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>Personally, I think its a very good thing that the market is so sensitive to the demands of consumers. AFAIK these kinds of fads come and go all the time. It s

>Personally, I think its a very good thing that the market is so sensitive to the demands of consumers. AFAIK these kinds of fads come and go all the time. It seems a good thing that people who wanted to just try out bicycling could do so cheaply It was ultimately self-destructive, because the poor quality of those products harmed the reputation of the whole industry. A generation of people came to believe that bicycles were inherently heavy, dangerous and unreliable. Companies like Oculus and Tesla have wisely chosen the opposite strategy, producing a premium product that gives the best possible experience. They understand that you don't get a second chance at a first impression. They know that it's easier to start with a prestigious product and move downmarket than vice-versa. In the bicycle industry, the most successful companies have doggedly stuck to producing high-quality products and refused to compete solely on price - the likes of Trek, Specialized and Cannondale. They refuse to tarnish their brand with cheap crap. They have built strong relationships with good retailers who can educate customers on the merits of a quality product.

cma 10y ago
Oculus attempted it, but quality issues have plagued them. Red haze in the panels mismatched between eyes causing headaches, variable quality on the lenses causing some units to have much worse god rays than others, IMU calibration issues affecting tracking, and more. And DK2 had a strong chemical latex smell that, in combination with some first experiences causing nausea, ingrained a long term aversion in users. Two of the free pack-in games cause motion sickness in many users, where Valve found a way to cause it almost no one (avoid artificial locomotion).
cafard 10y ago
The Schwinns I rode as a boy were reliable, and they weren't particularly dangerous, but my goodness they were heavy. I was never the bicyclist my brother became (long rides into the Colorado foothills, long commutes from one side of Denver to another), but in my junior high days, I regularly rode my bicycle to school, perhaps a three mile round trip. For that distance and the very level terrain, a heavy Schwinn was just fine.

cma 10y ago

Oculus attempted it, but quality issues have plagued them. Red haze in the panels mismatched between eyes causing headaches, variable quality on the lenses causing some units to have much worse god rays than others, IMU calibration issues affecting tracking, and more. And DK2 had a strong chemical latex smell that, in combination with some first experiences causing nausea, ingrained a long term aversion in users. Two of the free pack-in games cause motion sickness in many users, where Valve found a way to cause it almost no one (avoid artificial locomotion).

cafard 10y ago

The Schwinns I rode as a boy were reliable, and they weren't particularly dangerous, but my goodness they were heavy. I was never the bicyclist my brother became (long rides into the Colorado foothills, long commutes from one side of Denver to another), but in my junior high days, I regularly rode my bicycle to school, perhaps a three mile round trip. For that distance and the very level terrain, a heavy Schwinn was just fine.