6 ms·

What's Amazon really trying to do here?

gpestana 9y ago
Taking over the world. I mean, they've been pretty much copying and improving any other web service/tool/cloud service. Why not VR creation and eventually a VR market? It seems to me that this is just like another AWS move towards being in as many markets and fronts as possible.
j_jochem 9y ago
Maybe they want to evaluate VR commerce. That’s the only explanation that makes any kind of sense to me right now.
Tepix 9y ago
I think this may be their first foot in the door towards the inevitable development of a Metaverse/Oasis type VR multiuser environment where millions of people will eventually spend most of their time. The 2nd coming of VR is cooling a bit right now but with the advent of improved hardware I don't see why it won't heat up again reaching mass adoption within a decade.
- dbbk 9y ago
  If 3D TVs failed to reach mass adoption why would this?
  - SirHound 9y ago
    Because 3D in a TV is kinda ok, VR is actually affecting.
    - dbbk 9y ago
      I'm not convinced that most people are going to care. 3D was cool, but putting glasses on was too much friction. Putting an entire headset on is, I think, a bridge too far.
  - taneq 9y ago
    Content availability issues aside, I think it's because it's single user. TV is often a social pastime, and if anyone involved has issues with 3D, no-one gets to use it.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  > where millions of people will eventually spend most of their time. I'll try very hard to avoid that. I'd like computers to evolve in a way that we have to spend less time with them rather than more.
  - mfrommil 9y ago
    Whether for better or worse, the current trend of smartphone and social media usage implies that this is more likely than not.
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      Yes, and as I wrote I'm trying hard to avoid it. So far so good.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  >>>Metaverse/Oasis type VR multiuser environment If anyone has an app for AR, Amazon has an app for AR. Maybe they're expecting us to browse the aisles virtually in the very near future?
  - adventured 9y ago
    Nearly every valuable and or volume product (not every copy of every product) will be scanned for VR/AR purposes, so you'll be able to actually examine it from most or all angles. There's no scenario where Amazon doesn't do this eventually. The applications for clothing alone (which they're extremely determined to be huge in) makes it a big obvious must. Near-term it'll be ugly, 20 years out it'll be so good as to be the routine way to shop for a lot of products (you won't bother with basic well understood purchases, things in generic boxes, like advil).
    - mcintyre1994 9y ago
      Furniture apps using ARKit work shockingly well for this already. I definitely expect to see Amazon support something similar for a lot of products soon, and I think it'd be genuinely useful.
  - BatFastard 9y ago
    My company did a lot of experimentation with VR shopping. While the idea seems cool, 2D is generally faster and easier than 3D.
- simias 9y ago
  >The 2nd coming of VR is cooling a bit right now It's true and it's unfortunate, we're just starting to see "affordable" hardware with decent performance. I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Rift, at 400 euros for the headset and the controllers it's pretty decent value IMO. Too bad VR seems to have lost some of its hype in the past year or two.
  - ccozan 9y ago
    Err.. that's the exact definition of .. hype.
    - simias 9y ago
      I don't understand, what is?
      - ccozan 9y ago
        Exaggerated promotion/excitement for a certain thing/tech in a short time. Which then suddenly disappears when another new think/tech is announced.
        simias 9y ago
        Ah I see. My point was that in this case the hype was maybe a bit early, the tech was way too expensive for anything but wealthy early adopters up until a few months ago. I see that Oculus has announced the "Go", set to release early next year at $199. At this price it's no longer early adopter tech. I'm sure when these affordable VR sets are coming out the vendors are going to make a marketing push, preferably coupled with some big game releases.
- BatFastard 9y ago
  Personally I would call it the 3rd coming, VRML in 1995, Virtual Worlds in 2005, and now VR/AR in 2015. Just might stick this time, but it will be slower than they predict.
Apocryphon 9y ago
Amazon builds their own VRML
avip 9y ago
Gain developers attention. And it worked!
IncRnd 9y ago
They're interested in AWS use on the backend.

