Future of MobileVR

Unity Engine
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1

Hi guys.

This is more of a general discussion. I am a final year undergrad student who wants to create a VR game for mobile devices as my final year project. I know the basic understanding of game development and VR implementation. I have a good idea in mind but the future of mobileVR is holding me back since Samsung gear and google cardboard are officially over. So, just wanted to know whether the future of mobileVR holds any prospect or not. Any feedback would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Ps. I could not target oculus quest due to hardware limitation.

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If by “mobileVR” you mean sticking your phone inside some cheap headset that holds it up to your face, no, there is no future in that.

Mobile VR nowadays means Quest (and its Chinese clones). The future of that is bright. But using your phone for VR was a brief interlude.

Of course if this is just a university project and a phone is your only option, then download an older version of Unity and have at it. :slight_smile:

3

I think it will exist but not in such an obvious state. They’re already creating “mobile hardware” VR and I think as time go on there will be a convergence with your smart phone and standalone XR devices. Manufactures will ready make their hardware for XR.

Regardless, development for the different devices wont be too different.

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I’m hoping for Cardboard VR to support OpenGLES 3, which as far as I understand is required for the universal render pipeline. There are so many phones out there now with good displays and decent hardware to run basic VR. And act as entry-level for dedicated hardware VR headsets.

5

Google abandoned its Daydream VR and open sourced google cardboard, while other companies like Samsung also stopped working on their mobile VR.

Mobile VR just cant compete against a headset like a quest. 6 DOF is going to be the way to go which mobile VR with only 3 DOF just cant keep up with.

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A completely separate store just for Samsung didn’t make any sense. Entry level 3-DOF VR, still does, I believe.

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Why pay 150$ for a gear VR if you can get a quest for 300$?
Mobile VR is basically dead.

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Try $15 instead, for everyone who already has a phone.

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I had a 5$ headset for my phones years ago and I thought it was amazing, but after trying a real VR headset I would never go back to mobile VR.

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Seriously no point in developing a thesis project for a dead medium, go with quest for the cost of a pricey textbook, and develop for desktop VR with Quest Link.

If you’re married to the idea of only wanting to go with three axis of freedom, get an immediate annulment…

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Think it’s more about time to finally start deliver some content that goes beyond just a catching pitch, or keep trying to “frame” people. What’s the purpose of 6-DOF in a seated, or driving experience for example?

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Immersion, if I move my head to the side and my head in the game doesn’t move then it just breaks immersion.

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TLDR:
Preventing projectile vomiting. Seriously.

Explanation:
“But what if you don’t need to move?!?” A: Well what if your players wanted to also be able to move my head 3" to the left without feeling l like a giant goblin is forcibly grabbing onto their head to keep it absolutely still-- while it repeatedly punches their stomach every time they move half an inch, without failure. 3-DOF and the goblin’s knuckles are equivalently calming for the stomach.

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Those who feel that way can surely step up to more dedicated headsets. Its way better to improve the premium headsets, than artificially trying to limp the entry models.

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Nah, it’s why all of the non 6-dof headsets have been sunsetted, they’re uniformly sickening. Plus it’s not like you can just magically enable 6-dof without it being built into the original app, better headsets can’t magically convert 2D “vr” content (like 360-video) to a 3d scene. That only works the other way around.

When it comes to VR development always try to do it in 3D, and then add in the option for 2D if you really have to support sunsetted tech. Apart from 360-video it isn’t any harder to develope for, and it’ll make your project conform to the modern standard for VR.

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