Submitted by DarthBuzzard t3_102fzen in gadgets
ShenmeNamaeSollich t1_j2t5kif wrote
“VR/AR is soooo fetch!”
~ Every fucking idiot who keeps trying to make it a thing
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j2t67iz wrote
These same arguments could be made for computers and phones.
If your attitude prevailed for PCs/phones, then r/gadgets wouldn't exist, nor would the Internet or 99% of the modern world.
Visionaries move on regardless and create things that people don't know they want. Yes, people didn't know they wanted a computer or phone - most people can only think of faster horses, not what comes after the horse.
sgtcarrot t1_j2t8zd8 wrote
Love the many articles you can still find that regarded the web as a fad, lol. Same thing. People will fight change, its in their nature.
skinlo t1_j32kawk wrote
That's survivorship bias though. What the about the things that were meant to catch on that never did?
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j32w36b wrote
> What the about the things that were meant to catch on that never did?
Those things don't have much in common with VR/AR.
If you want to define VR/AR, they are whole mediums and computing platforms.
When was the last completely new medium or computing platform that failed to catch on?
That definition is important - it means they are general purpose devices for both entertainment/media and for practical use.
Jamie00003 t1_j2ubeka wrote
So you see a world where everybody wears stupid goggles 24 7 do you? Get real haha
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j2ubzil wrote
Who said they will stay goggles? This should eventually get into the stage of normal glasses for AR and curved sunglasses for VR.
I think a billion or so people will use VR in the next 20 years, and 4+ billion will use AR.
ezekial1082 t1_j2uf6ry wrote
This is the answer. From my understanding, the technology isn’t ready yet to have the power needed in glasses, while being small enough. I think the goal is to start with goggles and end up with a AR experience over time.
Jamie00003 t1_j2ucwr3 wrote
Then why bother releasing the goggles? Why not just release that? I don’t really see what advantage this has out of the myriad of other failing VR devices out there right now?
You do realise this is launching at $3000 right? What makes you think this is worth the money when it’s 3x the cost of everything else? VR is niche as it is
JustSayTomato t1_j2upgi4 wrote
This is true about every technology. CD players, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones, laptops, etc. EVERY technology is expensive and bulky and limited at first. And then it’s not. And suddenly everyone has it and the cycle starts anew. You sound like a fifth grader who has never seen a single product cycle in their life.
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j2udyqp wrote
Because they can't get user feedback, have a developer ecosystem, and see how their tech performs out in the wild (so they can refine it more accurately) if it's just kept in their labs.
They'd also have to wait 10-15 years. That's a lot of time to wait.
Jamie00003 t1_j2uefwa wrote
Still at that price, it’s a non starter imo. Even the Apple Watch shipped with cheaper models and didn’t get it right the first time, but that’s a big investment that very few people care about
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j2uikcq wrote
It's just how VR/AR goes. The tech is much more cutting edge/expensive than smartwatches/smartphones were at their hardest.
Eventually, we'll see far better products at 10% of the price, but it has to start somewhere.
ShenmeNamaeSollich t1_j2taavl wrote
Except that one of those things has already failed repeatedly because nobody wants to use the devices (except a minority for porn & gaming).
It wasn’t customers who said PCs & smartphones & the internet would fail - it was the entrenched business interests that didn’t get it. That’s not the case here.
Customers have been saying “nah” to this concept since Lawnmower Man; since the Oculus roller coaster demo made them throw up; since Google Glass failed spectacularly; since Meta’s nonsense flushed billions down the toilet.
They aren’t “visionaries” - they’re dilettantes with huge egos and way too much money to burn.
Everyone told these same “visionaries” that “smart speakers” were stupid & creepy too, and what happened? After billions wasted on marketing hype all the research recently concluded that yup, the market was right & nobody wants them either! They’re useless baubles.
AR has some potential w/HUDs & interaction with the real world … VR Meta Ready Player One BS like what’s shown in this mockup will never happen until climate change or war renders life on earth’s surface impossible.
DarthBuzzard OP t1_j2tcihq wrote
VR hasn't failed repeatedly. As someone with a good hook on the history of the tech, consumer VR has only ever failed once in the 1990s, and that wasn't even a serious attempt.
To put it into perspective, the entirety of 1990s consumer VR investment totals at best, one week of VR investment in the modern world. That's how little money and effort was put into VR back then, and it's because no large company actually released anything. It was only small companies like Forte. Nintendo/Sega/Atari released nothing in the end (Virtual Boy isn't VR so it doesn't count).
The market has responded differently this time. The investment is orders of magnitude higher, the sales are orders of magnitude higher, and the market has lasted thrice as long with more competitors jumping into the mix this year. On the technical side, some core problems with 1990s VR were fixed, and while a lot is left to fix, much of that is being worked on in R&D with solid results to show for so far.
> It wasn’t customers who said PCs & smartphones & the internet would fail - it was the entrenched business interests that didn’t get it. That’s not the case here.
It was both businesses falling behind the times and consumers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxcfgfxYJow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVyGb5ID90&t=228s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H07xxyfLySA&t=761s
> They aren’t “visionaries” - they’re dilettantes with huge egos and way too much money to burn.
This is the classic response that even the people you would consider visionaries have to deal with. Though you would consider them visionaries with the benefit of hindsight.
> Everyone told these same “visionaries” that “smart speakers” were stupid & creepy too, and what happened? After billions wasted on marketing hype all the research recently concluded that yup, the market was right & nobody wants them either! They’re useless baubles.
There are hits and misses in tech, but point to me to a digital medium and/or fundamentally new computing platform (these are accurate descriptions of VR/AR) that failed to eventually take off. There are no examples of the latter, and I'm having trouble recalling any of the former, but maybe there's a few rare examples.
DFX1212 t1_j2uug5y wrote
Porn often drives tech adoption.
MassageByDmitry t1_j2txr6r wrote
Don’t know why your getting downvoted, you literally are talking facts
LittleKittyLove t1_j2u1je4 wrote
!remindme 10 years “make fun of this guy”
Bageezax t1_j2ta3i9 wrote
I’m not a fanboy or a detractor. I like that VR is available; it can be fun and useful. If Apple makes something worthwhile, I’ll be interested to see it.
nosadtomato t1_j2tds3r wrote
I mean.. if you don't like VR, nobody is taping a headset to you and forcing you to play games.
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