6 ms·

Not actually needed. Getting high enough res to replace monitors with small fonts does require a big increase in resolution, but rendering a virtual desktop req

Not actually needed. Getting high enough res to replace monitors with small fonts does require a big increase in resolution, but rendering a virtual desktop requires a lot less computation per pixel than rendering a game with lighting and shading. Current-generation consumer GPUs should be sufficient, if the panels and optics get good enough.

Ajedi32 8y ago
Yeah, but you're not going to be seeing a big push for higher PPD displays until after all the other pieces are in place to support that technology for gaming. The market for monitor replacements isn't big enough to drive that kind of change all on its own.
- keerthiko 8y ago
  I think this market is hugely undervalued. As remote work gets normalized, remote workspaces will draw increasing investment to regain some of the fidelity of meatspace but with the efficiency and cost savings of remote work, and VR is poised to be central to this industry as soon as someone builds the tools.
  - hombre_fatal 8y ago
    Sounds like a dystopian nightmare where VR goggles becomes the new ass-in-seat.
    - keerthiko 8y ago
      Completely possible and likely, but it's also possible to build a workplace culture where VR just replaces video calls and screenshare presentations with people huddling around a virtual conference desk and being able to pair program or show each other their screens, for an hour or two at a time instead of 8 hour office workdays.
  - breakpointalpha 8y ago
    Bigscreen is pushing hard in this direction.
philwelch 8y ago
I also think "virtual desktop" is a short-sighted notion of how VR user interfaces would end up in reality--although you can do a hell of a lot by just rendering 2D planes in your VR environment.
- gpm 8y ago
  There are a few things that "real" 3d is useful for, 3d modelling, cad, games, art, movies, ... Basically entertainment + modelling real world 3d things. For most of what we do on a computer I don't think so though. Text based communication (social media, email, etc), reading books, writing documents, doing accounting, etc. These are all tasks that don't have any intrinsic third dimension, and since the information needs to be projected to a 2d surface regardless (the back of your eyeball) you can't really pack more information in by taking advantage of the third dimension. I'm sure the third dimension will be used for "modern design" reasons, maybe you'll scroll through planes that come at you from farther away to switch "tabs" (android already basically does that on 2d displays), and we'll probably have some 3d equivalent of gifs, but I think most content really remains a 2d texture on a plane. Even if I'm wrong, I'm sure the first iterations will be mostly plane based, just because that's what the existing software knows how to render to.
  - ux-app 8y ago
    >For most of what we do on a computer I don't think so though. arranging any number of work spaces (screens) in 3d would be awesome
    - gpm 8y ago
      To be clear I'm taking that (or even arranging individual windows) as the "virtual desktop" option that the person I replied to thought was ... unimaginative. I agree with you.
      - philwelch 8y ago
        I agree with him too! What's unimaginative is taking the current Mac or Windows desktop and projecting that on a plane. Old Mac users miss the "spacial UI" of the original Finder. Well, the third dimension gives you lots of room for a spacial UI. It doesn't have to look like you're flying through space like in Jurassic Park or anything, but a lot of existing desktop UI is constrained by the fact that screens--even if you have four of them--don't take up very much of your visual field and are relatively fixed in position.

Ajedi32 8y ago

Yeah, but you're not going to be seeing a big push for higher PPD displays until after all the other pieces are in place to support that technology for gaming. The market for monitor replacements isn't big enough to drive that kind of change all on its own.

keerthiko 8y ago
I think this market is hugely undervalued. As remote work gets normalized, remote workspaces will draw increasing investment to regain some of the fidelity of meatspace but with the efficiency and cost savings of remote work, and VR is poised to be central to this industry as soon as someone builds the tools.
- hombre_fatal 8y ago
  Sounds like a dystopian nightmare where VR goggles becomes the new ass-in-seat.
  - keerthiko 8y ago
    Completely possible and likely, but it's also possible to build a workplace culture where VR just replaces video calls and screenshare presentations with people huddling around a virtual conference desk and being able to pair program or show each other their screens, for an hour or two at a time instead of 8 hour office workdays.
- breakpointalpha 8y ago
  Bigscreen is pushing hard in this direction.

philwelch 8y ago

I also think "virtual desktop" is a short-sighted notion of how VR user interfaces would end up in reality--although you can do a hell of a lot by just rendering 2D planes in your VR environment.

gpm 8y ago
There are a few things that "real" 3d is useful for, 3d modelling, cad, games, art, movies, ... Basically entertainment + modelling real world 3d things. For most of what we do on a computer I don't think so though. Text based communication (social media, email, etc), reading books, writing documents, doing accounting, etc. These are all tasks that don't have any intrinsic third dimension, and since the information needs to be projected to a 2d surface regardless (the back of your eyeball) you can't really pack more information in by taking advantage of the third dimension. I'm sure the third dimension will be used for "modern design" reasons, maybe you'll scroll through planes that come at you from farther away to switch "tabs" (android already basically does that on 2d displays), and we'll probably have some 3d equivalent of gifs, but I think most content really remains a 2d texture on a plane. Even if I'm wrong, I'm sure the first iterations will be mostly plane based, just because that's what the existing software knows how to render to.
- ux-app 8y ago
  >For most of what we do on a computer I don't think so though. arranging any number of work spaces (screens) in 3d would be awesome
  - gpm 8y ago
    To be clear I'm taking that (or even arranging individual windows) as the "virtual desktop" option that the person I replied to thought was ... unimaginative. I agree with you.
    - philwelch 8y ago
      I agree with him too! What's unimaginative is taking the current Mac or Windows desktop and projecting that on a plane. Old Mac users miss the "spacial UI" of the original Finder. Well, the third dimension gives you lots of room for a spacial UI. It doesn't have to look like you're flying through space like in Jurassic Park or anything, but a lot of existing desktop UI is constrained by the fact that screens--even if you have four of them--don't take up very much of your visual field and are relatively fixed in position.