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I think VR can enable human connection where it otherwise isn’t possible due to distance. Of course, it isn’t a full substitute for in-person interaction, but i

by minton 3y ago

I think VR can enable human connection where it otherwise isn’t possible due to distance. Of course, it isn’t a full substitute for in-person interaction, but it doesn’t have to be either or. We can have a great remote connection via VR and still exist in the real world. Check out this podcast[0] between Lex Fridman and Mark Zuckerberg where they meet remotely via the metaverse. [0] https://youtu.be/MVYrJJNdrEg https://youtu.be/MVYrJJNdrEg

kranke155 3y ago
I don’t know that many people who would prefer this to a Zoom call. Plus this is not full body scanning, it requires you (again) to lose all perception of the real world (zoom doesn’t) and even the scanning that was used for this call requires a full body scanning room which you know, no one is going to have. Both Lex and Zuck went through a significant scanning process to get this level of fidelity. Plus again there is no reason whatsoever to do this in a VR environment vs an AR environment using the Apple Vision Pro (which is a real product that has potential, since it’s not VR).
- rabf 3y ago
  The reason to prefer a conference type app in VR over AR is likely due to bandwidth, it takes a huge amount of data to cover an entire space from every possible angle at a retina like resolution, perhaps AI can be of use here in the future. The avatar generation/scanning is being worked on and Meta are not releasing this until it has been streamlined.
  - kranke155 3y ago
    Not sure I understand why doing this in AR would consume more data. What I’m proposing is you’d just have a “floating head” type call with someone else. The environment around you would be the real one that’s already there.
- Philpax 3y ago
  > I don’t know that many people who would prefer this to a Zoom call. puts hand up VRChat, even in its nascent, unrefined, laggy phase, is still much more engaging than any video call I've been on. Sharing the same space with someone improves the experience of communication immeasurably. It's hard to explain, but they no longer feel like a face on a screen, and that enables a much stronger bond. > Plus this is not full body scanning, it requires you (again) to lose all perception of the real world (zoom doesn’t) and even the scanning that was used for this call requires a full body scanning room which you know, no one is going to have. Both Lex and Zuck went through a significant scanning process to get this level of fidelity. Yes, this is true at present. However, they're actively working on reducing the requirements for the scan; this is them demonstrating what's possible at the high-end. This is a similar strategy to what Apple's doing with the Vision Pro: they're setting the benchmark before trying to shrink the cost. Speaking of, you can already see a potential future towards low-cost scanning in Apple's Personas. They're obviously much lower in quality, but they're quick and easy to scan. The future is trending towards that kind of experience, not getting imaged by a dedicated rig. > Plus again there is no reason whatsoever to do this in a VR environment vs an AR environment using the Apple Vision Pro (which is a real product that has potential, since it’s not VR). Both are good! You're not wrong about the potential of AR teleconferencing. VR teleconferencing lets you set the scene and share an environment with the users, though, which has its own benefits. (Especially when it comes to spatial arrangement; it's much easier / less mind-bendy to have a single shared environment than to have everyone have their own view of the proceedings. Curious to see how Apple will deal with this, though.)
  - kranke155 3y ago
    There is an over sampling of individuals like yourself who enjoy VR here on HN, on Reddit, or on any other tech platform where enthusiasts naturally gather. I believe every single word of what you said about enjoying VRchat, and that product has been out for ages. What’s the highest number of concurrent users? I would dare say it’s fairly low. My point is quite simple: the consumer market has rejected consumer VR for almost 10 years now and I don’t think that’s going to change. The issue with VR for the average person is in its very nature, where are you alienated from everything around you. AR is, like you said, soon entering its infancy thanks to Apple doing a PARC and releasing a high cost developer prototype.

by minton 3y ago

kranke155 3y ago

I don’t know that many people who would prefer this to a Zoom call. Plus this is not full body scanning, it requires you (again) to lose all perception of the real world (zoom doesn’t) and even the scanning that was used for this call requires a full body scanning room which you know, no one is going to have. Both Lex and Zuck went through a significant scanning process to get this level of fidelity. Plus again there is no reason whatsoever to do this in a VR environment vs an AR environment using the Apple Vision Pro (which is a real product that has potential, since it’s not VR).

rabf 3y ago
The reason to prefer a conference type app in VR over AR is likely due to bandwidth, it takes a huge amount of data to cover an entire space from every possible angle at a retina like resolution, perhaps AI can be of use here in the future. The avatar generation/scanning is being worked on and Meta are not releasing this until it has been streamlined.
- kranke155 3y ago
  Not sure I understand why doing this in AR would consume more data. What I’m proposing is you’d just have a “floating head” type call with someone else. The environment around you would be the real one that’s already there.
Philpax 3y ago
> I don’t know that many people who would prefer this to a Zoom call. puts hand up VRChat, even in its nascent, unrefined, laggy phase, is still much more engaging than any video call I've been on. Sharing the same space with someone improves the experience of communication immeasurably. It's hard to explain, but they no longer feel like a face on a screen, and that enables a much stronger bond. > Plus this is not full body scanning, it requires you (again) to lose all perception of the real world (zoom doesn’t) and even the scanning that was used for this call requires a full body scanning room which you know, no one is going to have. Both Lex and Zuck went through a significant scanning process to get this level of fidelity. Yes, this is true at present. However, they're actively working on reducing the requirements for the scan; this is them demonstrating what's possible at the high-end. This is a similar strategy to what Apple's doing with the Vision Pro: they're setting the benchmark before trying to shrink the cost. Speaking of, you can already see a potential future towards low-cost scanning in Apple's Personas. They're obviously much lower in quality, but they're quick and easy to scan. The future is trending towards that kind of experience, not getting imaged by a dedicated rig. > Plus again there is no reason whatsoever to do this in a VR environment vs an AR environment using the Apple Vision Pro (which is a real product that has potential, since it’s not VR). Both are good! You're not wrong about the potential of AR teleconferencing. VR teleconferencing lets you set the scene and share an environment with the users, though, which has its own benefits. (Especially when it comes to spatial arrangement; it's much easier / less mind-bendy to have a single shared environment than to have everyone have their own view of the proceedings. Curious to see how Apple will deal with this, though.)
- kranke155 3y ago
  There is an over sampling of individuals like yourself who enjoy VR here on HN, on Reddit, or on any other tech platform where enthusiasts naturally gather. I believe every single word of what you said about enjoying VRchat, and that product has been out for ages. What’s the highest number of concurrent users? I would dare say it’s fairly low. My point is quite simple: the consumer market has rejected consumer VR for almost 10 years now and I don’t think that’s going to change. The issue with VR for the average person is in its very nature, where are you alienated from everything around you. AR is, like you said, soon entering its infancy thanks to Apple doing a PARC and releasing a high cost developer prototype.