Chris Pruett - Director of Ecosystem

chrispruett · March 2019

Hi folks! My name is Chris Pruett, and I am the Director of Ecosystem for Content here at Oculus. I joined Oculus in 2014 and have spent the last four and a half years helping developers build better VR apps and games. Before that I ran a game studio, worked on Android at Google, and even further back, shipped a bunch of games for consoles. I'm a big fan of horror games.

I'm happy to answer your questions about VR engineering, game design, or market success. Please only post a question once, we'll see it!

maxellinger · March 2019

Hi Chris,

I'm an indie developer making a game for a small, queer audience. The game had a successful Kickstarter, and being a Virgo sun sign (perfectionist) I'm confident the finished product will be blindingly polished.

That being said, it's a weird, artsy game. It's not going to be a mainstream success, but it could be really important for a medium-sized group of people.

How are you going to build safeguards in the Quest acceptance process to ensure that developers like me aren't shut out? How can we be assured there's diversity in the approval committee?

chrispruett · March 2019

We're looking for titles that will connect with the Quest audience. We are absolutely open to weird, artsy games (which describes some of my favorite titles!) as long as they are polished and high-quality. Our core goal is to ensure that everything in our store finds an audience that wants to engage, whether that be a mainstream title or a niche. My advice here is to focus on making the artistry of your work shine. Tell us the story of your title and why you got excited about it when you submit a concept document.

Will-ModuliaStudio · March 2019

Hi Chris,

I have a question regarding your recent blog post about the Oculus Quest store submission process.

Let me just quote this other blog post (https://developer.oculus.com/blog/oculus-distribution-channel-guide/):

"Not all apps are appropriate or intended for distribution to a general audience, but still contribute to a healthy VR ecosystem. Our solution to enable distribution for these apps are Oculus Keys. These apps typically consist of content that is clearly an advertisement, B2B applications, apps that contain only a handful of videos, and apps that have no utility outside of a specific context (such as a conference)."

Will Oculus Keys and Release Channels remain a thing with the Oculus Quest for B2B distribution and other non-high-quality-mass-market-oriented games ?

Thanks,

PS: Can't wait to have the Quest in my hands!!

chrispruett · March 2019

Generally speaking, Release Channels are going to be used for folks that have passed our concept approval process. We may make applications available for Oculus Keys-based distribution on a case-by-case basis. If you have a use case that requires either of these distribution models, please call that out in your concept document submission! In addition it's worth noting that we're always working on improvements to these sorts of systems.

Metal_Multiball · March 2019

Dead Secret Circle rules!

Will the Quest be faster than the Go, after accounting for the Quest's 6DOF/Inside Out Tracking & refresh rate CPU consumption?

Steve Hinan - METAL MULTIBALL

chrispruett · March 2019

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to make.

Quest is significantly faster than Oculus Go from both a CPU and GPU perspective. Part of this is just the raw performance of the chipset itself, but a lot of it has to do with the effort we've put into the design of the headset and the core rendering architecture. Tracking isn't in contention with and doesn't affect the performance of your application.

Neontop · March 2019

Hello and thanks for this AMA.

Question for Unreal.

How to access the Oculus avatar hand in c++ to parent/attach a collider to a finger joint.

chrispruett · March 2019

I asked a couple of engineers on the team about this. We'd have to dig in a bit for exact details, but you could try accessing the Hand SceneComponent and finding the PoseableMeshComponent from there. From there you can query for the "hands:b_finger_3" bone or something similar. The scene component is available in OvrAvatar.h/cpp. I might have the bone name wrong here—it's been a while.

Neontop · March 2019

Another question.

Unreal Engine :User Rooms and Matchmaking

Server :Open level listen --->create session( session setting:num plublic connection =4 ;should Advertise = true)---->create session with "Name"

Client: Join Friend Session "Name". From documentation about Unreal Rooms and Matchmaking with Unreal Sessions this is called User Rooms.

Question : Is Matchmaking more optimized than User Rooms .

chrispruett · March 2019

This isn't really about a performance difference. User rooms (Sessions) can be used for matchmaking or invites. If you want to be able to join other people who aren't friends, use matchmaking. If you want to create rooms that friends can join or be invited to, use Rooms.

Schneider21 · March 2019

Chris,

I'm a hobbyist Unity developer hotly anticipating the Quest as my first real VR headset. I've done a bit with Daydream, but after experiencing 6dof tracking and Touch controllers, I can't go back. I do my work from my MacBook Pro.

Is there any way I could get started with 6dof controller development now? Doesn't seem like Rift would work for me.
Could you give us any insight on how Quest development workflows will go? Will Quest be able to display the editor preview in realtime, or will we have to build each time to see changes?
I'm seeing a lot of people freaking out over Oculus' recent announcement about a more cultivated store front for Quest. Could you tell us what this does and doesn't mean as far as game content, as opposed to purely game quality?

Thanks!

JacksonGordon · March 2019

Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time!

I was wondering if there are going to be significant changes to the development process when the Quest arrives? Currently the process is somewhat ambiguous and it's hard to get direct feedback. I know this is a growing pains thing, but I was just wondering if the process will be largely the same, or is there an overhaul coming along with the new hardware?

chrispruett · March 2019

Hi! I'm not sure I understand your question. The development process for Rift is pretty well defined and we don't anticipate any major changes to it in the near future. Did you mean to ask about Quest?

JacksonGordon · March 2019

In a more specific and personal question, I'm having issues with a screen overlay effect I had working on the Go. I'm porting the app to the Rift, and the overlay doesn't seem to be working now. No errors, but the effect isn't happening. I'm wondering if the Rift handles screen overlays and textures differently than the Go. The goal is to add a vignette mask during movement to reduce periphery, thereby reducing vection. Also if there would be a different/better way to achieve this on the Rift that would be awesome, I'm relatively green to VR dev.

Thanks for your time!

tipatat · March 2019

Hi Chris - Thanks for doing this!

Back in Oct 17, 2017, Jason Rubin said "More than 8 VR Titles Have Made $1M+ in the Oculus store alone"
https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-multiple-vr-titles-made-1m-oculus-store-alone/

I was hoping you can share updated data on how many titles have passed $1M by now and also what's the most revenue a title on the Oculus Store can generate - $5m? $10m?

This kind of data is really helpful for devs for budget planning and also for others to know the health of the VR ecosystem.

Thanks for being awesome! The Dead Secret series rocks!

chrispruett · March 2019

Hi Tipatat! Generally we don't talk about the success of our partners, but I can say that our store has grown since Jason's statement. We're seeing some of the early success stories in VR come back with their second or third title, which tend to be bigger and more ambitious, which should give you some signal. We've also seen new titles rocket to success at a much faster rate thanks to the larger pool of VR headsets in the world.

Preston_J · March 2019

My current game in development for the Rift is very much a niche game being marketed towards Alien conspiracy enthusiasts. I plan to see how the game could be adapted for Quest for maybe a larger audience. If a Quest submission is rejected will reasons and feedback be given on what we should do to modify the proposal? Or should we move on to the next game concept and find one that does pass? My company is not lacking in ideas for games.

chrispruett · March 2019

I am a sucker for alien conspiracy theories. Please tell me you have an alien autopsy mini-game.

When submitting a concept to us, I think it's worthwhile to consider that your title may have access to a much wider audience than you initially intended. How can you talk to that audience without watering-down the content for your core enthusiasts? This is a hard game design problem, but it's worth considering folks who will just skim across the surface of your title as well as the folks that want to go deep down the rabbit hole. If you can service both audiences you have a good shot at success! Explaining how you address these audiences is a good thing to include in your concept document.

When it comes to feedback, we generally do not give feedback (beyond technical VRC failures) for applications or concepts that we reject. However, you can continue to work on the concept and submit it again in the future. Or you could move forward with production, ship on Rift, and use your success there as an argument for Quest. But when you do submit a concept document, please make it as real and as complete as possible.

socialarvr · March 2019

Will there be social VR apps like Facebook Spaces on the Quest?

chrispruett · March 2019

For JacksonGordon's second question:

In a more specific and personal question, I'm having issues with a screen overlay effect I had working on the Go. I'm porting the app to the Rift, and the overlay doesn't seem to be working now. No errors, but the effect isn't happening.I'm wondering if the Rift handles screen overlays and textures differently than the Go.T he goal is to add a vignette mask during movement to reduce periphery, thereby reducing vection. Also if there would be a different/better way to achieve this on the Rift that would be awesome, I'm relatively green to VR dev. Thanks for your time!

##

Depending on whether you are working in Unity, Unreal, or some other engine, the API for overlays (which are called “compositor layers” on Rift) is similar but not exactly the same. In Unity we abstract both platforms to the same interface (OVROverlay), but the parameters and behaviors differ a bit between the PC and Go runtimes. The documentation for this is here: https://developer.oculus.com/documentation/unity/latest/concepts/unity-ovroverlay/

CarpetHead · March 2019

Hi Chris,

I just want to vent: the most annoying thing about working with oculus is the fact that the oculus store software automatically launches when it "thinks" you are "using the headset".

If you leave the headset in a position where the proximity sensor is triggered, often by the facial interface or head strap itself, and a fly lands on your desk, the oculus store opens immediately. This is really annoying when you are using your computer for something else, like gaming (a lot of oculus users happen to be gamers right). It really sucks to be in an intense moment of a game, and you accidentally tap your desk, oculus launches, restarts the graphics drivers, and causes a 5 second period where you can't use your computer

Why on earth can't we turn off that behaviour?

chrispruett · March 2019

I actually do not know the answer to this question, but I really appreciate the feedback. I'll make sure our product teams see it.

illusivetoner · March 2019

When submitting a released Rift title for release on Quest, do you just want marketing materials or a full update on the released version?

chrispruett · March 2019

Please give us any information that you can share on the success of your title on Rift (or even on other platforms)! We're looking for signal, and while marketing materials are also useful, having real-world success metrics is always good. We will supply some sample materials when we roll out the concept submission form that you can reference as well.

warrenEBB · March 2019

is there any type of game/app on each platform that Oculus would like to see more of? (perhaps that you think the user base wants more of? or that will draw new user base to that platform?).

Like, when i use the Go i think "this is the platform for 360 movies/narratives. For presence, not embodiment." Or when i use the Rift, i think "i'm so tired of short wave based shooters, but everyone seems to make them. this platform needs long form story games from AAA devs... but since I can't do that, I'll just ... go hard on weird experiments with embodiment". ... or maybe yall wish there were more cross platform titles? or more education? or something else. just curious.

chrispruett · March 2019

Good question! For Quest, we are primarily focused on video games. What we've seen on the PC side is that the simplest genres to execute (such as wave-based shooters) reach saturation quickly, with only a handful of stellar titles doing well. Titles that take on more challenging design problems (and execute them well) tend to have an easier time standing out. I think there is a huge design space to explore in VR, both for radically new concepts and for VR variants of traditional genres.

One thing we've found that works really well for a wide audience, nearly independent of genre, is good hand interactions. I used to think that the core magic of being in VR was visiting a virtual space, but now I've come to believe the magic is in the interaction with that space. Whatever you're working on, depth in near-field hand interactions seems to be a consistently successful approach.

DTDev · March 2019

Hey Chris,
I have a question on the Quest and the supporting ecosystem. I read on some online new sources today that Oculus will have a more strict policy about games that will be published on the Oculus Quest store. I also read that Oculus values testing with friends and the direct social circle of the developer (side loading). Will the "Approved for keys only" status be also kept intact for Oculus Quest apps? Are enterprise only apps still supported on the Quest?

Thank you for your answer

chrispruett · March 2019

I touched on this earlier in the AMA. We will support keys-based distribution on a case-by-case basis.

skyniteVRinsider · March 2019

What support/guidance does Oculus have for Education apps on the Quest? The pricepoint and ease of use seem like a viable product for schools to order classroom sets. Is there any internal focus on the EDU market for Quest?

chrispruett · March 2019

Oculus has a team dedicated to education that is pursuing all sorts of ideas. For now, considering that Oculus Quest hasn't even launched yet, our core focus is on delivering the highest quality VR experience that we can to the home. There are lots of other interesting ways that VR is being deployed, including in educational settings, enterprise setups, and location-based entertainment. But for now we've chosen to focus on our core audience.

It's also worth noting that, like all of our headsets, Quest is designed for ages 13 and up.

johnbart · March 2019

Long time listener, first time caller. A couple of quick questions:

1. Do you have any timeline on getting your cloud saves updated to something more developer friendly?
2. On a more abstract topic what do you think will finally get us past locomotion issues in VR:
a). Headset design
b). Experience design
c). Brain surgery
d). Other

chrispruett · March 2019

Hi John!

Thanks for asking about cloud saves. The API we have available today is pretty straightforward, but I am sure there are some ways we could improve it. If you have specific feedback I can make sure the team hears about it. If you are specific enough they might even implement your recommendations.

With respect to locomotion, I think it's all about experience design these days. Titles that deal with constant velocity motion, with vignetting on the sides to cut peripheral vision pixel flow and avoid smooth turns seem to do well with a wide variety of players. One analogy that you might find helpful is to think of this like ice hockey: gliding across a surface within a fixed viewport (e.g. the helmet).

pekayatt · March 2019

Hi Chris, first of all, YOU RULE!

Second is about Oculus Studios, it seems the strategy is to work with more well established game studios providing resources for the development of bigger/better VR Games. How do you guys select the studios to receive this funding?

It is possible or do make sense for Indie Studios to look for support from Oculus Studios?

Thanks!

chrispruett · March 2019

Oculus Studios' goal is to build exceptionally high-quality VR games, and to do that they work with some of the best studios in the industry. Their model is to identify a genre of game that they would like to experiment with in VR and then form a partnership with a developer to build it. That said, we have also supported hundreds of titles outside of the Oculus Studios umbrella. This is another topic you could cover when submitting a concept document to us.

chrispruett · March 2019

For @Schneider21:

Chris, I'm a hobbyist Unity developer hotly anticipating the Quest as my first real VR jeadset. I've done a bit with Daydream, but after experiencing 6dof tracking and Touch controllers, I can't go back. I do my work from my MacBook Pro. Is there any way I could get started with 6dof controller development now? Doesn't seem like Rift would work for me. Could you give us any insight on how Quest development workflows will go? Will quest be able to display the editor preview in realtime, or will we have to build each time to see changes? I'm seeing a lot of people freaking out over Oculus' recent announcement about a more cultivated store front for Quest. Could you tell us what this does and doesn't mean as far as game content, as opposed to purely game quality?

###

That's a lot of questions! I will do my best!

I also work on a MacBook Pro as my main development machine. Unfortunately we do not have a good way to preview 6DoF in the headset with a Mac. For core gameplay iteration, particularly for things like hand interactions, I often switch over to my PC and use the Rift to test ideas and change them quickly. That said, it's also pretty easy to make a build and deploy it to the device. You can increase the speed at which you turn code changes around by splitting your data out into an asset bundle and only rebuilding the executable as described here: https://developer.oculus.com/blog/tech-note-expansion-files-with-unity/

With respect to our recent announcement about store curation, our goal is to ensure that folks who ship on our store have a real shot at success. We are trying to learn about titles in development as early as possible so that we can support those that look promising, and so that we can save developers who we don't think will find an audience a lot of development time and money. I think this will drive customer trust and lead to better returns for the devs shipping on our platform.

Chris Pruett - Director of Ecosystem

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