You don't get the other end of the spectrum, though. I'm told state-of-the-art quest on PC is running SteamVR through windows remote desktop. It's bad. Incredi

You don't get the other end of the spectrum, though. I'm told state-of-the-art quest on PC is running SteamVR through windows remote desktop. It's bad. Incredibly bad. Once the Index is set up and calibrated, all you have to do is turn on a controller, and put on the headset. It's really not as inconvenient as you have made it out to be. But my point here is not Index vs Quest. My point is closed-platform vs open-platform. The very issues that Carmack laments here are inherent in the closed-platform business model that Oculus (and later Meta) is built around. The very business that he was a core member of was explicitly designed to fail him in these respects. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Carmack got to do most of what he wanted: create VR tech and get paid big money; but he did not get to have the result he wanted: an open VR platform that works with (instead of against) its users. It's a serious compromise that he made. He didn't need the money. This is the man who famously gave away a Porsche at a Quake tournament! He could have put more value in his legacy than in his financial stability, but he didn't. I can only speculate on how that would feel, but I would be surprised to learn it feels good.