5 ms·

The goal of the Metaverse isn't to be wearing something that feels like a VR headset though... AR/VR is likely to be the logical progression of physical screen

by kypro 3y ago

The goal of the Metaverse isn't to be wearing something that feels like a VR headset though... AR/VR is likely to be the logical progression of physical screens, it's just we're not there yet. And it's not even that the current tech is that bad, it's just too clunky and cumbersome given the limited quality of the experiences at the moment. I think as the tech becomes less cumbersome and the experiences get better you'll start to see apps that people actually find interesting / useful. The whole cartoon virtual office stuff Zuck was pushing a couple of years back made it look like a joke. Given where the technology is enterprise productivity apps are clearly not the right product. If they instead invested in interesting AR/VR games and experiences I think they would have had more success. Imo the best stuff on the Oculus is the 3D video experiences and first person video games. But for some reason this isn't where Meta is investing to sell the tech.

andrewstuart 3y ago
98 out of 100 people I know would never use a VR or AR headset beyond once to see some amazing demo.
- CharlieDigital 3y ago
  I was going to make a counter point that the tech simply isn't there yet. Then I considered how people hate to even wear normal glasses. So even if the tech could be as seamless and compact as normal prescription glasses, uptake would be iffy.
  - traceroute66 3y ago
    > So even if the tech could be as seamless and compact as normal prescription glasses, uptake would be iffy. Remember the glasshole era ? (The short-lived project known as Google Glass for those who don't know)
- vernon99 3y ago
  I wonder what would say average people of 19 century when offered to ride a car. Book reading was also not mainstream just as recently. Utility beats everything though. Is there utility in ar/vr glasses? Are you enjoying reading and typing from your small screen with your neck turned to the ground? With a friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket 20 times a day. How could it not be obvious?
  - checkyoursudo 3y ago
    If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses, then you might see more broad adoption. But right now headgear is uncomfortable for work. Even ignoring the weight, if you balance headgear for one position (looking straight ahead) then it is unbalanced for any other tilted position, and it's not like you gain freedom of movement. If anything, you lose some freedom of movement. Plus, taking the gear on and off is (in my experience) more burdensome than getting my phone out of my pocket. I'd love it if the tech gets there someday, but it's not yet clear how it does. The utility benefit still has to outweigh the bodily detriment.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      > If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses I think the most important aspect of this is that such glasses don't introduce a separation between you and the rest of the world. If people using AR are disconnected from interacting with others in real life (which seems very likely), then there will be a social cost for using it on the regular. I think this, more than any other single thing, is what will keep AR in the realm of niche applications. The similar problem with smart phones is already one that people complain about a lot. AR would only make it worse.
  - twelve40 3y ago
    > friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket it's a quick (and mostly accepted) way to tune out, for example, while standing in a line or something. Yes, many people overdo it, but imagine popping on your VR helmet for a second in a social setting.
  - 3y ago
- marcus_holmes 3y ago
  I'm hanging out for my AR dream: I walk into a room and the gizmo projects the name, organisation and role of every one of my LinkedIn contacts over their head (visible to me only) for any of them in the room. I would put up with considerable physical discomfort for that. But for a "weirdly lifelike zoom meeting"... no
  - roncesvalles 3y ago
    Imagine walking into a bar and seeing everyone's dating app profile hovering above their heads. I know 100% that this will happen some day, and I hate it.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      ...and those without a dating profile will have an advantage because they'll be more mysterious.
      - roncesvalles 3y ago
        or they'll just be denied entry.
        JohnFen 3y ago
        Well, I've noticed an increasing number of people (particularly the younger ones) who have bailed out of dating apps entirely because of the problems that come with them. There will certainly be at least some places who want those people to buy drinks at their establishment.
  - kwertyoowiyop 3y ago
    Also a summary of our last few conversations and emails & texts, if it’s someone I know. Heck, just give me a conversation script to follow.
    - valianteffort 3y ago
- boring_twenties 3y ago
  Count me in the group that would use a headset, but never one made by Facebook
  - fmajid 3y ago
    To their credit, their headsets support WebXR in their browser so you don't need to use their proprietary frameworks to develop immersive experiences, you can do this using open frameworks like Aframe and Three.js and pure web technologies, and what's more those will also work just fine for desktop and mobile web users, here's an example: https://aframe.io/examples/showcase/sky/ https://aframe.io/examples/showcase/sky/ On desktop, you can pan using the mouse. On a phone, if you grant access to your accelerometer, you can move your phone around as a window onto the panorama. If using VR goggles like my £200 Oculus Go, you can crane your neck around. I have a 360º camera, the Ricoh Theta Z1, and the Oculus devices make a very good viewer to share immersive views of far-off places with friends or family.
  - nokya 3y ago
    That's a definitive blocker for me, too.
jimmySixDOF 3y ago
I feel like the person you are replying to will one day be saying "I was right at the time. Those early headsets were a joke. I don't think anybody had a use for them back then". And they would basically be right. As things stand the J curve of hypecycle expectation is up against the wall of unamazing outcomes. But I think digitally enhanced 3D spaces as a non verbal natural language interface for HCI is only a shadow so far of what is possible. 3D just works better than 2D for a wide range of things people do everyday; and better tends to win out in the long run.

by kypro 3y ago

andrewstuart 3y ago

98 out of 100 people I know would never use a VR or AR headset beyond once to see some amazing demo.

