3 ms·

I think this metaverse/VR emphasis is a passing fad. We've been talking about VR for decades. Engineers focus on technology, so focus on how the technology for

I think this metaverse/VR emphasis is a passing fad. We've been talking about VR for decades. Engineers focus on technology, so focus on how the technology for VR keeps getting better. But outside of very specific domains, no one wants VR.

0_gravitas 5y ago
Speak for yourself, I've desperately wanted a VR setup for years, but have never had access to the real estate. I tried it once a long time ago, and long for the day I can have my own.
holoduke 5y ago
If at one point a VR/AR headset looks the same as ordinary sunglasses with 16k per eye , I am sure it will be a new revolution. The amount of information you can project on those glasses while walking around in the normal world is beyond imagination. you can show the world as it is plus a ton of info at every object you look at. Those glasses will slowly evolve to the size of eye lenses and it will be a necessary item in order to participate in modern society. Just like living without internet isnt possible.
- ok_dad 5y ago
  > living without internet isn't possible Sure it is, my MIL doesn't do anything on the internet other than entertainment (TV and music) and maybe email or texting. If she wanted to, she could cut it out completely and get along fine with landline phone calls and mailing bill payments and such.
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  what is your life where living without the internet isn’t possible? also, you seem to think projecting more information onto the world is a Good Thing, this is not obvious to me.
  - bg24 5y ago
    When iPhone came out, I did not believe it would succeed even a year later. When YouTube was released, I could never grasp how people would watch video on Internet. Now-a-days I question my immediate reaction to anything.
ok_dad 5y ago
I want VR, but not Oculus because of the FB linkage (I don't have FB). I also want it to be self-contained, so I don't need a fancy PC to run it, but it should still connect to my PC as a display device or something. I also want it to be open source, or at the very least it should not have telemetry, account logins, or anything like that for the hardware. It also has to work on any OS, it should work with my game consoles, and my TV output as a virtual screen. I just want a "dumb" VR display, effectively. An AR display would be nice, too, if I could put a "mask" over it to turn it into a VR display. Right now, I am pretty sure there is nothing to fit that bill. If there is in the future, I definitely want this, if only to be able to play games while lying in bed or to have several virtual computer screens for coding and work.
ignoramous 5y ago
> But outside of very specific domains, no one wants VR. Parallels with early computing industry? The very nature of technology adoption is such that it always appeals to a niche first aka "no one but a handful want it". Then, depending on incentives, an ecosystem crops up that continues to add value as it grows. Computers had internet to fallback on for network effects, with web and email help add value. For VR, that could be gaming, crypto-currencies, social networks... who knows what else.
Escapado 5y ago
Growing up with a specific, media influenced vision of VR(Ghost in the shell, .hack, sword art online) where lots of of the current technical challenges to create something truly immersive are solved, I really want VR to succeed. I got to try the original Oculus Rift and later Quest and I would argue that visually we are maybe 5 or so years away from a pretty decent experience (like 4k by 4k per eye with decent latency, 120hz+, no screen door and maybe even proper foveated rendering). Sound-wise I don't even think there is much missing. Form-factor/comfort-wise I also believe that we are not far off. And experiences which make use of "just" that are ok or fun even. IMHO however, movement and tactile feedback are still lacking so far behind that I don't even know if they can be solved in a non-invasive, average user friendly manner. I mean sure, you can strap yourself to a treadmill contraption and use controllers or gloves to track your hands and maybe even wear some suit which vibrates here and there. But you won't feel real collisions, let alone texture, realistic force and acceleration. And somehow when I tried VR I felt like this was missing so much that it limits my enjoyment big time.
- TheRealNGenius 5y ago
  For more anime examples of metaverse-like concepts, there is Dennou Coil, Megaman, Digimon, Summer Wars, Gatchaman Crowds, and Belle to name a few off the top of my head. Whilst the first features immersive AR, the rest kinda just rely on conventional screens. Similarly, I'm not entirely convinced that VR/AR is a necessary or sufficient requirement of the metaverse.
jimbob45 5y ago
Personally, it’s just not comfortable. I know it’s petty but that’s a huge negative for everyone I try to show it to.
tenpoundhammer 5y ago
I have an Oculus Quest 2 and me, my wife, and my kids all love it. The biggest gating factor in our enjoyment is lack of content. If there were more AAA titles I would spend way more time with my oculus. It is the most immersive and intuitive gaming experience I've ever had.

