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Why do people believe VR has any potential? Aren't its design flaws obvious? Nobody would actually want to use it.

rboyd 11y ago
We saw the potential when Oculus Rift DK1 shipped and the improvements made in such a short span betweek DK2 and the consumer version. You don't have to be very creative to extrapolate that forward. Form factor shrinks, resolution increases, VR and AR merge. Seems pretty obvious to many of us that it has huge potential. Why do you think it does not?
- mozumder 11y ago
  If it had infinite resolution and unlimited frame rates, would you use it? That is why VR's design is flawed: people prefer their physical freedoms. Nobody wants to be in a VR world. You could invest in it, but know that there's a very limited audience/market for something that would only appeal to a class of nerds, instead of the general audience. Do you see your grandmother using it like they do their iPhone?
  - nostrebored 11y ago
    There is a ton of potential application -- want to walk around Prague but can't afford the vacation time or expenses? Here's virtual Prague for 13.99. Have a blast. Educational experiences. Movies. Unfortunately, I'm pessimistic and think people want to use it to do things that they shouldn't irl.
  - nostrebored 11y ago
    There is a ton of potential application -- want to walk around Prague but can't afford the vacation time or expenses? Here's virtual Prague for 13.99. Have a blast. Educational experiences. Movies. Unfortunately, I'm pessimistic and think people want to use it to do things that they shouldn't irl.
  - sgarman 11y ago
    What is wrong with targeting niche markets? Even if only "nerds" were targeted (the gaming market) that would be HUGE.
- deprave 11y ago
  Probably due to the same reasons Apple Watch and Google Glass failed with (most) consumers. It's nice as a gimmick and probably in very specific settings, but not as a general-purpose device for daily use.
mroll 11y ago
The reason it has potential is because it is an unbelievable experience unlike anything that has ever come before it. I'm serious. You must never have had the experience of looking around the tombs of ancient egypt while standing in the middle of your kitchen, or of watching the Master's golf tournament, from the tee box, sitting on your living room couch. And those things are already possible when the device had been out a week and a half. From a place of experience, I'd say the potential is obvious
- mozumder 11y ago
  The problem with that is that there's very little incremental improvement over existing experiences, especially with UHD around. You can already look at a tomb in ancient Egypt on your computer, for example. Plus, you don't have to have your entire peripheral vision blocked off. This is why the VR user experience is a terrible idea.
purplelobster 11y ago
Try to keep an open mind. Take any chance to try the HTC Vive and judge for yourself. IMO it's not a gimmick this time around, like smart watches, Google Glass or 3D TV, this is the next big thing in computing. I think VR will change humanity more in the next 20-30 years than the telephone, TV and maybe even the internet combined.

rboyd 11y ago

We saw the potential when Oculus Rift DK1 shipped and the improvements made in such a short span betweek DK2 and the consumer version. You don't have to be very creative to extrapolate that forward. Form factor shrinks, resolution increases, VR and AR merge. Seems pretty obvious to many of us that it has huge potential. Why do you think it does not?

mozumder 11y ago
If it had infinite resolution and unlimited frame rates, would you use it? That is why VR's design is flawed: people prefer their physical freedoms. Nobody wants to be in a VR world. You could invest in it, but know that there's a very limited audience/market for something that would only appeal to a class of nerds, instead of the general audience. Do you see your grandmother using it like they do their iPhone?
- nostrebored 11y ago
  There is a ton of potential application -- want to walk around Prague but can't afford the vacation time or expenses? Here's virtual Prague for 13.99. Have a blast. Educational experiences. Movies. Unfortunately, I'm pessimistic and think people want to use it to do things that they shouldn't irl.
- nostrebored 11y ago
  There is a ton of potential application -- want to walk around Prague but can't afford the vacation time or expenses? Here's virtual Prague for 13.99. Have a blast. Educational experiences. Movies. Unfortunately, I'm pessimistic and think people want to use it to do things that they shouldn't irl.
- sgarman 11y ago
  What is wrong with targeting niche markets? Even if only "nerds" were targeted (the gaming market) that would be HUGE.
deprave 11y ago
Probably due to the same reasons Apple Watch and Google Glass failed with (most) consumers. It's nice as a gimmick and probably in very specific settings, but not as a general-purpose device for daily use.

mroll 11y ago

The reason it has potential is because it is an unbelievable experience unlike anything that has ever come before it. I'm serious. You must never have had the experience of looking around the tombs of ancient egypt while standing in the middle of your kitchen, or of watching the Master's golf tournament, from the tee box, sitting on your living room couch. And those things are already possible when the device had been out a week and a half. From a place of experience, I'd say the potential is obvious

mozumder 11y ago
The problem with that is that there's very little incremental improvement over existing experiences, especially with UHD around. You can already look at a tomb in ancient Egypt on your computer, for example. Plus, you don't have to have your entire peripheral vision blocked off. This is why the VR user experience is a terrible idea.

purplelobster 11y ago

Try to keep an open mind. Take any chance to try the HTC Vive and judge for yourself. IMO it's not a gimmick this time around, like smart watches, Google Glass or 3D TV, this is the next big thing in computing. I think VR will change humanity more in the next 20-30 years than the telephone, TV and maybe even the internet combined.