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Eventually we will solve this, and once we do it will go mainstream. Another point of view is that VR sucks for what it is, even if all the technical glitches

Eventually we will solve this, and once we do it will go mainstream. Another point of view is that VR sucks for what it is, even if all the technical glitches were resolved tomorrow and everything worked perfectly. Why? People just don't want to zone out and spend that much time in a made-up universe. It's just not an appealing or interesting or useful experience for most folks (outside the niche universes of gaming, porn and certain teleconferencing use cases). Meanwhile the recent past is bursting with example of technologies that not only worked, but positively exploded from the get-go -- despite offering a plainly crappy experience on basic sensory levels. Hand-held TVs, VCRs (until something infinitely better came along), the first 20 years of the internet by and large -- for example. People didn't have to look past their shortcomings because they fulfilled obvious, basic needs and desires. It feels like you are actually interacting with people. Sorry, but if you're referring to the current state of the art here (overtly cartoon-like 3D avatars that sort of look like your friends) - that's plainly ludicrous.

whakim 4y ago
To play devil's advocate here, do you really think the actual problems with VR have anything to do with "spending time in a made-up universe"? In the future, why couldn't we have VR that didn't require you to wear a headset, that felt, smelt, looked and tasted just like the physical universe in every way? Would it really matter that the VR universe is "made-up"? Sure, that technology is far-off, but isn't it "just" a technology problem?
- lisasays 4y ago
  In the future, why couldn't we have VR that didn't require you to wear a headset, that felt, smelt, looked and tasted just like the physical universe in every way? I can't begin to imagine what kind of technology we'd be talking about here - other than some kind of implant that effectively hijacked your entire central nervous system. Would it really matter that the VR universe is "made-up"? Beats me, but we're dealing with pure hypotheticals here.
wkat4242 4y ago
> Why? People just don't want to zone out and spend that much time in a made-up universe Sure this is why people don't binge watch Netflix, looking at purely made up stories. I'm sure there's a usecase for VR in entertainment. It's just that the killer app hasn't been found yet. Meta has been pushing things too hard and going down the traditional way. But the tech will succeed I'm sure.
- lisasays 4y ago
  Yeah, I didn't chose my words very well. It seems fairer to state that, in the large - people don't like spending an ordinate amount of time in the fully encased, totally immersed environment that VR provides (even if, hypothetically, everything were to work perfectly well). Or in the 24x7 corporate theme park that Zuck seems to have believed at one point that they would be flocking to in droves once the headsets got cheap enough. That's why Netflix is a good example -- it's just TV, not even big screen cinema (which is comparatively far more immersive - and hence, not something people do quite so often). And you're still (ideally) watching with your friends or your loved ones nearby, in the flesh. There absolutely are use cases for VR -- but my hunch is that they are and always will be niche-y. If it turns out I'm wrong eventually, then fine -- I'll just go wall myself off with my books and let the world immerse itself into oblivion.
themagician 4y ago
> "Sorry, but if you're referring to the current state of the art here (overtly cartoon-like 3D avatars that sort of look like your friends) - that's plainly ludicrous." Welcome to being old, mate. You don't even need state of the art. Literally hundreds of millions of people sit around in Fortnite and Roblox. That's more than good enough. Then you get to VRchat and it's next level. It doesn't just feel like you are interacting with people. You are interacting with people.

whakim 4y ago

To play devil's advocate here, do you really think the actual problems with VR have anything to do with "spending time in a made-up universe"? In the future, why couldn't we have VR that didn't require you to wear a headset, that felt, smelt, looked and tasted just like the physical universe in every way? Would it really matter that the VR universe is "made-up"? Sure, that technology is far-off, but isn't it "just" a technology problem?

lisasays 4y ago
In the future, why couldn't we have VR that didn't require you to wear a headset, that felt, smelt, looked and tasted just like the physical universe in every way? I can't begin to imagine what kind of technology we'd be talking about here - other than some kind of implant that effectively hijacked your entire central nervous system. Would it really matter that the VR universe is "made-up"? Beats me, but we're dealing with pure hypotheticals here.

wkat4242 4y ago

> Why? People just don't want to zone out and spend that much time in a made-up universe Sure this is why people don't binge watch Netflix, looking at purely made up stories. I'm sure there's a usecase for VR in entertainment. It's just that the killer app hasn't been found yet. Meta has been pushing things too hard and going down the traditional way. But the tech will succeed I'm sure.

lisasays 4y ago
Yeah, I didn't chose my words very well. It seems fairer to state that, in the large - people don't like spending an ordinate amount of time in the fully encased, totally immersed environment that VR provides (even if, hypothetically, everything were to work perfectly well). Or in the 24x7 corporate theme park that Zuck seems to have believed at one point that they would be flocking to in droves once the headsets got cheap enough. That's why Netflix is a good example -- it's just TV, not even big screen cinema (which is comparatively far more immersive - and hence, not something people do quite so often). And you're still (ideally) watching with your friends or your loved ones nearby, in the flesh. There absolutely are use cases for VR -- but my hunch is that they are and always will be niche-y. If it turns out I'm wrong eventually, then fine -- I'll just go wall myself off with my books and let the world immerse itself into oblivion.

themagician 4y ago

> "Sorry, but if you're referring to the current state of the art here (overtly cartoon-like 3D avatars that sort of look like your friends) - that's plainly ludicrous." Welcome to being old, mate. You don't even need state of the art. Literally hundreds of millions of people sit around in Fortnite and Roblox. That's more than good enough. Then you get to VRchat and it's next level. It doesn't just feel like you are interacting with people. You are interacting with people.