The Quest line has been a major step up. You should consider updating your 5 year old opinion in a product category that is nascent.
Also, I believe a lot of hype around VR is that it is a necessary first step before VR.
Finally, while I agree that AR is the “mobile phone” type of revolutionary product, I still think VR is going to be wildly successful. To me, the limiting factor is the builders tools - it’s so expensive to put together good interactive VR content.
> You should consider updating your 5 year old opinion in a product category that is nascent.
I no longer have a Facebook account, so this is impossible for me, right? But let me check Google. Bulky, isolating, still requires controllers. Yep, nothing has changed, as expected. People who have staked their livelihoods on this technology are mad about my initial comment but the fact remains: nobody is buying these things, and the product hasn't changed meaningfully since the last iteration.
Counterpoint: you have entrenched your opinion and are unwilling or unable to update it, despite acknowledging that your inputs are 5 years out of date.
To point to specifically inaccurate or misleading statements of yours:
1. "still requires controllers" - incorrect, hand tracking is a thing, and on its way to a user friendly input. It's not clear why controllers are a negative - do you similarly criticize the PS5 for having a controller and not meaningfully changed?
2. "The product hasn't changed meaningfully" - here, 'meaningfully' is a weasel word. 50% more pixels, for a device where pixel density is important for usability. A 25% ($100) price drop, in a device that is now significantly cheaper than gaming consoles. The ability to drive better graphics with a tether to a video card. (BTW, this is a < 2 year product cycle for a bleeding edge device.) What do you consider meaningful?
3. "nobody is buying these things" appears to be incorrect, literally and directionally. Expectations are for 3M units sold in 2020. Pre-orders were 5x for Quest 2 versus Quest 1. Perhaps you meant to say "me and my friends haven't bought one"?
> hand tracking is a thing, and on its way to a user friendly input
Which is about where it was last time I checked in. Most VR games require use of controllers do they not? As long as you have cumbersome interfaces like handheld controllers or hand tracking that doesn't handle occlusion you can't maintain a suspension of disbelief. If it's not clear why controllers are a negative, you're not really getting what VR should be. I don't criticize the PS5 for having a controller because the main focus of game consoles isn't the display technology. The screen has succeeded as a timeless medium for bringing people into another world. It's less awkward and cumbersome than VR, so it's actually better at creating a virtual reality than an HMD.
> 50% more pixels, for a device where pixel density is important for usability. A 25% ($100) price drop, in a device that is now significantly cheaper than gaming consoles.
Resolution is actually one of the least important aspects of VR (unless of course, the rest of the experience is so mediocre that it's all people can focus on.) The breakthroughs in VR will come in the form of human interfacing improvements. Only once a device can truly understand your intent can it become believable. For as long as you have to hold a controller or think about how you interact with the device, VR will continue to be a gimmick. It's a UX problem as much as it is a hardware problem, but the UX will be obvious once the hardware is solved.
> "nobody is buying these things" appears to be incorrect, literally and directionally.
I guess it took the entire world sitting at home to get 3M people interested enough to buy the latest VR system. Cool. If it was actually what people wanted, everybody would be scrambling to get one. 3M says to me that it's more of the same. I feel like I've taken a time machine to 2005, being told how great the latest Palm phone is while knowing the iPhone is just around the corner. Can't you see that the technology just sucks compared to what it should be? Only once it is what it should be will it be what you want to believe it is today.
Hand tracking on the Oculus was only added last year, so perhaps your 5 year old opinion is out of date. Your experience is also not particularly insightful regarding the future of VR - your expectations appear to be for a finished, polished device, and anything short is sufficient for declaring a whole category dead.
Progress isn't linear. There have been significant jumps in the past few years. Sales appear to be supply constrained. Many people have lots of joyful experiences.
That said, your conclusion may be correct. Predicting the future is hard, and your subjective perspective doesn't justify the certainty with which you comment.
That said, this is probably not a constructive conversation for either of us, or HN. I wish you a pleasant day.
Also, I believe a lot of hype around VR is that it is a necessary first step before VR.
Finally, while I agree that AR is the “mobile phone” type of revolutionary product, I still think VR is going to be wildly successful. To me, the limiting factor is the builders tools - it’s so expensive to put together good interactive VR content.