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Comment by codegeek | Hacker News Reader

It feels boring because for the most part, we have solved some of the most common problems that we needed computers for. The idea of watching movies, ordering groceries/food, talking to a friend/family 8000 miles away in a second were all interesting and fancy and now it is part of life. So we get bored. Today's personal computers pretty much do everything we need in terms of basic necessities. I was driving earlier today and realized the power of Maps on our phones. Imagine back in the days when you need to print mapquest (remember?) or plain old maps to figure out how to get to the Interstate from this new place you just visited.

Things like VR etc so far (my opinion) have been disappointments for the most part even though we keep trying to innovate. Also, remember 3D TVs ?

I guess we need things like teleportation, real robots (not the one like Rocky IV movie) and some cooler stuff to make it interesting again.

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VR is not a disappointment imo. A lot of people are having a lot of fun with VR chat. The hardware is just still very expensive and has the huge requirement of needing a 3x3m space to play in. The average person doesn't have an empty VR zone ready just to play specific types of games in. 3D TVs only failed because they never worked out how to do it properly without glasses. People will accept a clunky solution for the early adopter version but once it became clear there was no path forward, they just become discontinued.

I haven’t spent much time in VR Chat, but I have in Supernatural.

You’re absolutely correct about the space. I think this is a very under-appreciated concern for VR.

I believe people will want / need an entire new type of room. In a lot of housing, the dimensions won’t accommodate other uses.

A person won’t only need to be wealthy to buy say, Apple’s $3000 headset, they will need to be even more so to have free use of a space that lets them enjoy the best experiences.

Which is why there being $300 standalone headsets is great for democratising access - and hopefully that price will lower over time.

I like the ring of that but housing with an extra room seems unlikely to become affordable, ever.

I'm biased because I've been working on AR/VR at Meta/Oculus for the last 4 years, but I'm curious what you've found disappointing and whether you've tried the lastest VR software and hardware.

As far as gaming goes, Half-Life: Alyx and Resident Evil 4 are superb AAA experiences. As for hardware, Quest 2 and Valve Index are both great at what they promise for their respective price points.

I'm curious, in your field have you had a chance to try the Varjo Aero yet? It looks stunning.

I haven't tried the Aero but I tried another Varjo model a while back (not sure which), and the visual clarity was magnificent. I'm really glad there is room in the AR/VR space for devices at varying price points and levels of quality.

I remember taping printed instructions to motorcycle tank to drive from NC to OH. It rained. That was good times.

VR is incredible, and it's only going to get better. Meta's stuff has improved by leaps and bounds in the past several years alone. See what happens in another 5, then another 5.

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