Virtual Reality

[Neon Ignition]

The downside is it feels like Meta is suceeding in becoming the biggest player in the battle

The upside (?) is that I think we're now past the point where there's much chance that VR is going to take off in a major way

[wakka]

I'm wondering what the main perk is with this move? I'm assuming the primary driver is that Meta are thinking that they can retain growing Quest user numbers but hopefully reduce focus on losing money on hardware manufacturing? Or it's about getting more people using their tools?

The perk is that you become the Windows or Android of VR/AR, basically. The platform that every single piece of standalone headmounted hardware, with the exception of ones made by Apple, automatically use because why would they use anything else? You control that and you collect royalties and commissions on every piece of software sold on every piece of hardware.

I didn't see it coming, but I feel silly now because it was obviously always their strategy, from right back when they bought Oculus.

I do think headmounted technology will continue to improve and eventually grow in usage as problems around it are solved in ways that we can't at present necessarily anticipate so I do think this will turn out to be a pretty big deal over the long run.

[Asura]

I think we're now past the point where there's much chance that VR is going to take off in a major way

I disagree.

I think there's a sign in that we're at a point where VR has had millions of users, and many more who have tried VR who like it... But they're just not prepared to put the money down for a headset as they presently exist. I see this as not disimilar to how, perhaps, in the 90s, your whole family would dip into MarioKart but that doesn't mean your brother or your mum wants to buy their own videogame console. Yet your brother eventually got a PSP and your mother got a DS for Brain Training.

There are two vectors for VR that are important to look at; there are technologies coming in that are going to make headsets that are (in some ways) better than the Quest 3, but make them shallower and sleeker, and there are going to be smart glasses with new display technologies that give much better VR and AR experiences than what are presently on the market.

These will likely remain as two contemporary use-cases (just like how you have smartphones and tablets; they're basically the same but they differ in terms of how people use them) but they'll share a lot more than they do at present.

The upcoming Smart Glasses will be a game-changer for this space as they're small, they fit in a purse or bag, they can be used without cutting you off from the space around you and they don't mess up hair or makeup (in the tech industry, there's a lot of talk about how statistically these qualities will make them more attractive for a female consumer).

Social engineering is a part of this, too. To give a comparison, you might've given you weird looks having a Game Boy on the bus in the 90s... But by 2010 it didn't even really register to see a businessman playing iPad games on the train.

It's been a slow process, with a lot of setbacks along the way - but I just feel that VR has too much good about it to just fail.

[wakka]

I've said it before, but if you'd have told someone they'd one day be able to watch on-demand films on their phone in the 90s, they'd have asked how much it would cost per minute.

It's hard today to envisage what forms VR and AR might take in its future usage, but I think it's way too big of a category to dismiss as something that will disappear.

[Neon Ignition]

I can see that but I think, though there are obvious dove tails, as soon as we're looking at long term outlooks it means we're looking at the current push having come to the end and the wait for a new breakthrough that drives the market hype to come along. Much like how we can draw a direct line between the VR of the 90's and its evolution to the VR of the 2010's but it took a whole new wave of developments and renewed 'wow' to recapture interest - almost generational because those in the 90's lost interest because it was a known and limited tech. Gaming on the go is a good comparison, whilst gaming with a handheld became more socially normal largely because gamers grew older the real explosion was via tablets and phones but that wasn't the gaming industries effort carried out via a continuation of their efforts - it came from a different market sector encroaching with its own tech developments and hype.

I'm not actually sure if Smart Glasses will be that tech either. The idea of a lightweight small display is great but for VR that would mean a different version of the tech than Smart Glasses as they're intended. I'm not convinced AR is going to be 'the next big thing' either with Smart Glasses also not being the newest or most interesting tech either. I feel these things come around in 15-20 cycles and we're toward the end of the current push. Being into tech and games we're aware of continued developments and the things on the road ahead but even with the perceived success Quest has had it's proportionately infintesimal a success compared to the majority of tech platforms and the sector seems to be losing steam rather than gaining it.

VR is an amazing experience, I'm at the point where going without having a means to access the content feels like something that has passed now as any time I've had a period of not owning a headset I've quickly missed it. But I strongly suspect the sector is going to slip into quietly idling by for at least a generation before popping up down the line again in a new guise, not necessarily an expected one. In terms of the coming decade, I'm expecting some companies to retreat somewhat from the sector both on hardware and software fronts first.

