Virtual Reality

[MartyG]

Quest 3 will boost sales, expected in 2023. Everyone who wants a Quest 2 probably already has one at this point, so it's not really surprising shipments have dropped if no new hardware is being released into the market in 2022 that isn't £1500.

Plus, when analysts say things like "The only real meta-universe product is Horizon", it doesn't really fill me with the confidence they have a clue what they're on about.

[Asura]

Plus, when analysts say things like "The only real meta-universe product is Horizon", it doesn't really fill me with the confidence they have a clue what they're on about.

Yep, most definitely this. For starters, the most successful "metaverse" by far is still probably Second Life, monetarily, and VRChat, in terms of contemporary traffic.

VR will definitely have a bit of a slump next year, but that's mainly because the pandemic pushed the Quest 2 to insane heights that I don't even think Meta themselves considered might happen so soon. This is actually going to be a problem for them.

If it matches the leaks (and isn't absurdly priced) I'll be first in line to upgrade to the Quest 3, because it's going to use the same optical stack as the Quest Pro (arguably its best feature) and looks to be a good upgrade. But I don't know how many people will take the plunge.

[Neon Ignition]

I can imagine Quest 3 will help in the short term but the way Meta is going I can also imagine it'll be hobbled with a harder to swallow RRP

[Asura]

I can imagine Quest 3 will help in the short term but the way Meta is going I can also imagine it'll be hobbled with a harder to swallow RRP

The one saving grace is I don't think VR is going to "die off" again. I think we're going to enter a quieter period, but I think it's now established as a form of entertainment and it'll endure in some form until there's another big innovation.

[Neon Ignition]

I could see it becoming very PC-centric. Like how Flight Sims or Sim racers get developed with high end racing wheel etc set ups in mind whilst also working for the general gamer who doesn't really think about it. Games coming out with tailored VR modes, but the end of VR being sold on the basis of it being its own self-sustaining thing separate from the rest of gaming. It's advancements in non-gaming tech though will probably be fascinating to see unfold - though the Metaverse won't be part of that

[Asura]

It's advancements in non-gaming tech though will probably be fascinating to see unfold

That's the bit where I'm a real skeptic, frankly.

I just don't believe VR is ever going to be as ubiquitous as Meta wants. I've tried it all, hardware, software, virtual meetings, all that jazz. It's fun as a daft novelty but that's it. The hardware and software are both light years away from where they need to be in order to make that worth it; a business right now could, for the price of a Quest 2, buy a staff member a high-end wireless headset, prosumer streamer webcam and a USB ring light and still probably have 50 quid to spare, and that would be faaaar more useful in productivity terms.

It's certainly useful in some fields - architecture, medicine, military - but these are fields we've known about since the 90s, where VR has already seen significant use.

I'm sure there are people out there who are doing great things with it, in areas like CAD. But I really think they're the minority and are going to stay that way for some time.

[wakka]

It will happen eventually, I'm sure. There is so much scope for the technology to get dramatically better. It's unlike laptops or smartphones where they're kind of just finished articles at this point, fully evolved items. VR technology still seems so nascent, requiring this hefty thing strapped onto your head and great big plastic wands that you wave about.

When it's a pair of spectacles or something Google Glass esque and you control it through minute finger movements tracked by a camera and muttered sub-vocalisations, it'll be a whole different kettle of fish. Obviously this is many years away but it feels like there is SO much potential for it to become a much bigger part of our lives.

Honestly, I actually don't think Zuckerberg is off the mark on a really top line conceptual level. I think he's just way, way, way too early with it. And also the software sucks. That too.

[MartyG]

There's definitely massive scope for future miniaturisation - but honestly, I don't want to sit in a virtual office with people any more than I want to sit in a real office with people. People are annoying

[wakka]

Hard to disagree with that. Unfortunately one thing no amount of technology can overcome

[Brad]

Just had cause to use VRChat on my Reverb. I'd used it on Quest 2 for work and it was fine but it's like twice the resolution in both axis and double the framerate on my Reverb for what appears to be a fairly basic environment. Carmack is right; Meta are not optimising stuff well enough (which IIRC is a major reason he left, just couldn't cope with the low prioritisation of what he considers important stuff). We really need the actual tech prices to come down so that someone else can prove decently priced headsets without having to take a loss on every unit sold.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.eurogamer.net/htc-vive-announces-new-xr-elite-vr-headset-costing-1299

Premium VR headsets aren't new but the lack of momentum toward consumer friendly pricing feels like it's becoming terminal

[Asura]

https://www.eurogamer.net/htc-vive-a...t-costing-1299
Premium VR headsets aren't new but the lack of momentum toward consumer friendly pricing feels like it's becoming terminal

It must be difficult for them to pitch, because that price isn't much more than a flagship mobile phone; and a stand-alone VR headset has many same/similar components, but can't be counted upon to sell as many units.

[MartyG]

Not true. The PICO 4 has very similar specs and is £400 (released Oct 2022).

That doesn't look particularly impressive for the asking price, in fact, the Quest Pro with its cleverly tracked controllers looks like a far more sensible purchase when compared side-by-side.

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Edit, the only notable thing is the specs in that article are saying 2 hours battery, but on HTC's website is claiming Up to 15 hours of battery life, which must be 15 hours stand-by and HTC is being disingenuous.

[Asura]

Not true. The PICO 4 has very similar specs and is £400 (released Oct 2022).

That doesn't look particularly impressive for the asking price, in fact, the Quest Pro with its cleverly tracked controllers looks like a far more sensible purchase when compared side-by-side.

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Edit, the only notable thing is the specs in that article are saying 2 hours battery, but on HTC's website is claiming Up to 15 hours of battery life, which must be 15 hours stand-by and HTC is being disingenuous.

Do you think so?

The Pico 4, like the Quest 2, is built by a social media company which can sell the product at a loss (when you factor in the development budget), and this definitely looks like a higher quality product than the Pico 4 - it has a 3D depth sensor, modular components, diopter settings on the lenses. I think it's still expensive but I'm not sure how those things reconcile. And I genuinely mean "I'm not sure" here, because I don't know.

The battery life, I think, is because the device has 2 modes - you can either play it like glasses, or you can remove the ear parts and slot on the rear of the headband, which has a battery pack inside.

[MartyG]

It's not true that the consumer market is being forgotten is what I meant, the PICO 4 wouldn't exist otherwise. The Quest 3, I'd anticipate will try to come in at around £400 (and yes it'll be subsidised). If these companies didn't want to be in the consumer space, they wouldn't be doing that.