In my office there are several sets from Oculus, ML, etc. Every time one shows up, it goes like this: everyone stands around and has a go at it, then it is never touched again.
That's basically the state of VR and AR as it exists today.
That's basically the state of VR and AR as it exists today.
That’s the state of VR today.
Whenever I do VR as a social activity there’s never anyone leaving unsatisfied. And I’ve “sold” plenty of headsets that I hear reports about still getting regular use several years later
And now with oculus quest it’s an even easier sell
Every time there’s any vr related post on HN, the most upvoted comment is about VR being dead tech, all the while oculus and valve have their headsets on constant back-order
Maybe consider that you’re not the target audience
I'll bet people were responding to the party, not the Vive. It's exactly the effect I reported: it's cool once when everyone is doing it.
> I hear reports about still getting regular use several years later
Yes, a percentage of the population is no doubt into it. My point is that it's honestly surprising at this point, given how good the tech truly is, how uncompelling the overall experience is. The vast majority of people just don't feel the need to come back.
> VR being dead tech
The tech is great and getting better all the time. But that's not enough for it to be transformative the way smartphones were.
And yes, I know, there's no requirement for AR or VR to be the next smartphone. But we do at some point need another paradigm shift in hardware to enable another wave of software innovation. This I think is why there is such animosity between VR proponents and skeptics: one wants to play some sweet games and the other wants a massive world-changing wave to ride.
How are you sanitizing the equipment these days? Just curious.
> nobody explodes for 6 hours in a row
I shudder to think of what happens when the party ends.
I've been hanging out in real life with a lot of people and nobody ever exploded. That seems to be par for the course, not something to brag about.
The big issue I’ve found is the UX and software is atrocious. Things are not intuitive, there’s walled gardens (f you oculus). I’ve had so many moments of knowing what I want to do, but being totally unable to figure out how to do it.
I’ll be excited once Apple enters space to figure out a bunch of this stuff and the rest of the field can just copy them.
How do you get to this number when Apple has only 25-35% market share..
I'm not sure VR can really compete with a device that for ~200$ allows you proper view directed freelook in loads of games without having to seal your eyes off under a visor. With a modestly sized panel I didn't notice any less immersion using head tracking versus a (for me, highly annoying) head-encasing visor.
It also leaves room for having sim-appropriate peripherals that you can actually use because they aren't obscured by the screen.
Just my experience having tried both and being a big simulation enthusiast (flight sim, driving, arma milsim, all that stuff).
Comments like this make me feel like TrackIR proponents are just people who don't know depth perception exists or that things can happen in places that aren't in front of you. TrackIR is an _input_ device. VR HMD is a _display_ device. The two are not interchangeable. TrackIR doesn't magically make you able to look over your shoulder.
And binocular depth perception is only one method of depth perception..
edit:
> or that things can happen in places that aren't in front of you
> TrackIR doesn't magically make you able to look over your shoulder.
No idea how to decipher this: I have no issue looking around in any of the games I use trackIR with. It gives you the exact same freedom of input it just doesn't seal me off from being able to see what's going on irl around me.
So you have screens behind you? And above you? And to either side of you? And at other odd angles? Suddenly your $200 is looking a lot more expensive, otherwise you're comparing apples to plastic oranges. Screen coverage for _actual_ free look would cost many times more than an HMD, take up many times more space, and it will _still_ be feeding the same image to both eyes unless you use 3D goggles which is yet another expense (a very significant one if you don't want your framerate to crater because you've just cut your display Hz in half).
> It gives you the exact same freedom of input
This is blatantly false. Freedom offered by motion tracking is restricted to screen space. A VR HMD integrates a full sphere of stereoptic screen space, something that you're deliberately ignoring.
You don’t track 1:1 that’s the entire point. You’ve no clue what you’re on about. An array of monitors would make tracking moot if I had such a setup.
The only major point where TrackIR shines is price. Other than that it doesn't compare well to VR. A flat screen, no matter how interactive, can't compare to a VR HMD for all encompassing immersion. TrackIR on its own is also limited entertainment wise. Its most common use case is for sims, while VR is more versatile.
But in general I think you're right, most VR stuff is gimmicky. But for us niche nerds, it's a cool addition to our stuff.
Eh, that's the state of it at your work. The VR headset I have and others have is a temporary ticket to a visual entertainment experience.
For me, the only experience I found absolutely amazing was Half Life: Alyx, though I'll play Hotdogs, Horseshoes, and Hand grenades a couple hours a week. I would never do it at the office, though.
That's basically the state of Nintendo as it exists today.
See? Means nothing and it's just as true as your statement, the thing is collecting dust.
It's telling that with all the limitations of first gen VR, I still sank tens of hours into Pavlov (a low res VR counterstrike) and had an absolute blast. I was also blown away by Half Life: Alyx. I would have abandoned VR if it weren't for the Vive deluxe audio kit and the wireless conversion kit, which shows that comfort alone can make all the difference.
There is a game variant in Pavlov that would not have worked very well on 2D screens. Basically most people are soldiers/police and a couple people picked at random are traitors. You have to guess who the traitors are. Since everyone has some degree of head and hand tracking, and microphones are on my default, it's a very social experience. You learn to use social cues to identify and kill the terrorists before they kill you. It's a thoroughly immersive social experience, and for a few hours the cartoon world becomes your real world, because you're playing with real people that kind of sort of look like real people. Everything else is literally out of sight and out of mind. VR's ability to teleport you anywhere with anyone will prove to be highly appealing to a great many people in the future. It will not just be a niche.
Maybe 3d displays(e.g Looking Glass Factory)will explode and kill VR before the devices get slim enough.
Two of those words are extremely important to your experience, "my" and "office".
“Every AR app is used three times:
when you first download it, when you show it to your friend, And when you show it to your other friend. “