CharlieDigital 3y ago
I was going to make a counter point that the tech simply isn't there yet. Then I considered how people hate to even wear normal glasses. So even if the tech could be as seamless and compact as normal prescription glasses, uptake would be iffy.
- traceroute66 3y ago
  > So even if the tech could be as seamless and compact as normal prescription glasses, uptake would be iffy. Remember the glasshole era ? (The short-lived project known as Google Glass for those who don't know)
vernon99 3y ago
I wonder what would say average people of 19 century when offered to ride a car. Book reading was also not mainstream just as recently. Utility beats everything though. Is there utility in ar/vr glasses? Are you enjoying reading and typing from your small screen with your neck turned to the ground? With a friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket 20 times a day. How could it not be obvious?
- checkyoursudo 3y ago
  If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses, then you might see more broad adoption. But right now headgear is uncomfortable for work. Even ignoring the weight, if you balance headgear for one position (looking straight ahead) then it is unbalanced for any other tilted position, and it's not like you gain freedom of movement. If anything, you lose some freedom of movement. Plus, taking the gear on and off is (in my experience) more burdensome than getting my phone out of my pocket. I'd love it if the tech gets there someday, but it's not yet clear how it does. The utility benefit still has to outweigh the bodily detriment.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    > If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses I think the most important aspect of this is that such glasses don't introduce a separation between you and the rest of the world. If people using AR are disconnected from interacting with others in real life (which seems very likely), then there will be a social cost for using it on the regular. I think this, more than any other single thing, is what will keep AR in the realm of niche applications. The similar problem with smart phones is already one that people complain about a lot. AR would only make it worse.
- twelve40 3y ago
  > friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket it's a quick (and mostly accepted) way to tune out, for example, while standing in a line or something. Yes, many people overdo it, but imagine popping on your VR helmet for a second in a social setting.
- 3y ago
marcus_holmes 3y ago
I'm hanging out for my AR dream: I walk into a room and the gizmo projects the name, organisation and role of every one of my LinkedIn contacts over their head (visible to me only) for any of them in the room. I would put up with considerable physical discomfort for that. But for a "weirdly lifelike zoom meeting"... no
- roncesvalles 3y ago
  Imagine walking into a bar and seeing everyone's dating app profile hovering above their heads. I know 100% that this will happen some day, and I hate it.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    ...and those without a dating profile will have an advantage because they'll be more mysterious.
    - roncesvalles 3y ago
      or they'll just be denied entry.
      - JohnFen 3y ago
        Well, I've noticed an increasing number of people (particularly the younger ones) who have bailed out of dating apps entirely because of the problems that come with them. There will certainly be at least some places who want those people to buy drinks at their establishment.
- kwertyoowiyop 3y ago
  Also a summary of our last few conversations and emails & texts, if it’s someone I know. Heck, just give me a conversation script to follow.
  - valianteffort 3y ago
boring_twenties 3y ago
Count me in the group that would use a headset, but never one made by Facebook
- fmajid 3y ago
  To their credit, their headsets support WebXR in their browser so you don't need to use their proprietary frameworks to develop immersive experiences, you can do this using open frameworks like Aframe and Three.js and pure web technologies, and what's more those will also work just fine for desktop and mobile web users, here's an example: https://aframe.io/examples/showcase/sky/ https://aframe.io/examples/showcase/sky/ On desktop, you can pan using the mouse. On a phone, if you grant access to your accelerometer, you can move your phone around as a window onto the panorama. If using VR goggles like my £200 Oculus Go, you can crane your neck around. I have a 360º camera, the Ricoh Theta Z1, and the Oculus devices make a very good viewer to share immersive views of far-off places with friends or family.
- nokya 3y ago
  That's a definitive blocker for me, too.

jimmySixDOF 3y ago

I feel like the person you are replying to will one day be saying "I was right at the time. Those early headsets were a joke. I don't think anybody had a use for them back then". And they would basically be right. As things stand the J curve of hypecycle expectation is up against the wall of unamazing outcomes. But I think digitally enhanced 3D spaces as a non verbal natural language interface for HCI is only a shadow so far of what is possible. 3D just works better than 2D for a wide range of things people do everyday; and better tends to win out in the long run.