0_gravitas 5y ago

Speak for yourself, I've desperately wanted a VR setup for years, but have never had access to the real estate. I tried it once a long time ago, and long for the day I can have my own.

holoduke 5y ago

If at one point a VR/AR headset looks the same as ordinary sunglasses with 16k per eye , I am sure it will be a new revolution. The amount of information you can project on those glasses while walking around in the normal world is beyond imagination. you can show the world as it is plus a ton of info at every object you look at. Those glasses will slowly evolve to the size of eye lenses and it will be a necessary item in order to participate in modern society. Just like living without internet isnt possible.

ok_dad 5y ago
> living without internet isn't possible Sure it is, my MIL doesn't do anything on the internet other than entertainment (TV and music) and maybe email or texting. If she wanted to, she could cut it out completely and get along fine with landline phone calls and mailing bill payments and such.
jazzyjackson 5y ago
what is your life where living without the internet isn’t possible? also, you seem to think projecting more information onto the world is a Good Thing, this is not obvious to me.
- bg24 5y ago
  When iPhone came out, I did not believe it would succeed even a year later. When YouTube was released, I could never grasp how people would watch video on Internet. Now-a-days I question my immediate reaction to anything.

ok_dad 5y ago

I want VR, but not Oculus because of the FB linkage (I don't have FB). I also want it to be self-contained, so I don't need a fancy PC to run it, but it should still connect to my PC as a display device or something. I also want it to be open source, or at the very least it should not have telemetry, account logins, or anything like that for the hardware. It also has to work on any OS, it should work with my game consoles, and my TV output as a virtual screen. I just want a "dumb" VR display, effectively. An AR display would be nice, too, if I could put a "mask" over it to turn it into a VR display. Right now, I am pretty sure there is nothing to fit that bill. If there is in the future, I definitely want this, if only to be able to play games while lying in bed or to have several virtual computer screens for coding and work.

ignoramous 5y ago

> But outside of very specific domains, no one wants VR. Parallels with early computing industry? The very nature of technology adoption is such that it always appeals to a niche first aka "no one but a handful want it". Then, depending on incentives, an ecosystem crops up that continues to add value as it grows. Computers had internet to fallback on for network effects, with web and email help add value. For VR, that could be gaming, crypto-currencies, social networks... who knows what else.

Escapado 5y ago

Growing up with a specific, media influenced vision of VR(Ghost in the shell, .hack, sword art online) where lots of of the current technical challenges to create something truly immersive are solved, I really want VR to succeed. I got to try the original Oculus Rift and later Quest and I would argue that visually we are maybe 5 or so years away from a pretty decent experience (like 4k by 4k per eye with decent latency, 120hz+, no screen door and maybe even proper foveated rendering). Sound-wise I don't even think there is much missing. Form-factor/comfort-wise I also believe that we are not far off. And experiences which make use of "just" that are ok or fun even. IMHO however, movement and tactile feedback are still lacking so far behind that I don't even know if they can be solved in a non-invasive, average user friendly manner. I mean sure, you can strap yourself to a treadmill contraption and use controllers or gloves to track your hands and maybe even wear some suit which vibrates here and there. But you won't feel real collisions, let alone texture, realistic force and acceleration. And somehow when I tried VR I felt like this was missing so much that it limits my enjoyment big time.

TheRealNGenius 5y ago
For more anime examples of metaverse-like concepts, there is Dennou Coil, Megaman, Digimon, Summer Wars, Gatchaman Crowds, and Belle to name a few off the top of my head. Whilst the first features immersive AR, the rest kinda just rely on conventional screens. Similarly, I'm not entirely convinced that VR/AR is a necessary or sufficient requirement of the metaverse.

jimbob45 5y ago

Personally, it’s just not comfortable. I know it’s petty but that’s a huge negative for everyone I try to show it to.

tenpoundhammer 5y ago

I have an Oculus Quest 2 and me, my wife, and my kids all love it. The biggest gating factor in our enjoyment is lack of content. If there were more AAA titles I would spend way more time with my oculus. It is the most immersive and intuitive gaming experience I've ever had.