In New World Notes Survey, Vast Majority of Virtual World Fans Not Interested in Buying an Oculus or Vive This Year

Here's the results of last week's survey of 125 New World Notes readers, with nearly 70% of you who read this long-running virtual world blog expressing no interest in buying the top two virtual reality headsets. This doesn't strike me as totally surprising, because even most hardcore gamers, who are VR's first target market, don't seem to be following either device with express fanboy passion. (Quick data point: On Reddit, the Internet's top hangout for core gamers, less than 68,000 are subscribed to the /Oculus subreddit, while nearly 10 million are subscribed to /Gaming.) Also notable that interest in Oculus and Vive are equally split at 8% each.

This isn't to say the 68% simply refuse to buy a VR device at all -- I'd guess that many or most are just choking on the $600 and $800 price points of each system. As Jessica Pixel puts it:

I might buy one or the other, but I'm looking at saving up a little longer for the Vive because of it's external camera for inside-out tracking. It also depends on the software that will be available. If Oculus gets more game support, it might be a better idea to go with that. That being said, it won't be a while before I own anything but a cheap Google Cardboard. This stuff is SO EXPENSIVE.

On the other side of the ledger, veteran VR/VW developer FlipperPA Peregrine makes a good point there:

No offense meant, but I have to chuckle a bit at the "so expensive" price tag. It really isn't. It might be out of our personal budgets, but if you told me you could get a fully immersive VR headset experience for $600 a decade ago? That's half of what I paid for the Indigo sim in 2004, and that was a bargain compared to what sims started selling for soon afterwards! That's the same price as an iPad, which these days, really doesn't seem like a wholly remarkable device. I wrote about the Vuzix VR series a while back, which had a similar price tag but was light years behind what these devices offer: It is an exciting time for VR, even if it is another hype wave!

The real test is the consumer experience and word of mouth traction from the 16% who do buy an Oculus or Vive this year. If it's great, and they rave about it and foist it on their equally impressed friends, we're sure to see sales keep increasing. If not, likely not.

Please share this post:

Tweet

 

Comments

[Ezra]

Meanwhile 15,000 Vives sold in the first 10 minutes of preorder http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/29/htc-sold-15000-800-vive-virtual-reality-headsets-in-10-minutes/

Now new Vive pre-orders will ship in May instead of April, and Rift preorders similarly successful have been pushed from March to June in expected shipment.

You may want to reevaluate whether your audience are "Virtual World Fans". Judging by the comments you usually get and these surveys, I don't think so. This survey says more about this past and present of this blog than it does the future of VR.

[Eddi Haskell]

I know of not one friend in Second Life who is able or willing to cut themselves off from reality for extended periods of time wearing an immersive oculus rift-style headset. This is a technology for hard care gamer enthusiasts -- not for people who want to leave televisions on in the background, listen for phone calls, or have pets or children who need watching and attending. It also is totally unsafe for any work environment. But, if Zuckerberg wants a totally immersive virtual world experience to buy or creats, that he shall have.

[Ezra]

Because those 30 degrees of periphery vision to the left and right of your monitor is where you keep everything important in life at all times.

Everyone is aware you can regain your total vision in an instant by just nudging VR headsets up and off, right? Not unlike we solved the not hearing stuff other than music issue with headphones by being able to take them off at will.

VR headsets aren't sensory deprivation tanks that lock on the outside. They don't add any more danger to your life than closing your eyes. They're less dangerous than a nap.

[Graham Mills]

Whether they're dangerous seems to depend on how they're used and by whom. For examples of injuries, near misses and H&S disclaimers see: http://www.wsj.com/articles/jeremy-bailenson-peers-into-the-future-of-virtual-reality-145508267 and http://steamed.kotaku.com/seven-stories-of-injuries-and-other-vr-hazards-1756697518 and http://static.oculus.com/documents/gear-vr-health-and-safety-warnings.pdf

[melponeme_k]

"Everyone is aware you can regain your total vision in an instant by just nudging VR headsets up and off, right? Not unlike we solved the not hearing stuff other than music issue with headphones by being able to take them off at will."

We've had cases where people neglect their own health and the health of their children due to being immersed in WOW, SL and other VR type games. So what makes you so sure that these people and even more level headed players will easily be able to disconnect?

Music headphones just cut off aural access to the surroundings. It doesn't blind you to them.

[Ezra]

"So what makes you so sure that these people and even more level headed players will easily be able to disconnect?"

If your argument is that a product shouldn't exist if 0.001% of the world population finds a way to kill themselves with it, then much more than VR headsets shouldn't exist. Most things shouldn't exist.

Yes, the same people that die in LAN cafes from not sleeping might also die inside of a VR headset, but we didn't blame monitors, it doesn't make sense to blame VR headsets.

"Music headphones just cut off aural access to the surroundings. It doesn't blind you to them."

If a burglar is breaking in from downstairs, what's more important, those extra 30 degrees of periphery vision you lose staring inside of a VR headset or your ability to hear a window break?

