Do y’all have this problem with the 3ds too?
I think there’s a big difference between “I wish this wasn’t VR” as opposed to “I wish this Switch game as playable on a PS4/PC.” The Switch/PC thing is just a matter of preference, your experience with the mechanics of the game is identical as in you’re sitting around with a controller and buttons making Link run around and eat bizarre foods.
VR on the other hand is a totally different beast. A game built with VR in mind is going to make specific choices be designed in a way that makes in completely different from a more traditional game. Playing through RE7 on a PC I constantly felt like things were being done with VR in mind that just fell flat on screen. This prolonged sequence of a knife jittering around awkwardly in my characters face feels hokey and overlong, but I bet in VR that would be terrifying. The enemies slow movements and my atrocious FPS controls (by modern standards) make more sense when they have to factor in someone with a helmet clicking their turn 20 degrees at a time to get away. Hidden tiny items I have to bend awkwardly to see are probably a lot easier to catch when you can just lean forward.
RE7 was still amazing to play, but it absolutely showed that sacrifices were made at the altar of VR. When someone announces a VR experience, it’s not just a lack of platform that people may be disappointed with, it’s that the game will be shackled by the constraints of VR in a way a traditional game will not.
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I’ve still not finished A Link Between Worlds because I wish the 3DS was less RSI-inducing and can only play in short periods (and only while I’m generally doing quite well/not having to manage specifically the CTS-like symptoms). It’s not great.
Well, I assumed a vast majority of people who are interested in games already have a screen at home, as opposed to a VR-capable PC. My bad, though, if you want to include the screen. shrug
Look, I’m not trying to pick a fight over the Switch. My point is, there is a difference between saying “I wish this were on the Switch/PS4/PC/XBOX” and “I wish this were in VR/not VR” precisely BECAUSE VR is not just non-VR with a second eye-render. As in, VR makes me (and apparently Danielle) puke. Not just when used a certain way (like playing the Switch on a moving bus), but all the time. And I do agree with others here who are saying that if the game is built from the ground-up with VR in mind, it may not make much sense to say that, because VR is a completely different experience, but the games she’s talking about don’t seem like they would suffer that much from being on a flat screen.
Which is not to say that I don’t agree with you that hey, VR game development is mostly being funded by tech owners, so just think of it as another exclusive. That’s true! But the locking out point is different. It’s fundamentally different right now. And it really sucks, because I would LOVE to shill out a crap ton of money for VR if I didn’t get sick every time I played it. That’s just not true (at least on the same level) for any other console out there, which is why this article exists. That’s all I’m saying.
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This reminds me watching Man of Steel in theater in 2D (bad decisions made in 2013, don’t ask). There were SO MANY effects that were obviously designed with 3D in mind (like sharp shards/spears flying toward you) because that’s the only thing that cinema 3D was really good for, but in 2D it was kind of bizarre.
In any case, I think this argument cuts both ways, because if it were fully exclusive to VR then a compromised flat screen experience wouldn’t be an issue either. That said, I’d rather the option exist unless the game truly makes no sense outside of a VR context (I’m thinking of that mountain climbing game which would probably be boring in non-VR, although I could be wrong!).
This is a great point, about the Wii, and frankly, an issue I had as well. I loved the design of the Super Mario Galaxy games, but I couldn’t get to the end of them, thanks to issues with my wrist (my bad wrist, the same one that’s kept me out of Breakfast and Battlegrounds, which has gotten much worse with time). I hope some of the best Wii games come out on Switch, so I can enjoy them with a pro controller.