Taking over the world. I mean, they've been pretty much copying and improving any other web service/tool/cloud service. Why not VR creation and eventually a VR market? It seems to me that this is just like another AWS move towards being in as many markets and fronts as possible.

j_jochem 9y ago

Maybe they want to evaluate VR commerce. That’s the only explanation that makes any kind of sense to me right now.

Tepix 9y ago

I think this may be their first foot in the door towards the inevitable development of a Metaverse/Oasis type VR multiuser environment where millions of people will eventually spend most of their time. The 2nd coming of VR is cooling a bit right now but with the advent of improved hardware I don't see why it won't heat up again reaching mass adoption within a decade.

dbbk 9y ago
If 3D TVs failed to reach mass adoption why would this?
- SirHound 9y ago
  Because 3D in a TV is kinda ok, VR is actually affecting.
  - dbbk 9y ago
    I'm not convinced that most people are going to care. 3D was cool, but putting glasses on was too much friction. Putting an entire headset on is, I think, a bridge too far.
- taneq 9y ago
  Content availability issues aside, I think it's because it's single user. TV is often a social pastime, and if anyone involved has issues with 3D, no-one gets to use it.
jacquesm 9y ago
> where millions of people will eventually spend most of their time. I'll try very hard to avoid that. I'd like computers to evolve in a way that we have to spend less time with them rather than more.
- mfrommil 9y ago
  Whether for better or worse, the current trend of smartphone and social media usage implies that this is more likely than not.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    Yes, and as I wrote I'm trying hard to avoid it. So far so good.
mmjaa 9y ago
>>>Metaverse/Oasis type VR multiuser environment If anyone has an app for AR, Amazon has an app for AR. Maybe they're expecting us to browse the aisles virtually in the very near future?
- adventured 9y ago
  Nearly every valuable and or volume product (not every copy of every product) will be scanned for VR/AR purposes, so you'll be able to actually examine it from most or all angles. There's no scenario where Amazon doesn't do this eventually. The applications for clothing alone (which they're extremely determined to be huge in) makes it a big obvious must. Near-term it'll be ugly, 20 years out it'll be so good as to be the routine way to shop for a lot of products (you won't bother with basic well understood purchases, things in generic boxes, like advil).
  - mcintyre1994 9y ago
    Furniture apps using ARKit work shockingly well for this already. I definitely expect to see Amazon support something similar for a lot of products soon, and I think it'd be genuinely useful.
- BatFastard 9y ago
  My company did a lot of experimentation with VR shopping. While the idea seems cool, 2D is generally faster and easier than 3D.
simias 9y ago
>The 2nd coming of VR is cooling a bit right now It's true and it's unfortunate, we're just starting to see "affordable" hardware with decent performance. I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Rift, at 400 euros for the headset and the controllers it's pretty decent value IMO. Too bad VR seems to have lost some of its hype in the past year or two.
- ccozan 9y ago
  Err.. that's the exact definition of .. hype.
  - simias 9y ago
    I don't understand, what is?
    - ccozan 9y ago
      Exaggerated promotion/excitement for a certain thing/tech in a short time. Which then suddenly disappears when another new think/tech is announced.
      - simias 9y ago
        Ah I see. My point was that in this case the hype was maybe a bit early, the tech was way too expensive for anything but wealthy early adopters up until a few months ago. I see that Oculus has announced the "Go", set to release early next year at $199. At this price it's no longer early adopter tech. I'm sure when these affordable VR sets are coming out the vendors are going to make a marketing push, preferably coupled with some big game releases.
BatFastard 9y ago
Personally I would call it the 3rd coming, VRML in 1995, Virtual Worlds in 2005, and now VR/AR in 2015. Just might stick this time, but it will be slower than they predict.

Apocryphon 9y ago

Amazon builds their own VRML

avip 9y ago

Gain developers attention. And it worked!

IncRnd 9y ago

They're interested in AWS use on the backend.