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As someone who's followed VR for decades, and was underwhelmed by every Oculus headset from the DK1 to the Rift CV1: VR is here, now. The Quest is it. It's the

As someone who's followed VR for decades, and was underwhelmed by every Oculus headset from the DK1 to the Rift CV1: VR is here, now. The Quest is it. It's the real deal. The combination of standalone wireless play, precise inside-out environment sensing and hand tracking, heightened graphics quality, a substantial software library, and an attractive price point have finally hit the sweet spot. It's a shame that Facebook is the sole proprietor of this revolutionary device, but the device IS revolutionary. I've demoed VR for three non-technical friends in the last month who all promptly ran out and bought Quests of their own. I'm very excited for the future, and present, of this medium.

perilunar 6y ago
So now VR is 'here, now'. Cool. Can we stop calling it 'the future' then?
otabdeveloper4 6y ago
"Kids these days" don't care about video games in that way. For them it's a fact of life, and not a glamorous one either; only a quick, addictive and not very healthy way to waste an hour or two (or four). Similar to cigarettes or beer in that respect, though we allow kids access to video games. Most of them play online mobile games because that gets the rush quicker and easier. Trying to sell an overly complex, bulky, expensive and high-investment video game system to the coming generations will be a very uphill battle. (We saw this with TV; for the boomer generation TV was high technology, and getting on TV was the highest aspiration in life. Who even watches broadcast TV now?)
- neartheplain 6y ago
  Kids love novelty, sensory stimuli, and attention. The Quest provides these in spades. Half my random squadmates in Population One (the big VR battle royale shooter) are kids. There are so many kids in VR right now that huge threads on r/virtualreality are dedicated to this problem, VR’s own Eternal September: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/m2t7jl/children_in_vr_suck_and_something_needs_to_be/ https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/m2t7jl/chil...
  - fatnoah 6y ago
    I will add that no video game, until Beat Saber and similar, have had my kid red-faced and out of breath after playing it and still wanting more. It's been a lifesaver with sports and everything else canceled due to COVID.
  - otabdeveloper4 6y ago
    I'm not saying that kids won't try some VR games if given the chance. I'm saying that they don't care about chasing the purported innovation dragon and don't view video games as an elite and hip pastime. For them it's just a guilty pleasure that they do while taking a break from actual life. As such, they'll gravitate towards the local optima that get them the dopamine rush faster and easier. Betting on VR as the "next big thing" is the wrong bet.
JKCalhoun 6y ago
Do you still have to put something on your head — have your vision obscured? (He asks sarcastically.) Because I think VR is a non-starter for the above reasons. The tech difference between 1990 and 2020 is amazing — but I don't think tech is what dooms VR as it stands. Is it the claustrophobia? Is it the unsettling detachment from your "actual" reality? I just don't think it's going to become mainstream anymore than skydiving has become mainstream.

perilunar 6y ago

So now VR is 'here, now'. Cool. Can we stop calling it 'the future' then?

otabdeveloper4 6y ago

"Kids these days" don't care about video games in that way. For them it's a fact of life, and not a glamorous one either; only a quick, addictive and not very healthy way to waste an hour or two (or four). Similar to cigarettes or beer in that respect, though we allow kids access to video games. Most of them play online mobile games because that gets the rush quicker and easier. Trying to sell an overly complex, bulky, expensive and high-investment video game system to the coming generations will be a very uphill battle. (We saw this with TV; for the boomer generation TV was high technology, and getting on TV was the highest aspiration in life. Who even watches broadcast TV now?)

neartheplain 6y ago
Kids love novelty, sensory stimuli, and attention. The Quest provides these in spades. Half my random squadmates in Population One (the big VR battle royale shooter) are kids. There are so many kids in VR right now that huge threads on r/virtualreality are dedicated to this problem, VR’s own Eternal September: https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/m2t7jl/children_in_vr_suck_and_something_needs_to_be/ https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/m2t7jl/chil...
- fatnoah 6y ago
  I will add that no video game, until Beat Saber and similar, have had my kid red-faced and out of breath after playing it and still wanting more. It's been a lifesaver with sports and everything else canceled due to COVID.
- otabdeveloper4 6y ago
  I'm not saying that kids won't try some VR games if given the chance. I'm saying that they don't care about chasing the purported innovation dragon and don't view video games as an elite and hip pastime. For them it's just a guilty pleasure that they do while taking a break from actual life. As such, they'll gravitate towards the local optima that get them the dopamine rush faster and easier. Betting on VR as the "next big thing" is the wrong bet.

JKCalhoun 6y ago

Do you still have to put something on your head — have your vision obscured? (He asks sarcastically.) Because I think VR is a non-starter for the above reasons. The tech difference between 1990 and 2020 is amazing — but I don't think tech is what dooms VR as it stands. Is it the claustrophobia? Is it the unsettling detachment from your "actual" reality? I just don't think it's going to become mainstream anymore than skydiving has become mainstream.