation-rig to make it feel like you’re driving/flying.

Like the four-player Daytona game that was everywhere, even far into the 90s, that’ll provide some serious added value over just playing at home.

Maybe some hybrid fitness-studio/VR experience would be viable, give people an entertaining experience while grinding away on the stairmaster.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse