For game developers, HTC's Vive edges out the Oculus Rift

Tina Amini
Updated
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The latest Game Developers Conference survey, polling 4,500 developers this year, is in and developers have spoken. Among many other opinions on the video games industry is this: VR and AR are taking over, and it looks like HTC's Vive is leading with a current slight advantage in that race. 

Developers' general interest in VR platforms is almost evenly divided between the Vive and the Oculus Rift, but comparing favoring percentages from this year's survey to last's—when the Oculus Rift had 40% of developers' interest compared to Vive's 26%—it seems like HTC's Vive is in place to increasingly overcome the Oculus Rift. Although it was the Oculus Rift that managed an early start with initial marketing and early kits, more developers are looking to develop for HTC's Vive, and considering the platform for any potential exclusive titles, too.

Image: GDC Briefing

Interestingly enough, even with all the sparkle and talk of future possibilities, most game developers are currently shying away from developing for VR. Out of the thousands polled, only 39% (up from last year's 32%) said they are working on current VR projects.

The relative lack of VR development right now could have to do with any number of factors. Developers could be waiting for a more solid install base, or they could be wary of the discomforts of wearing and using VR headsets (namely the nausea and carrying the extra weight on your head). But out of the developers that are currently developing for VR platforms, the Vive wins again.

Image: gdc briefing

And again for exclusive titles.

Image: gdc briefing

Check the rest of the survey's results for more context on the developers who were polled, and what they think of Nintendo's Switch and mid-cycle console refreshes like the Playstation 4 Pro and Microsoft's Project Scorpion.