Hacker News Reader

Comment by indubitable | Hacker News Reader

I thought this was going to be 'The VR Thread.'

I still don't entirely understand why virtual reality didn't really catch on. I think there were some very poor business decisions by Facebook which were treating it as a success before it had even launched -- trying to ring-fence a platform, both hardware and software, whose early demographic is going to be entirely high information users seems a very questionable decision.

But beyond this, I don't really understand why it didn't catch on. The first time I tried it I was hooked simply due to the issue of presence. Though perhaps the fact I ended up never purchasing a device answers my own question -- I had no interest in a Facebook driven platform, and the price point to get involved with VR for things like the Vive did not mesh well with the availability of software, as well as the fact that hardware tends to rapidly iterate.

View on HN

Spend 10 minutes with an HTC Vibe or an Oculus Rift on your head, and you'll be impressed.

Now spend 4 hours. Most of those things end up in closets. Or on eBay.

I like this way of thinking. It explains a load of products and technologies.

absolutely. there are things that demo well and then there are things that just fade into daily use because they just make sense.

Ditto on presence.

I bought a Vive and it's been... interesting. I actually haven't touched any games in months, but I still break it out every few weeks to prototype something in Unity/Unreal. Also, I've been using Google Blocks a ton to create lowpoly models for use in games.

I think the tech is way too compelling to go away anytime soon, but it's obviously not the splash hit that Facebook/etc predicted it would be.

I'm still mixed on VR. I don't believe it will be a mass market consumer item anytime soon

On the other hand I expect it to revolutionize 3D design (architecture, 3d art for movies, 3d art for games (non-vr games). Manipulating stuff with your hands in VR is 10x-100x faster than using a mouse in Maya/3DSMax/ZBrush etc. We just need someone to bring the pro tools into VR.

As for games I loved both Farpoint (PSV4, bad game great experience) and Lone Echo (Oculus). Also loved Vanishing Realms though it feel more prototype than full game. To a certain degree VR has spoiled my enjoyment of certain non VR games (not all). Something is now just missing if I can't "be there". Like many who have done VR it's the difference between a picture of the Grand Canyon and being at the Grand Canyon. Farpoint is not that great of a game but actually feeling like I'm on another planet with 3 mile high volcanos and 15 mile high plumbs of smoke is a feeling I can't get from a non VR game.

Cost is still a big factor - you need fairly decent hardware (minimum GTX 970 / RX 480) for an acceptable experience on Vive/Rift, and we're still a generation away from that performance hitting mainstream price points (generally nVidia's x50 range is considered mainstream, and next year's, let's call it the 2050, will probably be around GTX 970 performance).

Even once you have the hardware, you need the space, and you need to decide to spend $500USD on a less-versatile HMD rather than a high-framerate gaming monitor.

For me, space is the hangup - my main PC has the grunt, but I share the space with another PC on another desk, and that takes up all the floorspace. The cost of getting more space makes the cost of PC hardware look trivial....

It depends on your metric for success. VR already has research applications and artists are using it for 3D modeling. VR gaming is neat, but in my expectations, not going to be the core focus of the technology.

Generally, VR is about natural control of a simulated environment. I suspect within a few years, when our hardware gets better/is stable and more groups are developing applications, you'll see VR become a central component of more systems.

I still think it will take of. The question is how.

There is a very cool company who is doing VR in real world. Like if you touch the 3d wall, there is a plywood wall there.

Or training on machines, driving school, some games, 3d modelling, 3D Kitchen, 3D House Building, Journeys.

Hooked for how long?

There are lots of reasons why you can't use VR for long.

physical: (wearing the equivalent of a helmet with short cables)

timing: it requires that you can switch off your real life environment for a long time - not good for working hours

controls: Sometimes in my nightmares i want to speak or move but can't, thats how it feels when trying to do things in VR.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com