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Comment by newzombie | Hacker News Reader

The very main reason VR isn't taking off is because it has no killer app, that is, an app that other platforms can't have, and that people love. End-of-story.

What's to understand here is that it's not said that this killer app "exists". If VR is only a cooler screen, then it will sell like cooler screens. Now maybe it's a killer screen, that is a screen that everybody wants. I guess there is a competitive advantage of thinking like that, but right now, vendors think they are making a software/hardware platform when they have no killer app.

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I don't know if it will happen, but a killer app that ought to exist is exercise. I've never found anything that gamified exercise the way the Occulus Quest does. The kind of full body workout I get from ducking, weaving, dodging and swinging at fast moving opponents, all at 6:30am in the morning without leaving my home, is simply amazing.

You don't need VR for that, only motion controls. Some people have exercise streaks that go on for years on Nintendo's Wii Fit, and Ring Fit Adventure is on the same path.

I've never managed to stick with exercise until the Beat Saber (upper body) and Pistol Whip (lower body) combo. There's something particularly compelling about it - I can get my heart rate waaaaaay up without really noticing I'm working hard.

I'm gonna argue that VR does have a killer-app: Beat Saber. It was a top seller on Steam in 2019 and it's only just been overtaken by Asgarth's Wrath in terms of popularity, after about a year and a half. It has also sold more than a million copies and is multi platform. I've seen kids play it, adults, even seniors: everybody can do this. If you wouldn't consider that a killer app, what would be in your eyes? :)

> [killer app] an app that other platforms can't have, and that people love.

Thinking about art. VR has spatial painting and animation, things completely impossible on non-VR platforms. And, this is where many people fail to grasp what VR killer app really means, they are not a VR way of doing something we used to do on flat screens. Painting in VR is as much a different art form as painting is from sculpting in the real world.

Thus it may not interest ALL existing artists, because it has a learning curve. Just like painters aren't necessarily drawn to try sculpture, not all artists want to invest time discovering what painting in space can unlock.

What will happen in my opinion is that a number of young people that haven't picked their preferred art form yet will decide to spend their 10 000 hours of training in VR, and develop their expertise there. This hasn't happened yet simply because it has only been a few years and in constant flux.

The same may be true in other areas. The very first VR-native people are just growing up.

Beat Saber has been a killer app for a lot of people.

VR still has a lot of room to improve tech-wise before it's a mature platform, though. Resolution remains not that great, ditto for FoV, physical feedback is meh, most headsets are pretty bulky, etc.

I have a Rift CV1 and a Quest, they're fun platforms for enthusiasts, but it doesn't feel ready to go fully mainstream yet.

Hmm I looked it up on youtube and it looks like a nice gimmick, but nothing to justify the price of a VR headset.

Watching a video of something and using VR personally are two hugely different experiences.

If you're genuinely interested in forming an opinion, some of the larger computer stores will have the Oculus Quest available for customers to demo.

Far from a gimmick. You need to try it. My girlfriend who is not even a gamer has put down hundreds of hours and she didn't even want to try it at first.

When the first ps3 motion controllers came out, we played <that game with the swords and shields> until our hands hurt. I'm still surprised we didn't break any furniture or the controllers.

Lasted like 3 days though.

The fact that I do actual sports, including stuff with swords occasionally, might contribute to my "gimmick" opinion :)

Beat Saber is the textbook example of a killer app.

the killer VR-app for me was racing simulation but it is a very niche market. and way too expensive for most people

VR-Goggles, high-end PC, good steering wheel (G27 at minimum) racing seat, ... and ideally dedicated room for the setup

it was great fun (did it for 2 years) but got rid of it because it consumed too many hours

yeah, i mean where's the matrix like app that allows me to navigate computer systems and networks like they were some kind of physical thing?

Like the next Half-life?

https://www.half-life.com/en/alyx

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