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I still can't believe that there are people who actually think VR is going to be used by anyone besides people who play video games. I've used an Oculus, and I'

I still can't believe that there are people who actually think VR is going to be used by anyone besides people who play video games. I've used an Oculus, and I've used a Vive, and I've used a Google Cardboard, and I've tried all sorts of neat demos. I fully believe a photorealistic experience can be had, and I fully believe that that experience will be able to exist at a reasonable price point, but I don't believe normal people will be interested in such an experience. As a medium, it's not nice to use with other people, which is a huge part of the way we consume our media. I don't believe that normal people are going to ever socialize by looking at each others avatars. If you consider interacting with someone's avatar socializing, you should understand that is why people make jokes at the expense of World of Warcraft players. Once the novelty wears off, people aren't going to find it interesting. It's not great for text either, and I don't think it will ever be better than a 4k monitor for text... Always bet on text. http://graydon2.dreamwidth.org/193447.html http://graydon2.dreamwidth.org/193447.html I agree that AR could be huge. But VR gets way too much hype.

shostack 11y ago
If you haven't read 'Rainbow's End' by Vernor Vinge, you should. Great look at how near-future technology might mingle with our lives, particularly the AR/VR aspect of it. I was just discussing with my wife how noticeable it is that we loathe calling people except for a select few individuals. It is widely recognized younger generations prefer to text. However if their friends could have a visible presence next to them, I think there's something to be said for experiencing something and having that person "next to" you, even if virtually. A recent A16Z podcast touched on this with telepresence/VR at a basketball game, and how even just having a basic VR representation of someone you were watching with seated next to you helped dramatically to improve immersion.
- MaysonL 11y ago
  Minor pedantic correction: there's no apostrophe in the title. It's Rainbows End.
qq66 11y ago
VR could be huge in simulated travel, much bigger than video games. What if, during your lunch break, you could book an hour with a camera-equipped Segway in Hong Kong and a take a look around the night market? International tourism is available to only a very small percentage of the world's population. VR could be an interesting substitute that gives a travel-like experience to millions/billions of people.
- brbrodude 11y ago
  Depressing.

shostack 11y ago

If you haven't read 'Rainbow's End' by Vernor Vinge, you should. Great look at how near-future technology might mingle with our lives, particularly the AR/VR aspect of it. I was just discussing with my wife how noticeable it is that we loathe calling people except for a select few individuals. It is widely recognized younger generations prefer to text. However if their friends could have a visible presence next to them, I think there's something to be said for experiencing something and having that person "next to" you, even if virtually. A recent A16Z podcast touched on this with telepresence/VR at a basketball game, and how even just having a basic VR representation of someone you were watching with seated next to you helped dramatically to improve immersion.

MaysonL 11y ago
Minor pedantic correction: there's no apostrophe in the title. It's Rainbows End.

qq66 11y ago

VR could be huge in simulated travel, much bigger than video games. What if, during your lunch break, you could book an hour with a camera-equipped Segway in Hong Kong and a take a look around the night market? International tourism is available to only a very small percentage of the world's population. VR could be an interesting substitute that gives a travel-like experience to millions/billions of people.

brbrodude 11y ago
Depressing.