5 ms·

Magic Leap is really cool to use. That doesn't mean it's a feasible product for the mainstream.

by cmelbye 6y ago

vernie 6y ago
Not with its playing-card-sized FOV it isn't
- sqs 6y ago
  Counterpoint: I thought it was really, really cool when I tried it for a couple hours. I have no affiliation with Magic Leap. The Magic Leap unit I tried was a friend's (so it wasn't as though Magic Leap sent me a free unit to try out and therefore could have biased me).
- _bxg1 6y ago
  I tried out a HoloLens at a rich friend's house and had a similar experience, despite it also having a small FOV. It blew my mind and instantly registered as a really big deal. But as another commenter here pointed out, the hardware isn't there yet, and when it arrives it will require a vibrant software ecosystem. The difference is that Microsoft seems to understand that.
- cpitman 6y ago
  I tried it a couple years ago at PAX Unplugged, and that was exactly my reaction. I felt like I was putting a lot of attention into shifting around my direction to frame the AR, and searching for content, because I was looking through a pipe.
mumblemumble 6y ago
It seems a bit like the home console version of the Neo Geo to me. Once upon a time, I'd gladly shove large numbers of quarters into Neo Geo arcade cabinets. But when they stuck the hardware into a consumer model, with its huge price tag, my thought was, "If a rich friend bought one, I would enjoy playing with it at their house." I suspect that the big difference here is, this being 1990, SNK didn't have nearly as much access to investment money from rich people who don't understand the what entertainment budgets look like for the other 99.99% of people. So it was never hyped as anything but a luxury product.
- jkestner 6y ago
  I had that rich friend with the Neo Geo. Yeah, I wonder if Magic Leap had started small and luxury, installing that Beast contraption with the undiluted experience to rich people, it could've grown more like Tesla. Of course, the Roadster ran on all the same roads, while whole new experiences have to be created for AR, but make a few great ones and it'll be like having a bowling lane in your house—you don't play with it except to show off to visitors. (Oh, League Bowling was the one game I remember playing on my friend's Neo Geo. He wasn't bowling-lane rich.) Or Magic Leap could've licensed some Virtual Boy games.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - mumblemumble 6y ago
    Have you seen pictures of The Beast? The ergonomics and range of motion you get are about the same as what you have when using a phoropter. IIRC, it even has some of the same "positioning your head in the right place" hardware as is used by some piece of optometrist's equipment or other.
three_seagrass 6y ago
It's the segway solution. Cool tech that solves a problem which doesn't really exist.
- adamc 6y ago
  Kind of like VR for games? Which I have yet to meet anyone who uses...
  - BillinghamJ 6y ago
    Apparently HL Alyx is exceptionally good, maybe will Mark a bit of a turning point
  - three_seagrass 6y ago
    Maybe. VR is more chicken-egg, like the Windows phone with apps. The more people with VR headsets, the more VR games get developed, but more people won't get VR headsets until there are more games developed.
    - wpietri 6y ago
      I think "vicious circle" might be closer here. Just to check things out, I rented a Quest over the winter holidays. There was very little content that was a) VR-specific, and b) so much better on VR that it was worth the hassle. After we sent it back, the kids never even mentioned it again; they're happy with their Switches and the PS4. Game designer Jesse Schell said "If Oculus Quest can’t succeed we should just hang it up" [1] and I think he's right. The obvious technical problems have been fixed. It's technically very impressive, and it has a strong novelty rush at first. But if the current market isn't enough to drive the creation of must-have games, I expect it's a descending spiral from here. [1] https://uploadvr.com/jesse-schell-oculus-quest/ https://uploadvr.com/jesse-schell-oculus-quest/
  - Kiro 6y ago
    I don't recognize that at all. I know too many to count that have an Oculus Quest and quite many had regular VR headsets before that. Personally I play Beat Saber on a daily basis and pretty often other games as well.

Magic Leap is really cool to use. That doesn't mean it's a feasible product for the mainstream.

vernie 6y ago

Not with its playing-card-sized FOV it isn't

sqs 6y ago
Counterpoint: I thought it was really, really cool when I tried it for a couple hours. I have no affiliation with Magic Leap. The Magic Leap unit I tried was a friend's (so it wasn't as though Magic Leap sent me a free unit to try out and therefore could have biased me).
_bxg1 6y ago
I tried out a HoloLens at a rich friend's house and had a similar experience, despite it also having a small FOV. It blew my mind and instantly registered as a really big deal. But as another commenter here pointed out, the hardware isn't there yet, and when it arrives it will require a vibrant software ecosystem. The difference is that Microsoft seems to understand that.
cpitman 6y ago
I tried it a couple years ago at PAX Unplugged, and that was exactly my reaction. I felt like I was putting a lot of attention into shifting around my direction to frame the AR, and searching for content, because I was looking through a pipe.

mumblemumble 6y ago

It seems a bit like the home console version of the Neo Geo to me. Once upon a time, I'd gladly shove large numbers of quarters into Neo Geo arcade cabinets. But when they stuck the hardware into a consumer model, with its huge price tag, my thought was, "If a rich friend bought one, I would enjoy playing with it at their house." I suspect that the big difference here is, this being 1990, SNK didn't have nearly as much access to investment money from rich people who don't understand the what entertainment budgets look like for the other 99.99% of people. So it was never hyped as anything but a luxury product.

jkestner 6y ago
I had that rich friend with the Neo Geo. Yeah, I wonder if Magic Leap had started small and luxury, installing that Beast contraption with the undiluted experience to rich people, it could've grown more like Tesla. Of course, the Roadster ran on all the same roads, while whole new experiences have to be created for AR, but make a few great ones and it'll be like having a bowling lane in your house—you don't play with it except to show off to visitors. (Oh, League Bowling was the one game I remember playing on my friend's Neo Geo. He wasn't bowling-lane rich.) Or Magic Leap could've licensed some Virtual Boy games.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- mumblemumble 6y ago
  Have you seen pictures of The Beast? The ergonomics and range of motion you get are about the same as what you have when using a phoropter. IIRC, it even has some of the same "positioning your head in the right place" hardware as is used by some piece of optometrist's equipment or other.

three_seagrass 6y ago

It's the segway solution. Cool tech that solves a problem which doesn't really exist.

adamc 6y ago
Kind of like VR for games? Which I have yet to meet anyone who uses...
- BillinghamJ 6y ago
  Apparently HL Alyx is exceptionally good, maybe will Mark a bit of a turning point
- three_seagrass 6y ago
  Maybe. VR is more chicken-egg, like the Windows phone with apps. The more people with VR headsets, the more VR games get developed, but more people won't get VR headsets until there are more games developed.
  - wpietri 6y ago
    I think "vicious circle" might be closer here. Just to check things out, I rented a Quest over the winter holidays. There was very little content that was a) VR-specific, and b) so much better on VR that it was worth the hassle. After we sent it back, the kids never even mentioned it again; they're happy with their Switches and the PS4. Game designer Jesse Schell said "If Oculus Quest can’t succeed we should just hang it up" [1] and I think he's right. The obvious technical problems have been fixed. It's technically very impressive, and it has a strong novelty rush at first. But if the current market isn't enough to drive the creation of must-have games, I expect it's a descending spiral from here. [1] https://uploadvr.com/jesse-schell-oculus-quest/ https://uploadvr.com/jesse-schell-oculus-quest/
- Kiro 6y ago
  I don't recognize that at all. I know too many to count that have an Oculus Quest and quite many had regular VR headsets before that. Personally I play Beat Saber on a daily basis and pretty often other games as well.