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As someone who owns both headsets from day one and has been developing software for Vive, I'd honestly say the current generation of tech just isn't worth it fo

As someone who owns both headsets from day one and has been developing software for Vive, I'd honestly say the current generation of tech just isn't worth it for most people. In five years when we have wireless headsets with eye tracking and full FOV displays with no discernible pixelation and the library of games are finally here it will be worth it. As it is most people would probably be let down after the initial wow factor wears off. I think VR is at the point smartphones were from 2000-2007 until the iPhone showed up. It's going to take another generation of devices that incorporate all of those features in a really well designed package before it goes mainstream.

zwily 10y ago
I had the exact same thoughts after playing with a Vive. An amazing glimpse at the near future.
mwseibel 10y ago
You should take a look at this YC company: https://www.sixa.io/ https://www.sixa.io/ - these changes might come faster than you think :)
- sergiosgc 10y ago
  No Linux client. Dumb move, when a typical use case is windows development when working from a Linux workstation. Pity. I'd be a customer (and toss my windows VMs)
savanaly 10y ago
I have used a Vive and a Rift for games for about five hours each and that was enough time for me to get bored with it. Not sure if it's that the games being developed for it are extremely lackluster compared to "real" games or if, like you say, the technology just isn't where it needs to be to be fun, but it was a letdown for me. It did have an amazing wow factor when I first tried it though.
rictic 10y ago
I think that the Vive is a little like the release iPhone. It has all of the pieces, but it's also clunky and extravagant. You had to have a pretty good imagination to look at any 2004 phone and envision the iPhone, but once you had the 1st gen iPhone it's pretty easy to imagine a modern smartphone. It's pretty much just the same thing only more so.
- davebryand 10y ago
  I don't know, that first iPhone was pretty special. Just having a fantastic web browser (mobile Safari) was a game changer. The gap feels bigger with VR, to me.
  - dmix 10y ago
    Pre-app store iPhones? (and all of the software that it massively incentivized?) Or just the phones themselves?
  - rictic 10y ago
    Agreed that the first iPhone was special, it let me move across the country without knowing a soul for two thousand miles with confidence. The limitations were obvious though. The small screen and low resolution made it hard to read much text. It was really slow, both in processor and in its 2G connection. And it was clear that there was a lot of work to be done on the software and design technology side. The Vive feels pretty special to me too. Presence, that feeling of being in another place, a fictional place with fictional rules. Perceptually perfect hand and head tracking. The chaperone system to let you move around the room with confidence. The limitations are obvious: high system reqs, cords everywhere, low resolution, flaky software, and again we need to question a lot of our assumptions about the kind of software that we write. All of that's being aggressively engineered away. I'm bullish.
    - JBlue42 10y ago
      >Agreed that the first iPhone was special, it let me move across the country without knowing a soul for two thousand miles with confidence. What was your alternative way to move across the country?
JabavuAdams 10y ago
We're not going to have all that in five years.
dmix 10y ago
What's stopping it from being wireless right now? Wifi technology or battery life?
- aphextron 10y ago
  Nothing actually. The tech is there and they are releasing multiple third party wireless addons for the Vive this year, but none of the major HMD's come with wireless as standard yet.
- deanclatworthy 10y ago
  I would think the added weight of a battery on your head would be one additional factor also.
cma 10y ago
> In five years when we have wireless headsets with eye tracking and full FOV displays Wireless at least ships in Q1 in China, Q2 for the US (TPCast)
archon810 10y ago
I wholeheartedly agree with you, but it's not hard to do so - it's the most logical and obvious explanation for what we're seeing. Just like any 1st generation technology, it's far from elegant and is clunky, so we have to give it a few iterations.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
ensiferum 10y ago
I completely agree with this sentiment. I too develop for both Vive and Oculus and they're just so unfinished products that I'd never recommend anyone to buy them. * Vive has huge problems with tracking devices. It needs to track 3 things and usually 1 has a problem and is not tracking properly sigh * The coords are annoying * FOV is too narrow * picture quality is crap (low resolution) * steam vr (as steam itself) is low quality software * the device is heavy on your face, uncomfortable and makes you sweat (in the face.. nasty) * lack of compelling content that has things just right (i.e. doesn't make you sick) From developer point of view: * openvr library can be confusing, documentation is lacking and it's married to steam :( I think the author is overshooting the importance of VR. The next generation hardware will undoubtedly improve much and there's definately potential especially in fields like visualization work and gaming too. But lets be honest there's a whole bunch of basic "productivity" apps and light user content apps (think your average phone app) that really doesn't have much to gain from VR. Undoubetedly some of these will want to jump on the VR hype (once it comes) and quickly make totally horrible half-assed versions of their software for VR.
- oculusthrift 10y ago
  yeah sounds like the author is still in the initial "wow" stage, since they only tried it last week. I too was amazed by my oculus when i first got it. I was amazed again when the touch controllers came out. But once you get used to the new interface you get resigned to the fact there are no games out for it and the ones that are out are essentially expensive demos created to show off the tech. Furthermore the cords and setup are a pain.

