Can anyone make the case for why VR will be more productive than a laptop and monitor? The Simula website mostly talks about specs and not why I'd want to use this for work.
For me it comes down to functionality, focus, comfort, and productivity. Convenience too, but it took a lot of setup and tuning to get to that point, so the net "convenience" gain is probably neutral. These days I don't want to work any other way.
- 10x more windows/virtual screens than PCs & Laptops
- Persistent ("always on") computing wherever you are able to walk and think.
- Promotes better posture (you don't have to sit hunched over a laptop screen, but have more freedom of movement).
- Better work immersion/focus than PCs & Laptops. There's something about having the world around you blocked out and just focusing on your work (though Simula will support an AR mode via front cameras when you need to see things).
Though I am biased, there is also great aesthetic appeal to working in "The Future". From Iron Man to The Minority Report, our Sci-Fi has been promising us for decades a future of always-on spatial computing with omnipresent screens. Working in a VR Computer allows you start to experience that future.
I am excited about the possibilities this opens though. Will it be more convenient than a terminal emulator running tmux? Maybe not for me, but I could see people who deal with more visual assets like game developers using this.
In our experience, a balanced headset is more important than a light one.
That's a productivity drain not a benefit. Modern operating systems could already drown us in zillions of screens if it were actually useful - it's not. That's a productivity fantasy element, like people pretending it's possible to multi-task (more screens, more work, more output). All you get is the equivalent of the hoarder clutter of a thousand browser tabs for no great reason. Humans max out on productivity and usefulness gains from additional screens at a very low number.
> Persistent ("always on") computing wherever you are able to walk and think.
A tablet, a smartphone - it's a trivial difference in timing, as those items are a moment away from use in terms of always on. And where are you walking with a VR computer on your head?
> Promotes better posture (you don't have to sit hunched over a laptop screen, but have more freedom of movement).
That one is false and probably your worst premise. Posture is a choice, you either consciously choose to pursue better posture and constantly reinforce it or you don't, and if you don't then absolutely nothing will keep you from bad posture. A VR computer on your head is very low on the list of things that is likely to finally encourage someone to consciously adjust their body toward better posture. I'd bet on the opposite outcome as far more likely, body damage from wearing a heavy object for too long.
When I'm stuck on a problem, I stare out the window or go sit outside with a pencil and pad of paper.
I can't imagine I'd be happy working in a VR setup. I could see it being useful when I want some type of virtual presence (at least until I start feeling sick), but I only need that a few times a year.
Also, I think there's a big difference in focusing on something 5 cm away vs focusing on something that is a 100 m away. Part of the reason I spin around and put my feet up and stare out the window is because I want to stop looking at a screen.