The Metaverse: More Hype Than Substance?
mintys.io
mintys.io
No one wants VR meetings. It just combines everything that sucks about Zoom meetings with everything that sucks about real meetings.
I work at a VR startup, we have employees across the country. Once a week we meet in horizon workrooms, and it's usually pretty productive.
I wouldn't say it's more or less effective than a regular video call, but it does add a certain something to help feel connected with our remote employees.
That said, I fully recognize and admit that an office full of people talking to each other through VR headsets while sitting in the same room makes you look absolutely fucking insane. We had an HVAC technician during one of our VR meetings, and I'm a little embarrassed that he had to watch that.
People were sceptical but after actually trying always commented how much presence they felt compared to videomeeting and even dedicated conferencing rooms. It's most suited for the more interactive brainstorming workshop than the passive thing - incidentally also the most likely kind of meeting people tend to travel for at my work.
Pressure on alternatives to face to face meetings subsided after the pandemic. But as flying becomes more environmentally charged I think interest will pop up again.
This is the problem with VR IMO. Nobody can tell you how great the matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. That's the biggest barrier for entry, that red pill you have to take. There's not enough headsets around to introduce everyone.
Also, Google's project cardboard is a huge barrier to adoption. Many people think "I've already tried that VR thing and it was useless". I get this every day when I'm showing people VR. Yes, Cardboard was totally useless in terms of quality, capability and usability. But it's not even close to what a real 6DOF headset with handtracking is. It's like the difference between watching a 3D movie and experiencing something. If you've tried cardboard you have not tried VR.
For our CEO's birthday, we all conspired to secretly change our avatars into a copy of his. It was kind of terrifying, but also hilarious.
It's just so hard to explain this to people. They really have to try it. Also, it's not something you'd replace a night out with your friends with. Not at all. Meeting up in person is always much better. However when that's not an option or it's difficult due to international travel or other reasons, then I think it's much better than a videomeeting.