zwily 10y ago

I had the exact same thoughts after playing with a Vive. An amazing glimpse at the near future.

mwseibel 10y ago

You should take a look at this YC company: https://www.sixa.io/ https://www.sixa.io/ - these changes might come faster than you think :)

sergiosgc 10y ago
No Linux client. Dumb move, when a typical use case is windows development when working from a Linux workstation. Pity. I'd be a customer (and toss my windows VMs)

savanaly 10y ago

I have used a Vive and a Rift for games for about five hours each and that was enough time for me to get bored with it. Not sure if it's that the games being developed for it are extremely lackluster compared to "real" games or if, like you say, the technology just isn't where it needs to be to be fun, but it was a letdown for me. It did have an amazing wow factor when I first tried it though.

rictic 10y ago

I think that the Vive is a little like the release iPhone. It has all of the pieces, but it's also clunky and extravagant. You had to have a pretty good imagination to look at any 2004 phone and envision the iPhone, but once you had the 1st gen iPhone it's pretty easy to imagine a modern smartphone. It's pretty much just the same thing only more so.

davebryand 10y ago
I don't know, that first iPhone was pretty special. Just having a fantastic web browser (mobile Safari) was a game changer. The gap feels bigger with VR, to me.
- dmix 10y ago
  Pre-app store iPhones? (and all of the software that it massively incentivized?) Or just the phones themselves?
- rictic 10y ago
  Agreed that the first iPhone was special, it let me move across the country without knowing a soul for two thousand miles with confidence. The limitations were obvious though. The small screen and low resolution made it hard to read much text. It was really slow, both in processor and in its 2G connection. And it was clear that there was a lot of work to be done on the software and design technology side. The Vive feels pretty special to me too. Presence, that feeling of being in another place, a fictional place with fictional rules. Perceptually perfect hand and head tracking. The chaperone system to let you move around the room with confidence. The limitations are obvious: high system reqs, cords everywhere, low resolution, flaky software, and again we need to question a lot of our assumptions about the kind of software that we write. All of that's being aggressively engineered away. I'm bullish.
  - JBlue42 10y ago
    >Agreed that the first iPhone was special, it let me move across the country without knowing a soul for two thousand miles with confidence. What was your alternative way to move across the country?

JabavuAdams 10y ago

We're not going to have all that in five years.

dmix 10y ago

What's stopping it from being wireless right now? Wifi technology or battery life?

aphextron 10y ago
Nothing actually. The tech is there and they are releasing multiple third party wireless addons for the Vive this year, but none of the major HMD's come with wireless as standard yet.
deanclatworthy 10y ago
I would think the added weight of a battery on your head would be one additional factor also.

cma 10y ago

> In five years when we have wireless headsets with eye tracking and full FOV displays Wireless at least ships in Q1 in China, Q2 for the US (TPCast)

archon810 10y ago

I wholeheartedly agree with you, but it's not hard to do so - it's the most logical and obvious explanation for what we're seeing. Just like any 1st generation technology, it's far from elegant and is clunky, so we have to give it a few iterations.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

ensiferum 10y ago

I completely agree with this sentiment. I too develop for both Vive and Oculus and they're just so unfinished products that I'd never recommend anyone to buy them. * Vive has huge problems with tracking devices. It needs to track 3 things and usually 1 has a problem and is not tracking properly sigh * The coords are annoying * FOV is too narrow * picture quality is crap (low resolution) * steam vr (as steam itself) is low quality software * the device is heavy on your face, uncomfortable and makes you sweat (in the face.. nasty) * lack of compelling content that has things just right (i.e. doesn't make you sick) From developer point of view: * openvr library can be confusing, documentation is lacking and it's married to steam :( I think the author is overshooting the importance of VR. The next generation hardware will undoubtedly improve much and there's definately potential especially in fields like visualization work and gaming too. But lets be honest there's a whole bunch of basic "productivity" apps and light user content apps (think your average phone app) that really doesn't have much to gain from VR. Undoubetedly some of these will want to jump on the VR hype (once it comes) and quickly make totally horrible half-assed versions of their software for VR.

oculusthrift 10y ago
yeah sounds like the author is still in the initial "wow" stage, since they only tried it last week. I too was amazed by my oculus when i first got it. I was amazed again when the touch controllers came out. But once you get used to the new interface you get resigned to the fact there are no games out for it and the ones that are out are essentially expensive demos created to show off the tech. Furthermore the cords and setup are a pain.