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Comment by WaxProlix | Hacker News Reader

At $3200 you can just get a Simula One VR[1], which will do everything and more, with less bullshit, and an eye to real usability. I can't understand getting a Magic Leap anything for any amount of money, let alone thousands. They've outed themselves as absolute grifters lol.

1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3uN7d51Cco for the kinda cringe show video. But the tech is real and there.

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I agree 100%. They burst into the tech scene with claims that were clearly fraudulent. They have demonstrated that they have no problem lying, so why would anyone support them? https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2016/12/09/magic_leap_neithe...

It’s a completely different group of people now. Nearly no one from the original management remained in Magic Leap, so I don’t think it’s fair to judge them by the actions of their predecessors.

They kept the name, no? I don't begrudge new people wanting to make a new product out of the husk of a defunct company, like Ophiocordyceps. I'm skeptical of people who think the branding and marketing of V1 was A-ok though.

Management? What about engineers?!

Many left, others were laid off. Some remain. But they had some world class engineering talent (like in their optics - real domain experts they brought from other places and industries). The goals were unrealistic, the product was out of touch with the market (lots of money raised is going to do that 9/10 times), the top management were professional corporate creatures (not in a good sense). But some of the engineers were very good - just sent on the wrong mission.

Some of the worst engineers I've known wound up there (and are still there). Not necessarily bad people, just borderline frauds. I don't trust their organization to do much credible work as a result.

I have been really looking forward to this. It’s a shame that the video is so awful! Why would anybody go to a coffee shop or public park to put on a VR headset? What were they thinking???

Also watching him try to put that cup of coffee to his face was painful. You’d look like such a tool trying to press that cup against your headset. No wonder they cut that scene so quickly.

According to the expressions on the other peoples’ faces, it seems like there was actually some awareness of how ridiculous it was. Those aren’t expressions of amazement. They’re more like “look at that guy trying to drink coffee with a VR headset on his face. What a tool!”

Are the other customers with laptops supposed to look creeped out and angry at him? I imagine the direction they were aiming for is envy, but it looks like they want the weirdo to leave.

It worked in making me interested in the product at least. A standalone headset with Linux and not by Facebook? Those details are all I needed to know regardless of any marketing video.

Yeah, I think everyone agrees that the product is interesting, but the marketing is terrible. It’s like the opposite of Magic Leap

I would and do. It’s a great conversation starter. I got projects and co founders out of it.

> you can just get a Simula One VR

except they aren't shipping yet .... I'm a big fan but you really can't count it as a comparison until its really in production. They have barely assembled prototype units yet let alone got the tech fully working.

And even then, its a completely different thing. The magic leap is true AR with real world pass through and full hand tracking. Whether its any good or not I don't know but the use cases they are targeting - surgeons etc are not going to strap a SimlarVR to their head.

Portable VR is not the same as AR though right? All notes on quality aside

It has a passthrough and - I think - augment mode.

Wow it has HN in the video! Anybody else notice that?

If you think a Simula One VR is a substitute for a Magic Leap you probably should be reading more and commenting less about this market.

Magic Leap is vaporware.

Got anything ‘real’ to compare it to?

It’s not vaporware, I’ve used it myself. Would I buy it? No. But it’s not vaporware.

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