Does virtual reality really need more games like Half-Life Alyx?
MIXED reader Paul wanted to know if more AAA games are the key to success for VR gaming. Here's what I think.
Every Monday, we answer a question from our readers. Send your question to tomislav@mixed.de with "Question" in the subject line, and with any luck, we'll answer it the following Monday.
This week's question comes from our reader Paul:
Do you think more blockbusters like Half-Life Alyx would have pushed VR gaming further than it is today?
Hello Paul,
This is a question that has been raised for more than a decade and still is. The underlying idea is that as long as enough AAA games are released for the medium and the really big titles can be played in virtual reality, then flat gamers will switch to VR.
Back in 2016, most major publishers waited to see how much interest there really was in virtual reality before deciding to invest in the new medium. The result was that, with a few exceptions like Ubisoft, they did not invest in virtual reality at all, and virtual reality quickly faded from the consciousness of most flat gamers.
Would the story have been different if the major publishers had joined forces and decided to push the nascent VR gaming industry in a big way? We can only speculate. I doubt it, as previous attempts have done little to move VR gaming out of its niche.
Half-Life Alyx (2020) was not the hoped-for tipping point for PC VR. Before that, Meta's acclaimed PC VR titles Lone Echo (2017) and Asgard's Wrath (2019) did little to move the needle. Horizon Call of the Mountain (2023) only convinced a fraction of PS5 gamers to buy a Playstation VR 2, while Asgard's Wrath 2 (2023) and Batman: Arkham Shadow (2024) probably sold many Quest headsets, but didn't cause a seismic shift in VR gaming habits.
The reason, I think, is that most flat gamers are perfectly happy with flat gaming. For many of them, virtual reality is a cumbersome gimmick. And while VR ports certainly have value for those who are already converted, they won't be the deciding factor for skeptics to even partially switch to virtual reality.
In retrospect, the future of virtual reality was difficult to predict: Who would have thought in 2015 that a VR game where you slash blocks to the beat of music would likely sell more headsets and generate more revenue than all of the aforementioned, lavishly produced VR games combined? Or that a VR game in which you play tag with others as a gorilla, using only your arm movements to move through a graphically simplistic landscape, would be the most popular VR game in 2025?
What do Beat Saber, Gorilla Tag, and the like have in common? Not only do they benefit from virtual reality, they wouldn't be possible without it.
I am now more convinced than ever that the success of VR gaming will depend on how far it can emancipate itself from flat gaming and develop an independent character. This is not to say that more conventional VR games or VR ports will not have their place and value. They just won't be critical to the success of the medium.
Virtual reality will find its own way. It has surprised us in the past and it will surprise us again.
Kind regards,
Tomislav
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