[Neon Ignition]

Meta Is Getting Rid Of App Lab And Opening Up The Store (uploadvr.com)

Meta Affirms it Will Continue Making Quest Headsets Even as it Offers OS to (select) Third Parties (roadtovr.com)

Quest 'April Mega Sale' Brings Up to 64% Off Some of VR's Best Games (roadtovr.com)

[Asura]

even with the perceived success Quest has had it's proportionately infintesimal a success compared to the majority of tech platforms

You mustn't think much of the Xbox Series console sales over the last few years then - because it's suggested the Quest has sold as many headsets as MS has sold those consoles.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/meta-loses-another-38-billion-on-vrar

[Lebowski]

With great success, comes great losses

[Asura]

With great success, comes great losses

You wanna make an omelette, you gotta break billions of eggs

I'm kinda happy that Zuckerberg is still moving forward with it. It's beyond difficult to justify it financially, but I love VR and it's not like any other companies are doing that kind of R&D.

[Neon Ignition]

Embedded Tweet

https://www.techradar.com/computing/report-claims-vision-pro-sales-have-fallen-sharply-as-apple-struggles-to-whip-up-demand

[Brad]

There is a market for 3 grand headsets. There's a market for 12 grand headsets in fact, aerospace. Apple are.not playing in that market though. This was the funniest thing they've made.in quite some timemand Steve would never have allowed it IMO.

[nonny]

I can see that but I think, though there are obvious dove tails, as soon as we're looking at long term outlooks it means we're looking at the current push having come to the end and the wait for a new breakthrough that drives the market hype to come along. Much like how we can draw a direct line between the VR of the 90's and its evolution to the VR of the 2010's but it took a whole new wave of developments and renewed 'wow' to recapture interest - almost generational because those in the 90's lost interest because it was a known and limited tech. Gaming on the go is a good comparison, whilst gaming with a handheld became more socially normal largely because gamers grew older the real explosion was via tablets and phones but that wasn't the gaming industries effort carried out via a continuation of their efforts - it came from a different market sector encroaching with its own tech developments and hype.

I'm not actually sure if Smart Glasses will be that tech either. The idea of a lightweight small display is great but for VR that would mean a different version of the tech than Smart Glasses as they're intended. I'm not convinced AR is going to be 'the next big thing' either with Smart Glasses also not being the newest or most interesting tech either. I feel these things come around in 15-20 cycles and we're toward the end of the current push. Being into tech and games we're aware of continued developments and the things on the road ahead but even with the perceived success Quest has had it's proportionately infintesimal a success compared to the majority of tech platforms and the sector seems to be losing steam rather than gaining it.

VR is an amazing experience, I'm at the point where going without having a means to access the content feels like something that has passed now as any time I've had a period of not owning a headset I've quickly missed it. But I strongly suspect the sector is going to slip into quietly idling by for at least a generation before popping up down the line again in a new guise, not necessarily an expected one. In terms of the coming decade, I'm expecting some companies to retreat somewhat from the sector both on hardware and software fronts first.

I would never spend a grand on a VR headset, let alone £3500 on a Apple VR pro. I do appreciate it's that top end of the market pushing the technology forwards but the price just isn't there yet for me for what you get in return.

Speaking of AR glasses I took a punt on a set to try them out... I got the Xreal Air 2 Pro second hand in decent condition. Cost me £170 from CEX locally after trading in some old rock band gear.

Some genius has written a rather amazing plugin for them on SteamOS you can use via decky loader and I've also given them a whirl on Windows as well.

They're just over size sunglasses and weigh 76g. Give a pretty decent 1080p image via some oled panels and basically they fit my usage model perfectly... Which is being lazy, sat back in bed or a couch playing a handheld.

That price and usage model is far more my preferred experience. Appreciate it's not VR, but it's rather a really nice pocketable immersive experience for handheld.

I've also now got a HDMI adaptor for them as well so will be giving xbox a whirl this weekend.

[Neon Ignition]

I'd be interested to hear how you find them. I saw the thread over on Era about them and they sound interesting, to a degree like coming in at the tech from the opposite side

[MartyG]

Concerned they're charging a fee for pre-orders. Pimax don't have the best reputation.

Their headsets have some mixed reviews, but I'm not sure a refundable £27 reservation for the lite, or a non-refundable £0.78 for the Super is much of an issue.