Metaverses have always been niche. Most people don't like things attached to their head. Remember 3D TVs?
But, perhaps you and they are right. For the first time in my life, I honestly feel like 'if this is the future, I want no part in it.' Please don't take this as like, suicidal or anything, more maybe going off grid or moving to another country.
I feel like that about ever larger part of the whole tech world. I am torn - I can still muster a lot of techno-optimism when I think for example about possible benefits of advanced AIs for humanity. But than I imagine the world where the most advanced AIs are controlled by corporations like Google and Facebook... I have a bad feeling about this.
I am trying to find some reasonable middle ground between becoming a luddite and just continuing like I do not see all those unforeseen negative impacts produced by the genie that was once called the IT revolution.
You might resonate with the manifesto: https://www.re-des.org/a-solarpunk-manifesto/
I think it is. Not the current crap hardware, but bit further advanced it definitely has a place.
The gamers are basically on board already, streamers would benefit too and porn has a big chunk in VR already.
Sharp headset that can render text clearly would be huge.
I don’t know that we can outright dismiss anything based on 3D TVs not taking off. I’m certainly no fan of Facebook attempting to own this space, but to outright dismiss the whole concept because of the poor sales for 3D TVs seems naïve IMO.
I'm not sure the general public at large will like VR, either. It's disorienting. And if strip mall Lasik wasn't enough to tell, we don't like wearing things on our face. That will -never- change.
I remember going to a real 3d movie as a kid, but I forget where. Some movie studio park, probably. It was only 10 or so minutes of Hitchcock's 'The Birds', but wow was it amazing. Too amazing. I remember feeling real fear to where I'd take the glasses off for a few seconds, people were screaming, many took off their glasses before it was over.
Not sure if this relates to the metaverse, just sharing an anecdote.
If this VR utopia ever will take hold, it will be with neural implants or something like it. Not with glasses, and not with contacts.
Outside of that, I am a big believer in, well I don't know the name for it. But you must experience sadness to feel happy. And bad times to realize good times. Anyone in a virtual world would likely never choose scenarios that cause such things. So there'd be no real true joy in this virtual life. Life is fleeting.
From a health standpoint, I don't believe a human body could exist long in a pure virtual world(thinking of something like, The Matrix). Still people tend to get disease, blood clots, stroke, and more. And bones and muscle too weak to even walk when the grid goes down. Am I thinking about the scenario wrong?
Sorry I don't have all(or any) of the answers to that question, mostly just rambling, but the thought makes me really sad.
Why not? I watch sad and scary movies all the time to experience those emotions.
You can also have virtual struggle and striving to achieve virtual items that are to many people just as rewarding as real world items.
How does your mother die in VR? How does your best friend die in a car crash? How do you learn your Grandpa doesn't recognize you anymore? Or to learn you have a terminal illness? How do you get so nervous to meet a person your face feels like it's on fire, work up nerve, get rejected, and go home wanting to die? Those are real feelings entertainment cannot reproduce.
Nothing virtual is real. No movies are real. Not yet, at least.
Every year someone repeats that Facebooks doom is imminent, and every year their revenue and user base gets larger and larger
When does this opinion just become pasé?