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That's actually a very good point (though still a niche market). For those of us having relatives/friends in distant places (or colleagues in the global workfor

That's actually a very good point (though still a niche market). For those of us having relatives/friends in distant places (or colleagues in the global workforce), this could be immensely useful. I do think this is far from a ubiquitous need though, outside of troubled times/environments like the global pandemic.

fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago
There are about 280 million first-generation international migrants. That’s a group that is highly likely to benefit from close social interaction online. And more broadly, the majority of the world population uses some kind of internet communication and many of them would probably use a higher-fidelity version if it became available. To give an example from a more mature technology, the share of internet communication happening over video increases each year (this trend predates the pandemic). Personally, I’ve found that VR takes away a lot of the awkward downsides of Zoom socializing. I’m pretty optimistic it’ll be popular when it matures.
- dinvlad 4y ago
  Believe me, I would love to chat with my parents living across the ocean over VR! I guess what I'm trying to say is this need would not be replaced with VR though - it would be more of a necessity because of distance. I also think we vastly overestimate the number of people maintaining long-distance relationships (of any kind) beyond close relatives or friends on a daily (!) basis. I cannot back it up with numbers, but my gut is most friends and families (and workers) are still and will always be "local" enough. So, for occasional use when traveling etc. sure - this would be a killer app. I just don't think this would be as ubiquitous as phones for daily use - unless the technology is so seamless it doesn't occupy or need any more space or weight etc. and be as portable as a phone. So, if we're talking about mass adoption by the majority of the population for daily (as opposed to occasional) use, I just don't see VR in particular replacing phones anytime soon. AR on the other hand, could become more ubiquitous in that sense, if it can be worn casually and be looking "cool" enough to not warrant weird/dorky looks. But time will tell, I guess.

fshbbdssbbgdd 4y ago

There are about 280 million first-generation international migrants. That’s a group that is highly likely to benefit from close social interaction online. And more broadly, the majority of the world population uses some kind of internet communication and many of them would probably use a higher-fidelity version if it became available. To give an example from a more mature technology, the share of internet communication happening over video increases each year (this trend predates the pandemic). Personally, I’ve found that VR takes away a lot of the awkward downsides of Zoom socializing. I’m pretty optimistic it’ll be popular when it matures.

dinvlad 4y ago
Believe me, I would love to chat with my parents living across the ocean over VR! I guess what I'm trying to say is this need would not be replaced with VR though - it would be more of a necessity because of distance. I also think we vastly overestimate the number of people maintaining long-distance relationships (of any kind) beyond close relatives or friends on a daily (!) basis. I cannot back it up with numbers, but my gut is most friends and families (and workers) are still and will always be "local" enough. So, for occasional use when traveling etc. sure - this would be a killer app. I just don't think this would be as ubiquitous as phones for daily use - unless the technology is so seamless it doesn't occupy or need any more space or weight etc. and be as portable as a phone. So, if we're talking about mass adoption by the majority of the population for daily (as opposed to occasional) use, I just don't see VR in particular replacing phones anytime soon. AR on the other hand, could become more ubiquitous in that sense, if it can be worn casually and be looking "cool" enough to not warrant weird/dorky looks. But time will tell, I guess.