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Comment by drunx | Hacker News Reader

I feel like this tech always misses real life usecases. I mean yes sure we do watch movies... But are you really going to sit in the headset for 2 hours straight. It's physically... Biologically(?) Uncomfortable.

Then when they say - explore Google Maps - ok. Fun. But for what? 10 minutes? How prominent is that need/activity in our life?

All usecases that Apple and now Google/Samsung showcase are "imaginary", wishful thinking usecases. They don't stick. They are more like "party-tricks" than something that can integrate into our lives and fill in a certain gap.

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I’ve been in XR for a decade and there’s a big gap between people that make the headsets and those that use them. The actual use cases are too niche for the big companies to care long term so they have to invent narratives that don’t manifest. IMO, Valve focusing a headset in the best possible gaming experience is the only one well positioned for an honest play in the space.

> But are you really going to sit in the headset for 2 hours straight. It's physically... Biologically(?) Uncomfortable.

TBF sitting still in a dark room fixating in the same direction for 2 hours straight is also uncomfortable. Either the movie captures your attention and you bear with it, or you take breaks.

Keeping an headset on for hours is fine if you fit it properly (get used to it), and for the movie use case in particular you don't need to be sitting, which can make it way more comfortable that the traditional experience.

Now it's clearly for people who lust for something they don't have right now. If you're 100% happy with doing everything on your phone for instance, it won't be for you. Same way you wouldn't even care for a laptop or desktop computer I guess.

Fair enough. Though standing and watching a move is also possible. But also in VR/AR you can't have a movie night with a group of people. Though I'm not sure such things even happen anymore (movie nights with friends).

I do feel a certain level of "bigger" commitment when you are in VR/AR. The content follows you. The current way of consuming content is a bit more transactional and has clear boundaries. You want to see a reel - you got to do physical activity (pick up the phone, unlock, launch an app, scroll.. Etc.).

When content "follows you", delivered to you directly as any moment in time - I just have this itchy feeling that we become more dedicated to the consumption of that content. It's an ads dream world!

Yes.

Thinking of it in levels of commitment sounds right to me, and IMHO most people will want the minimum commitment. The phone thing was something I've been thinking about a lot as we're getting better folding phones.

For instance less and less people care to look at photos on other supports, printing or checking them on a bigger screens now requires some dedication or special motivation. In that regard the Vision Pro's 3D photos feature makes for nice demos, but the number of people that will see it as something missing in their lives right now must be ridiculously low.

> It's an ads dream world!

Nah, they don't need that. My bank statements now have ads inserted between some of the lines, inside the app. Not checking my statements isn't an option and the shitty website won't save me, so I'm already cooked.

My wife and I have actually spent a good deal of time in a couple of street view type apps for the Quest, in multiplayer. It’s fun to “go back” to places we’ve vacationed and try to trace our steps. It’d be better if street view cameras captured stereoscopic 3d, though.

Hmm... You have a point! I might have judged it too hastily.

Nostalgia is a strong emotion. It sells.

It's quite obvious that these devices are a prototype for some eventual immersive AR glasses. Sure, they are currently bulky and heavy and have poor battery life and block your face. But these companies hope to eventually iterate all of that away.

This is the groundwork. But I don't know if they have a larger vision (pun intended) other than "oh shit, the smartphone industry has been conquered and now sees diminishing returns, we need something else to generate revenue".

That's actually true. You are absolutely right. Computers used to be a size of a bedroom. So yeah, this is not the end game at all.

I would think that the most ultimate end state would be (sci-fi mode ON) some kind of implants, retina projections... It's ridiculous to say this things, but best form factor is to get the value without any form:)

The only thing people really do for extended periods of time in these headsets is play gorilla tag, highly skewed towards young kids.

That or VRChat.

Exercise works well enough too. If shadow boxing in a stinky gym for 2h is grating to you, doing it in VR will have a better chance of success in the long run.

The use-case is porn.

It's often frowned upon but yes. Porn is a very strong usecase where VR offers substantial improvement over existing tech. If it wasn't such a taboo these things would be flying off the shelves. It really feels like you are there especially when you get a toy that can synchronise to the video.

Flight and racing sims are another one but they are obviously a lot more niche.

! Not the first time that industry pushed the technology. And I can see how this could work.

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