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i have a feeling you are going to come to regret this comment. google has made the right move here. they've introduced VR capabilities to the android platform i

by gfodor 10y ago

i have a feeling you are going to come to regret this comment. google has made the right move here. they've introduced VR capabilities to the android platform in a way that, unlike cardboard, will set a baseline good experience for users (performance, frame rate, thermal, etc.) they've introduced a low price point, casual piece of hardware that will get good VR into as many consumers' hands as possible. the have made it so 3rd party vendors can compete in the ecosystem. they are providing an open platform for building and distributing VR software. they have included a controller peripheral as part of the standard which radically increases the surface area of applications. basically, to me this is the path that seems the most likely vector for mass market VR adoption. the high end PC VR is too expensive in 2016, and the console based VR, while definitely compelling, still has at least one order of magnitude less addressable market. iterating from here to more standalone devices like those shared already by qualcomm is an obvious transition on this platform and I'd imagine most VR devices sold in 2017-2018 will be portable standalone HMDs running android.

Ph0X 10y ago
Yeah, and unlike gaming VR, I think mobile VR has the potential to truly catch on and spread. It's cheap (80$ vs. 600$+), it's easy to use (no wires or crazy rig needed), and you can use it anywhere (lay on the bed, use outside).
- 1_2__3 10y ago
  Well, no. As of today it's $685 + $80. In the future if you either already have the phone or if the magical "partners who have signed up" start delivering Daydream-capable phones then it's only $80. And I'm not trying to be pedantic - if this was, say, supported on many phones then I'd agree with you. But your argument is essentially that a product only useable on an itty bitty tiny fraction (well, okay, today nobody) of the cell phone market is going to push VR into the home. That seems highly unlikely to me.
  - jiaweihli 10y ago
    Other manufacturers are likely all scrambling to catch the VR train so they aren't left behind. I expect all top-end phones to support VR within the next 2 years, if not 1 year. So within that time the cost will fall down to $80.
  - markatkinson 10y ago
    So I am currently working on a game for Daydream VR. I jumped at the opportunity as soon as they made the announcement and bought a 6P to help with the dev and testing. I agree with the commenter that mentioned Daydream is more likely to spike mass market interest than say Vive. I lurk on the Unreal Engine forums quite a bit and participated in a few game jams and if there is something I have noticed it is that Vive and Oculus are currently reserved for serious VR enthusiasts and marketing stunts (pretty obvious I suppose). The barriers to entry and use are just still too high. Cost of VR hardware makes it a no no for most, and having to prop sensors up around your lounge and hang cables from your roof can make things very unsexy very quickly. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there is a hell of a lot of hype about VR at the moment, and not just in the enthusiast circles. So if someone can lower that barrier to entry to a reasonable level where your semi-early adopters can partake and start showing off their gear at work and with friends then I think it is likely to see success. I don't think there will be any shortage of content creation, and I also don't think the argument about available phones is too valid. The current race that is underway with phone creators to develop the next best phone paired with the obsession of people to own the best phone will make sure a lot of people are walking around with VR ready phones in no time. I hope this wasn't completely incoherent, but this conversation also reminds me of this : https://xkcd.com/1497/ https://xkcd.com/1497/
  - Ph0X 10y ago
    Yes, you're right, but this is a phone that thousands of people will get either way, regardless of the VR, just for the phone itself. No one will ever buy a 600-800$ VR headset for anything else than using it in VR. And that's the ONLY thing it will be used for. The phone will be used every single day of your life for doing everything, from messaging people, watching videos, browsing the web, playing games, etc. If you want this to be a fair comparison, then also include the 1000$+ gaming rig you'd need for the VR headset to work.
1_2__3 10y ago
I don't ever regret having an opinion and sharing it, at least so long as I don't get annoyed and my tone gets away from me. I hear what you're saying, but I just don't buy any of it. I DO agree that this is the kind of product that needs to take off if VR at home (given current technology, we should remember) is going to take off, and my reply to that is VR at home given current technology will remain niche for the foreseeable future. Right now we're playing with Tamagotchis and calling them virtual pets, when the real virtual pets will be cool owls. What we call VR today will be as lasting and as useful as an Aibo - more something that should get us excited about what the future will actually bring, instead of what current tech companies try to fool us into getting hyped about today.

by gfodor 10y ago

Ph0X 10y ago

Yeah, and unlike gaming VR, I think mobile VR has the potential to truly catch on and spread. It's cheap (80$ vs. 600$+), it's easy to use (no wires or crazy rig needed), and you can use it anywhere (lay on the bed, use outside).

1_2__3 10y ago
Well, no. As of today it's $685 + $80. In the future if you either already have the phone or if the magical "partners who have signed up" start delivering Daydream-capable phones then it's only $80. And I'm not trying to be pedantic - if this was, say, supported on many phones then I'd agree with you. But your argument is essentially that a product only useable on an itty bitty tiny fraction (well, okay, today nobody) of the cell phone market is going to push VR into the home. That seems highly unlikely to me.
- jiaweihli 10y ago
  Other manufacturers are likely all scrambling to catch the VR train so they aren't left behind. I expect all top-end phones to support VR within the next 2 years, if not 1 year. So within that time the cost will fall down to $80.
- markatkinson 10y ago
  So I am currently working on a game for Daydream VR. I jumped at the opportunity as soon as they made the announcement and bought a 6P to help with the dev and testing. I agree with the commenter that mentioned Daydream is more likely to spike mass market interest than say Vive. I lurk on the Unreal Engine forums quite a bit and participated in a few game jams and if there is something I have noticed it is that Vive and Oculus are currently reserved for serious VR enthusiasts and marketing stunts (pretty obvious I suppose). The barriers to entry and use are just still too high. Cost of VR hardware makes it a no no for most, and having to prop sensors up around your lounge and hang cables from your roof can make things very unsexy very quickly. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there is a hell of a lot of hype about VR at the moment, and not just in the enthusiast circles. So if someone can lower that barrier to entry to a reasonable level where your semi-early adopters can partake and start showing off their gear at work and with friends then I think it is likely to see success. I don't think there will be any shortage of content creation, and I also don't think the argument about available phones is too valid. The current race that is underway with phone creators to develop the next best phone paired with the obsession of people to own the best phone will make sure a lot of people are walking around with VR ready phones in no time. I hope this wasn't completely incoherent, but this conversation also reminds me of this : https://xkcd.com/1497/ https://xkcd.com/1497/
- Ph0X 10y ago
  Yes, you're right, but this is a phone that thousands of people will get either way, regardless of the VR, just for the phone itself. No one will ever buy a 600-800$ VR headset for anything else than using it in VR. And that's the ONLY thing it will be used for. The phone will be used every single day of your life for doing everything, from messaging people, watching videos, browsing the web, playing games, etc. If you want this to be a fair comparison, then also include the 1000$+ gaming rig you'd need for the VR headset to work.

1_2__3 10y ago

I don't ever regret having an opinion and sharing it, at least so long as I don't get annoyed and my tone gets away from me. I hear what you're saying, but I just don't buy any of it. I DO agree that this is the kind of product that needs to take off if VR at home (given current technology, we should remember) is going to take off, and my reply to that is VR at home given current technology will remain niche for the foreseeable future. Right now we're playing with Tamagotchis and calling them virtual pets, when the real virtual pets will be cool owls. What we call VR today will be as lasting and as useful as an Aibo - more something that should get us excited about what the future will actually bring, instead of what current tech companies try to fool us into getting hyped about today.