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borkus t1_itrcaob wrote

VR is an interesting technology but there's no apparent application that isn't handled better:

  • Remote meetings. Video stream provides better fidelity and is easily handled by most modern networks.
  • Social interactions. While simpler than VR, text and social media have been widely embraced. In particular, social media lets you have more interactions and have them anywhere via a mobile device. Someone can quickly find a date for the weekend, catch up with friends and follow a discussion on a topic in a few minutes with just a cell phone. In VR, those interactions would be slower.
  • Gaming/Entertainment. Rather than immersive environments, gamers still enjoy casual games and games on a flat screen. The recent successes in games have been social games or open-ended games that work fine without virtual reality.

To me, the big shortcoming to VR is the separation from reality - you have to block out the environment around you and be in a specific place to use it. Instead, people are using technology to enhance the world around them as they move through it.

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foundafreeusername t1_itrw9nj wrote

A lot of the goals zuck is after only really make sense once the headset is small enough to be basically just glasses. The question is if they can survive that long.

Once they are small enough and comfortable there isn't much of a downside to VR. You can have remote meetings + VR/AR. You can have all the regular social media + VR.

Until then gaming probably will remain the main driver. With improved comfort, new pancake lenses and maybe close to 4k per eye VR headsets aren't much of a downside anymore even if you play 2D games.

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LordThistleWig t1_itrycwy wrote

Well said. I find the invention of VR to be somewhat cynical, as it implies forsaking our real environment for an artificial one.

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munch t1_its17sj wrote

VR is arguably better for training / workplace simulations.

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DarthBuzzard t1_its2csb wrote

> In VR, those interactions would be slower.

Speed is not everything.

People value speed when they have asynchronous communication, like texting someone, where the goal is a quick exchange and not to hang out or have a strong connection.

People value deep connection when they have time set aside for synchronous communication, and VR will be the best at providing this connection.

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MpVpRb t1_ittkuxs wrote

>To me, the big shortcoming to VR is

Headache, dizziness, eyestrain and other perceptual problems. Human vision is finely tuned to reality, and close-but-not-quite-real upsets things. I worked on a VR project that worked great for a short time, until users quit because of headaches, dizziness and other problems

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DarthBuzzard t1_ittmqsj wrote

Those are very clear issues with the tech today, but are definitely solvable, so I see those as growing pains.

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AoiKururugi t1_ituxmuc wrote

They are also going for the mixed reality stuff though, from what I see in their latest demo of the newest headset

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