No one's complained about headphones deafening us for the last however many decades and how much death and chaos that's caused, why believe VR headsets will be such a problem? When's the last time being able to see the few inches either side of your monitor saved your life, someone else's life?

My point is you don't lose much more perception of your surroundings staring inside a VR headset vs. a monitor unless somehow you've configured your home to have everything important to you right next to your monitors. For most of us though, there's like a wall or something else meaningless either side our monitor, so nothing meaningful is given up putting on a VR headset, and even if it were...we can take the headset off in a split second.

Again, if you think VR headsets are so insurmountably sensory depriving, oh man let me tell you about the dangers of naps.

[sirhc deSantis]

I look at that 6-800 buck pricepoint and think well, that can get me enough bits to upgrade the kit I have to something that will tide me over for another 5 years doing all I want and after that these vr toys should be either free in my pack of soylent chunks or basically a few pennies. So I can wait.
Its what got me this old box thats tided me over for the past six....

[melponeme_k]

"Yes, the same people that die in LAN cafes from not sleeping might also die inside of a VR headset, but we didn't blame monitors, it doesn't make sense to blame VR headsets."

Yes, the computers and the programmers were blamed. Which is why Asia as a whole has strict usage laws for Computer cafes. However those laws don't protect the people who have home equipment.

"If a burglar is breaking in from downstairs, what's more important, those extra 30 degrees of periphery vision you lose staring inside of a VR headset or your ability to hear a window break?"

Most people use their stereos at home over headphones. Unless they want to be nasty people and ignore their families. You'll generally hear people breaking into the house. VR headsets would be akin to taking drugs that would lead people to be totally insensible to everything around them. Needless to say I wouldn't use a VR headset without someone to check on me.

"Again, if you think VR headsets are so insurmountably sensory depriving, oh man let me tell you about the dangers of naps."

People wake up from naps. Try getting the attention of a person who is deep into gaming. Even without a headset they are insensible to the world around them. Now times that by 100 if they are wearing a headset. They might as well not even be present.

[Ezra]

"Most people use their stereos at home over headphones. Unless they want to be nasty people and ignore their families."

So you're as against headphones as you are VR headsets?

For reasons of mannerism or safety? Getting lost.

I think we can agree generally folks are ok with headphones given their commonality. I don't agree with you that stereo systems are more common than headphones and earbuds.

Like headphones, I don't think VR headsets will be linked to as many deaths as say...cigarettes, alcohol, drinking bleach, maybe walking and chewing gum.

I think any issues of rudeness can be solved with "Hey, I'm going to use these headsets some, say something to me if you need me."

"You'll generally hear people breaking into the house. VR headsets would be akin to taking drugs that would lead people to be totally insensible to everything around them."

'less your monitor is right infront of the window the burglar is breaking in, what's the difference when wearing a headset? Also again, far more dangerous in such a household where burglary is that likely and random; napping or showering. The answer there is ADT, not having eyes and ears trained on every window 24/7.

"People wake up from naps. Try getting the attention of a person who is deep into gaming."

No idea the kind of people you're talking about, but myself and everyone I know, gaming is nothing like being unconscious.

Anyway if your argument against VR headsets is they'll be x100 more immersive than gaming and detaching from them isn't as simple as nudging off the headsets but instead more difficult than waking up from a nap, I think we'll all be fine.

[melponeme_k]

"So you're as against headphones as you are VR headsets?"

If you are spending time with your family, then wearing headphones while every chats around you is incredibly uncivilized, don't you think? Or would like it if one of your family members came to the dinner table just listening to their music?

Just as uncivilized now are adults and children just sitting together with their eyes glued to a phone device.

Technology is not bringing us together, it is tearing us apart.

"Like headphones, I don't think VR headsets will be linked to as many deaths as say...cigarettes, alcohol, drinking bleach, maybe walking and chewing gum."

Its hilarious how you twist in the wind to make something that completely covers the two most important senses (eyesight AND hearing) to earphones.

Earphones are not going to cause an epileptic attack. They aren't going to disengage you from your surroundings and fool your brain into thinking it is in a different environment. They won't cause psychosis.

"No idea the kind of people you're talking about, but myself and everyone I know, gaming is nothing like being unconscious."

Again try to have a conversation with someone who is preoccupied by a game. Then see how much of it they remember once they log off.

"Anyway if your argument against VR headsets is they'll be x100 more immersive than gaming and detaching from them isn't as simple as nudging off the headsets but instead more difficult than waking up from a nap, I think we'll all be fine."

I don't see how turning people into zombies, cutting them off from reality with possibility of brain damage is not a big deal. Again, we are jumping into a big social and biological experiment without proper preparation. Just like we allowed big tech companies to shove computers into our schools only to find out that our connected children are unable to read properly and their brain neural connections are different from people who attended class without technology.

Caution. I'm requesting caution. I'm requesting proper safety precautions. Since they are as far from a regular monitor.keyboard experience as possible. Truthfully I see them as being more at home as a theme park attraction, for example "A Walk through Hogwarts" at the Harry Potter Universal park over being a personal rig.

[zz bottom]

I have to be honest, although i dont use headphones for most of the time, i wish my neighbor would use them instead!