Watching a 2D film on a stereo 3D VR device sorta makes sense that it's not super interesting. Other than being able to resize the screen and reposition it, you're not getting much.

The games are crappy right now, I agree.

I think few die-hard VR or AR enthusiasts would argue that the content and use cases have a long way to go. Most games are either more akin to going to a paintball course or playing DDR than they are similar to sitting down to play a classic video game. Which is a fun experience but clearly isn't gaming.

And the blockbuster 2D game ports to VR are few and far between, and it's not fun playing Skyrim for the 50th time just because now it's stereo 3D.

For me, I've found that stereo video recorded on high end stereoscopic 180 degree camera setups is really compelling. For example video recorded using ZCam K2 Pro. The only studios really using that tech extensively currently are for adult video. For me the best of those experiences feels like the future, the next big medium. If it were possible to combine 6 degrees of freedom with stereo video, I am convinced it'd be immediately successful, but I still think 3 degree of freedom stereo video that's possible today is far superior to flat video.

I can envision future Hollywood or Netflix productions where you feel like you're watching from an invisible drone floating right there in the scene, with full depth and a sense of real scale. It will take new artistic direction, things like panning the camera become nausea-inducing for some viewers but incredibly presence-inducing for others (if moved slowly enough and with a gimbal). Cuts feel different, too many fast cuts too quickly are much more difficult to visually process in stereo than on a laptop screen. But on the other hand, some editing effects like a dissolve are incredibly trippy and a new type of experience in VR. Seeing double vision where both scenes have depth is really interesting. Anyway, it's closer to watching a play in a theater or being at Sleep No More than watching a TV show.

The bottleneck right now is content and production costs, that's about it.

> Watching a 2D film on a stereo 3D VR device sorta makes sense that it's not super interesting

Yeah it wasn’t life changing by any means, but pretty nice in a way. Like if I was single, I might actually skip the TV and just do that? I’m not certain. I liked that it forced me to be focused on it. I’ve got the ADHD pretty bad apparently, so sitting and watching a movie is kind of like trying to put a cat in a box. My brain insists on doing ANYTHING ELSE and grabs into virtually any other activity or thought or whatever, but in a VR headset or a theatre somehow that isn’t the case.

The idea of watching movies or shows as though you were actually there is spectacular. I think we’ll get there too, but I expect it’s a while away from where we are. AI will likely play a huge role in stitching multiple camera angles together and filling in the gaps, and that technology arrived a lot sooner than I expected, so… Maybe the integration of production and presentation technologies will follow suit. Frankly, I’m old enough that things simply move faster than I’m used to now. I have to reassess my priors for how quickly things can happen.

What you’re saying about stereo video sounds totally compelling. And not surprising it’s popular in the adult industry. Sort of a side note I guess, but when I see what’s possible with AI and imagine what’s around the corner with these technologies… Good luck to all the 20 year olds with raging hormones and a little disposable income. If porn addiction is a thing now, just wait. Maybe we’re what, 10 years away from generating personal porn with a personally designed digital partner?

I digress though. We’ll get there when we get there and deal with it when we do. I’m glad my boys might miss the worst of it in their most hormonal years.

There are already compelling VR games, but they are heavily outnumbered in fun but shallow arcade experiences and games which would be bargain-basement tier on any other platform. I highly recommend trying Echo Arena before it is taken offline in August. The player base is as awful as you would expect unmoderated 13-year-olds online to be, but if you mute everyone and just explore the mechanics it is mind-blowing and other-worldly. Unfortunately due to the weightlessness this is one that will definitely be off limits to those who struggle with nausea in VR.

Yeah it's just a matter of subjectivity. I got Rift CV1 at launch and played Echo Arena, it was more like going IRL paintball or bowling or playing laser tag to me than a video game. I felt like I was really doing an activity. Not just laying back on a couch moving my wrist in millimeter increments lazily to play Elden Ring. I like both but I prefer VR experiences that don't require full body movement.

If I'm going to do a full body experience I for the most part just prefer real life activities with the ability to feel and physically touch things. The one big exception I had was Windlands.

Absolutely it's different from a typical video game experience, I didn't mean to say that it was a replacement for a traditional video game. It's something that really does combine elements of video games and IRL activities into a wholly new kind of experience, and to me that's a more compelling argument for VR gaming than a regular video game but more immersive. Even if Echo Arena in particular doesn't tickle your fancy, I think it shows what category of experience is possible even with current VR technology.

Thanks for the Windlands recommendation, I will have to check it out.