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It's a funny quote, but it's a joke, I don't think the writers of the show meant it to be taken to heart. VR has its share of problems and it won't take off the

by Mahn 9y ago

It's a funny quote, but it's a joke, I don't think the writers of the show meant it to be taken to heart. VR has its share of problems and it won't take off the way the iPhone did for the time being, but it's very tangible, and I think dismissing it as vaporware would be a mistake.

tritium 9y ago
There's a small but serious niche developing, where VR turns out to be not only useful but probably necessary. Places you can't physically access, but need to go, and require situational awareness of events in the surrounding environment as they happen. Drone piloting. Deep ocean diving. Volcano exploration. Disaster relief efforts. Combat zones. Dangerous places that need human interpretation from eyes that can move throughout a scenario, and inspect from multiple vantage points, to inform decisions. Beyond these practical uses, VR is less interesting. As entertainment it feels like an absurd compromise for a lesser value. Thousands of dollars of equipment, and hundreds of dollars in content or subscription fees, all to enable a shut-in's lifestyle. Imagine paying for VR tickets to the Fyre Festival.
- mikewhy 9y ago
  Wouldn't a regular camera fit the needs of any of those? What does VR help here? Other than doubling the required bandwidth and not responding fast enough to your movements.
  - pavement 9y ago
    Bandwidth usage and high performance, hair-trigger responsive controls are likely to improve with emerging technology. Also, consider the premise of haptic feedback, and simulation rigs. A pilot strapped into a harness that relays the live inertia of the vehicle being piloted has a better concept of the physical mass they are commanding. It's one thing to look at a monocular video feed, and try to pull a clunky underwater ROV around. It's another thing to put on goggles, and sit in a rig that can spin you around, and relay a simulation of how the vehicle handles. You would drive an 18 wheeler differently from a compact car, if you had something better than a single POV camera to observe from. A VR feed might enable the inspection of rear-view mirrors, or, even better, simulate augmented reality x-ray vision, by combining multiple cameras into a seamless transparent 360 degree view, with a ghosted 3D model of the physical vehicle overlayed on top of the composite video. Things like that can eliminate blindspots better than ordinary mirrors, as long as the system is online and actually works. Sort of like this, but perhaps from a remote location, instead of as an actual physical passenger: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mini-augmented-vision-bmw-creates-augmented-reality-x-ray-glasses-drivers-1495736 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mini-augmented-vision-bmw-creates-a...
- ghaff 9y ago
  I'm inclined to agree. If I had to guess (which means bet on the opposite :-)), it's that VR will be very real but very much niche. I'm not sure about the zero value for entertainment though. Gamers and hardcore sports fans both spend (to me) absurd dollars on their hobby and VR may well have a role. AR seems much more interesting, albeit subject to a lot of challenges around social norms etc.
- falcolas 9y ago
  Fwiw, drone pilots (I'm thinking racing drones here) don't use VR, they use low bandwidth and resolution single pov video, since it has the lowest latency. That low latency is quite important when doing precision maneuvers, even if it comes with the attendant analog artifacts (I.e. static).
- deegles 9y ago
  VR will be essential for Mars colonists, especially while in transit. I think it will help people cope with living in enclosed spaces for long periods of time.
qqg3 9y ago
I think you completely misunderstood the quote regarding vaporware
oxryly1 9y ago
Yeah, the term "vaporware" doesn't fit in the traditional sense. But the market for VR is very much vapor.

by Mahn 9y ago

tritium 9y ago

There's a small but serious niche developing, where VR turns out to be not only useful but probably necessary. Places you can't physically access, but need to go, and require situational awareness of events in the surrounding environment as they happen. Drone piloting. Deep ocean diving. Volcano exploration. Disaster relief efforts. Combat zones. Dangerous places that need human interpretation from eyes that can move throughout a scenario, and inspect from multiple vantage points, to inform decisions. Beyond these practical uses, VR is less interesting. As entertainment it feels like an absurd compromise for a lesser value. Thousands of dollars of equipment, and hundreds of dollars in content or subscription fees, all to enable a shut-in's lifestyle. Imagine paying for VR tickets to the Fyre Festival.

mikewhy 9y ago
Wouldn't a regular camera fit the needs of any of those? What does VR help here? Other than doubling the required bandwidth and not responding fast enough to your movements.
- pavement 9y ago
  Bandwidth usage and high performance, hair-trigger responsive controls are likely to improve with emerging technology. Also, consider the premise of haptic feedback, and simulation rigs. A pilot strapped into a harness that relays the live inertia of the vehicle being piloted has a better concept of the physical mass they are commanding. It's one thing to look at a monocular video feed, and try to pull a clunky underwater ROV around. It's another thing to put on goggles, and sit in a rig that can spin you around, and relay a simulation of how the vehicle handles. You would drive an 18 wheeler differently from a compact car, if you had something better than a single POV camera to observe from. A VR feed might enable the inspection of rear-view mirrors, or, even better, simulate augmented reality x-ray vision, by combining multiple cameras into a seamless transparent 360 degree view, with a ghosted 3D model of the physical vehicle overlayed on top of the composite video. Things like that can eliminate blindspots better than ordinary mirrors, as long as the system is online and actually works. Sort of like this, but perhaps from a remote location, instead of as an actual physical passenger: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mini-augmented-vision-bmw-creates-augmented-reality-x-ray-glasses-drivers-1495736 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mini-augmented-vision-bmw-creates-a...
ghaff 9y ago
I'm inclined to agree. If I had to guess (which means bet on the opposite :-)), it's that VR will be very real but very much niche. I'm not sure about the zero value for entertainment though. Gamers and hardcore sports fans both spend (to me) absurd dollars on their hobby and VR may well have a role. AR seems much more interesting, albeit subject to a lot of challenges around social norms etc.
falcolas 9y ago
Fwiw, drone pilots (I'm thinking racing drones here) don't use VR, they use low bandwidth and resolution single pov video, since it has the lowest latency. That low latency is quite important when doing precision maneuvers, even if it comes with the attendant analog artifacts (I.e. static).
deegles 9y ago
VR will be essential for Mars colonists, especially while in transit. I think it will help people cope with living in enclosed spaces for long periods of time.

qqg3 9y ago

I think you completely misunderstood the quote regarding vaporware

oxryly1 9y ago

Yeah, the term "vaporware" doesn't fit in the traditional sense. But the market for VR is very much vapor.