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Comment by amateurpolymath | Hacker News Reader

I recently listened to an interesting discussion[1] about VR on a friend's recommendation. One of the guests had a great test for quality VR: can it perform as a hiking simulator? Can it mimic all the qualities of a good hike -- visuals, body movement, sounds?

It seems to me we're much closer to a great AR experience than truly great and immersive VR.

[1]: https://www.relay.fm/rocket/20

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>> Can it mimic all the qualities of a good hike -- visuals, body movement, sounds?

I've got some VR hiking goggles to sell you. They are cheap, lightweight and totally wireless, but only work in the woods. They were featured on a recent SouthPark episode.

Too many discussions focus on VR being a drop-in replacement for reality. Nobody should expect them to mimic reality any more than they expect computer screens to mimic sunlight. I don't much care if VR helms don't allow me to jog up Everest. I just want to be free to look around as if I were standing on the top.

I think many people who are physically unable to take a hike (disabled, elderly, ill, etc.) would appreciate a VR system that can closely mimic a real hike.

Also, if a VR system can perform well as a hiking simulator it would be able to realistically simulate things that don't exist, places that are too difficult/expensive for an average person to visit, or experiences that are too dangerous to attempt in reality.

EDIT: For example, I'd love to visit the moon or Mars but it's highly unlikely I'll ever be able to physically go there. A highly immersive VR simulation would be very appealing to me!

But if they are disabled, then they in fact want the VR system not to emulate a hike. They cannot walk and so do not want a VR system that makes them walk. The OP was discussing a VR scheme that would mimic body movements akin to the physicality of actually hiking (ie VR on a treadmill).

Err.. not to sound like a total pedant, but isn't that the exact goal of VR and the one thing that differentiates AR and VR?

I mean right now, VR is very, very rough. We're basically wrapping the senses in hardware. (Analogy: Building a robot to press keyboard keys).

Eventually we'll get to the point of not needing that anymore. (Analogy: The robot is connected directly to the keyboard port)

..and the "drop-in replacement for reality" dream that's been around since the 90's or so can begin happening. The tech is in its infancy.

Agreed. While I do think there are some interesting applications for building perfect reconstructions of reality, I think the most interesting experiences won't be in that direction.

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