Virtual reality is about to be readily available to the masses, but recently, Niantic shifted the world’s focus towards augmented reality with their recently released game, Pokémon GO. There are positives and negatives to both realities, but which one will come out on top? Will people happily drop $400 on a VR rig, or are they happy with some AR on their phone? Only time will tell, but that won’t stop Jerry and Corey from arguing about it for a bit.
Jerry – I’m thinking that AR is going to sweep to world, wait, what? It already has, and it’s called Pokémon GO? Well, argument over right? Kind of, but I’ll continue. From what I’ve seem with my limited time with AR, Snapchat and Pokémon GO come to mind, I like it. I don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a VR rig that I hope will work with my PS4 or Xbox One. I also won’t have to wait for any good games to come out or hopelessly try to find someone to buy my VR rig if no good ones do surface. Pokémon GO and Snapchat are free apps that I’ve downloaded to my phone. I can augment my current reality at any time for a little bit of data usage, or Wi-Fi when it is around. For those unfamiliar with Snapchat, it augments reality via filters that change every week or so. One week you can take pictures of yourself and friends and the app will make you look like a clown, the next week it’ll make you look like a zombie, and the week after that a unicorn and so on. If more companies jump on this free AR bandwagon, VR is going to go the way of motion and stylus controls.
Corey – After it’s done sweeping the world, Pokémon GO is going to sweep itself right under the rug, just like motion controls, Angry Birds and Pet Rocks. It’s a fad that no one will care about two months from now. Plus, I know it’s shocking to hear, but Pokémon GO and Snapchat are far from the first uses of AR! In fact, Pokémon GO is practically a reskin of Niantic’s previous mobile title, Ingress, right down to the specific PokéStop locations! AR games have been failing for years, and they’ll continue to do so as soon as soon as the buzz from the Pokémon license wears off. AR may be cheap while VR remains expensive, but you get what you pay for. AR has little to no practical applications, while VR is poised to change not only the way we play games, but how we interact with each other and technology as a whole.
Jerry – That’s true that Ingress didn’t take the world the by storm, but when you put a beloved franchise in the hands of every person on earth for free, you’re in for some AR fans. Personally, had it not been for Pokémon GO, I would never even have heard of AR. I know about VR because of The Lawnmower Man, the Virtual Boy and every gaming company trying to jump onto the VR bandwagon. The price tag is still too high at this point—purchasing the PS Neo or the Xbox One S plus a $400 VR rig is a little ridiculous, especially in this stagnant economy. A huge majority of people already have an iPhone or Samsung phone and can download Pokémon GO with ease. One click, wait 5-10 minutes and boom, instant Pokémon trainer. Pokémon GO isn’t a flash in the pan—a month has passed and I’m still avidly playing it, as are many other gamers, but I don’t see it going anywhere in the near future. VR however has taken years and years to arrive and even now I see no amazing games coming for it. Being the huge Resident Evil fan I am, one would think I’d be champing at the bit to play Resident Evil in VR; sadly I am not, and neither is my wallet. It’s just too much to ask gamers to buy new consoles when they purchased some a couple years back, and the pricey tech of the VR headset makes it that much more demanding. Casual gamers will be lost and some hardcore gamers can’t even justify the massive expense.
Corey – AR technology has been around for years, but like you said, no one’s heard of it because it hasn’t been properly harnessed. Pokémon was the perfect franchise for the technology, and combined with Niantic’s history with Google Maps, the stars were in alignment to make a groundbreaking title. But do you hear that? That’s the sound of the AR bandwagon coming ’round the bend! With Pokémon GO’s success, prepare for the flood of less than stellar copycats. Yes, VR has been an unattainable holy grail for the video game industry for decades, causing it to become a marketing buzzword attached to products that aren’t real VR (like Nintendo’s red menace). It’s also true that VR is more complicated and expensive at this point, but so were CDs, DVDs, and solar power when they were first invented. Today, solar panels are EVERYWHERE! Why? Because new technology, regardless of its practicality, will only be embraced by the mainstream if it becomes cheap, easy to use and accessible. VR is edging closer to all three, and while it remains in its infancy, it will eventually become a widely used and incredibly important piece of technology, leaving the “Pokéfad” and the rest of AR in the dust where it belongs.
Jerry – I believe that VR technology will end up in the trash, just like Nintendo’s “red menace.” By the time it is up and running, the PS5 and Xbox Two will have arrived and once again gamers will be strapped for cash. I just can’t see VR hitting the market anytime soon with a stack of games or a reasonable price point. Will VR be mostly for the rich, the famous and those in the industry? That’s where it looks like it is heading. AR on the other hand is on everyone’s phone, and it’s free (unless you’re dumb and bought those gold Pikachu coins). While you think AR is a fad, I’ve yet to see a huge amount, or any, knock off clones of Pokémon GO. This “fad” you speak of has been going on for 5 weeks and I see no signs of it tapering off. I still go to every PokéStop I see, hit the gyms when I can and make sure I have enough Poké Balls for the next big appearance. People are still playing and talking about this little “fad.” I rarely hear people speak about VR, or how they had to get their VR goggles fixed because they ran into a wall. Pokémon and AR are still everywhere, and VR will dig itself into an early grave because of the high price point and lack of accessibility.
Corey – Just because people are still playing it doesn’t mean that it’s not a fad. As you may remember, it took America an entire summer to find out “Who let the dogs out.” Also, we’re not discussing the quality of Pokémon GO. Pokémon GO is a fine game that makes great use of a technologic fad, which will inevitably sink if another Niantic doesn’t come along soon. VR on the other hand is steadily decreasing in price and increasing in accessibility, not to mention that it is being backed by some of the industries’ top minds, such as John Carmack, a lead programmer on Doom and the co-founder of id Software. VR is a new, fresh canvas for creative developers who are ready to bring new experiences not possible in current gaming. Plus, the application of VR technology extends far beyond gaming. Social media, telecommunications, robotics, space exploration, and practically all entertainment mediums will eventually use virtual reality. AR may be currently winning the battle, but VR will win the war. And let’s be honest, once the Pokémon license hit’s VR, Pokémon GO will be nothing more than a forgotten footnote.
So who’s right? Which reality is here to stay and which one should go the way of the dinosaur? Let us know what you think!