> I organized a vr party
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.