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I keep asking people if they know anybody excited about the metaverse. I have not found any even among people who are total Facebook products.

dangus 4y ago
It’s because the Metaverse is just Facebook’s last ditch effort at controlling an App Store. Never mind the fact that VR is niche and will always be niche, or that VR conference calls add zero value beyond a simple Zoom call, Meta is going for it anyway because they have no other viable options. I have to admit that the technology itself looks really cool, but it’s a solution looking for a problem.
- Spivak 4y ago
  You aren’t thinking broad enough. The metaverse is Facebook’s oh fuck moment that a massive social network crept up on them without them realizing it. My friends and I “hang out” more in games and discord than any other digital space by a massive margin. Getting together in a Minecraft server might as well be a physical hangout and it’s taking the place of a lot of our group texts. Playing games for me is more about the social activity than the actual game. It’s not really about VR, it’s just that FB had no chance whatsoever of competing with existing players in the PC, console, or mobile market so they are pushing VR as a “staple” gaming product. They’re trying to make a new market where they can be a major player.
ksrm 4y ago
I thought you'd missed a word but no, "total Facebook products" is good.
frays 4y ago
I don’t think the future of the metaverse will have anything to do with 3D actually. The 3D/VR stuff is more of a fad than a long term plan. The real vision behind the metaverse is thinking that many of the things we currently do in person (i.e., concerts, going to bars, school, work, etc.) will eventually move online. Meta wants to position themselves as the “platform” for this.
- cam0 4y ago
  And this expectation is incredibly far fetched. It is betting on the reversal of many, many years of human habit which has become habit for a reason.
  - KerrAvon 4y ago
    I have no faith that Facebook knows what it’s doing, but I need to point out that COVID is going to absolute cripple the population if we don’t all learn to get virtual for anything truly optional real quick. And if it does cripple the population, a lot of stuff will have to be virtual to be attended at all.
    - lumost 4y ago
      Most of Europe and the America's are winding down lockdown measures. mRNA vaccines are highly effective. if you try to book a plane or concert ticket you'll see that people are racing to get out of their homes after 2+ years.
      - naveen99 4y ago
        My entire family got Covid last week because we let our guard down and went on vacation on an airplane. all vaccinated, but still put us out for over a week and counting. it may not kill us, but I definitely don’t want to get Covid again if I can do something to decrease my risk, like choosing zoom over in person.
  - chii 4y ago
    i dont think it's even habits - the technology of VR is just not mature enough, and convenient enough. I don't see it becoming better by an order of magnitude, which is what's needed for it to be competitive with real life attendance, any time soon.
- not-a-good-bet 4y ago
  By this moment, i think the Steam Deck has a better position to build the 3D metaverse.
sobkas 4y ago
> I keep asking people if they know anybody excited about the metaverse. I have not found any even among people who are total Facebook products. There are people that are willing to zap their eyes with laser only to not wear their glasses that actually allow them to see. People literally hate putting things on their face/head that restricts what they can see. Maybe because I would fell too vurnable without ability to check what's happening around me. Now sell them glasses/vr headset that are even less useful. And way heavier. Or how successful 3d glasses were with 3d tvs or before that colored 3d glasses or even IMAX with their 3D(watched on movie there, not worth the price). Or fact that Nintendo made their 3d work without glasses and then started selling 2d version of that handheld and then forget about 3d in their later products. Even cyberpunk ability to jack in would be useful to me only when I were still able to use my eyes(or implants) while controlling a device.

dangus 4y ago

It’s because the Metaverse is just Facebook’s last ditch effort at controlling an App Store. Never mind the fact that VR is niche and will always be niche, or that VR conference calls add zero value beyond a simple Zoom call, Meta is going for it anyway because they have no other viable options. I have to admit that the technology itself looks really cool, but it’s a solution looking for a problem.

Spivak 4y ago
You aren’t thinking broad enough. The metaverse is Facebook’s oh fuck moment that a massive social network crept up on them without them realizing it. My friends and I “hang out” more in games and discord than any other digital space by a massive margin. Getting together in a Minecraft server might as well be a physical hangout and it’s taking the place of a lot of our group texts. Playing games for me is more about the social activity than the actual game. It’s not really about VR, it’s just that FB had no chance whatsoever of competing with existing players in the PC, console, or mobile market so they are pushing VR as a “staple” gaming product. They’re trying to make a new market where they can be a major player.

ksrm 4y ago

I thought you'd missed a word but no, "total Facebook products" is good.

frays 4y ago

I don’t think the future of the metaverse will have anything to do with 3D actually. The 3D/VR stuff is more of a fad than a long term plan. The real vision behind the metaverse is thinking that many of the things we currently do in person (i.e., concerts, going to bars, school, work, etc.) will eventually move online. Meta wants to position themselves as the “platform” for this.

cam0 4y ago
And this expectation is incredibly far fetched. It is betting on the reversal of many, many years of human habit which has become habit for a reason.
- KerrAvon 4y ago
  I have no faith that Facebook knows what it’s doing, but I need to point out that COVID is going to absolute cripple the population if we don’t all learn to get virtual for anything truly optional real quick. And if it does cripple the population, a lot of stuff will have to be virtual to be attended at all.
  - lumost 4y ago
    Most of Europe and the America's are winding down lockdown measures. mRNA vaccines are highly effective. if you try to book a plane or concert ticket you'll see that people are racing to get out of their homes after 2+ years.
    - naveen99 4y ago
      My entire family got Covid last week because we let our guard down and went on vacation on an airplane. all vaccinated, but still put us out for over a week and counting. it may not kill us, but I definitely don’t want to get Covid again if I can do something to decrease my risk, like choosing zoom over in person.
- chii 4y ago
  i dont think it's even habits - the technology of VR is just not mature enough, and convenient enough. I don't see it becoming better by an order of magnitude, which is what's needed for it to be competitive with real life attendance, any time soon.
not-a-good-bet 4y ago
By this moment, i think the Steam Deck has a better position to build the 3D metaverse.

sobkas 4y ago

> I keep asking people if they know anybody excited about the metaverse. I have not found any even among people who are total Facebook products. There are people that are willing to zap their eyes with laser only to not wear their glasses that actually allow them to see. People literally hate putting things on their face/head that restricts what they can see. Maybe because I would fell too vurnable without ability to check what's happening around me. Now sell them glasses/vr headset that are even less useful. And way heavier. Or how successful 3d glasses were with 3d tvs or before that colored 3d glasses or even IMAX with their 3D(watched on movie there, not worth the price). Or fact that Nintendo made their 3d work without glasses and then started selling 2d version of that handheld and then forget about 3d in their later products. Even cyberpunk ability to jack in would be useful to me only when I were still able to use my eyes(or implants) while controlling a device.