In the event you observe VR on social media, you will little doubt have seen a PC VR fanatic declare that what VR “wants” is “simply” extra high-end PC VR content material.
In a uncommon response on X, the developer of Boneworks and Bonelab defined why studios do not construct VR video games to require high-end PC specs.
While you say PCVR what min spec are you considering? Quest 3 matches the cpu, ram, gpu, and exceeds the drive speeds of 2016 PCVR min spec, so I assume you’re considering method past that. However what would you recommend the goal be in 2025?
— Brandon J Laatsch (@BrandonJLa) February 23, 2025
Prolonged context: $10M breaks even at 416k gross sales at a $40 value. Only a few VR video games are reaching that so it’s mega dangerous even at $10M.
— Brandon J Laatsch (@BrandonJLa) February 23, 2025
Within the posts, Brandon J Laatsch explains that for a recreation to even goal Quest 3 & Quest 3S and above, excluding Quest 2, a studio might justify a $10 million finances at most. This hypothetical recreation would wish to promote 416K copies at $40 to interrupt even, which “only a few” video games of this kind are reaching.
Even with the shifting winds of the open retailer and Horizon Worlds push, most builders nonetheless see nearly all of their income from Quest. Not supporting it in any respect would imply the finances of the sport would wish to “proportionately come down”, Laatsch explains, resulting in a recreation with diminished scope, scale, and constancy. Laatsch calls this “a difficult puzzle to maximise”.
Presently lower than 2% of Steam makes use of a VR headset in a given month, or lower than 3% if adjusting for Chinese language customers, and this quantity hasn’t notably shifted for years now. For prime manufacturing worth VR video games to be constructed round PC VR, with out funding from a platform holder like Valve, that quantity would wish to considerably improve. Some had hoped {that a} new Valve headset would possibly drive it up, however rumors of a $1200 value have taken many abruptly.
