Apple is offering a VR/AR/XR headset, Vision Pro, for the low, low price of $3,500. I kid. Also I am deadly serious. The value of this headset to a middle class American or someone richer than that is almost certainly either vastly more than $3,500, or at best very close to $0.
My guess is that the killer app for the first generation of VR is just watching video, either movies or TV shows. There's a chicken-and-egg problem where developers aren't going to put a lot of work into good productivity or gaming experiences as long as the market is small. But the VR goggles can just be superior to a 70 inch TV screen, for watching movies that already are being created.
Likely aimed at developers 1st, as well as the less price-sensitive early adopters (e.g. consumer enthusiasts and those who want bragging rights with social & business peers). After next gen units are released, the price drops for “yesterday’s” technology to accommodate a growing user base. Seems like the typical Apple playbook.
I am in the "I have been dying for something this for 30 years, but until it becomes lower actual-physical-profile, I think it will be a dud, because it just simulates lots of things that we already have less expensive devices for, plus making you look like a robot" category.
Call me a luddite, but I don't care how productivity-enhancing this stuff may become, I'm never touching it. We're already too alienated from the real, physical world around us, and our fellow humans, as is. I currently work in software but if it becomes impossible to participate in the high-tech economy without using these things, I'll be happily down in a cabin in the woods somewhere living off the land. I have certain thresholds I refuse to cross, technology-wise, and this is one of them.
Frankly, in an ideal world these would be banned. We don't live in an ideal world, so at least I will do my part in socially ostracizing use of these things to the maximum possible extent.
I’m a now tried traveling English/Japanese discussion manager and teacher. I want technology that brings at least families (plural) together into communities. I don’t want tech in isolated hotel rooms. What about the hundreds of thousands of commuters into and out of Tokyo every day? What can be shared or individualized with a headset’s touch? o
Until jailbreaks come out it looks like the SimulaVR I pre-ordered will do a better job of being a wearable AR headset computer you can use to do work hanging out in the park. Though the shiny features not related to getting work done do indeed look very shiny indeed.
“Can the device continuously telling you what to do, and you learning to automatically do it, be far behind? Won’t people welcome that?”
On first reading, this strikes me as incredibly dystopian. Don’t know if I’m “people”, but I would not on the face of it welcome interactions with a person I knew was automatically following instructions from an AI-connected headset. I don’t think I would welcome having my mind read to enable such instructions to be issued to me, or following said instructions, either. Maybe there’s something I’m missing here...
Apple has long ignored games even though it's the category of apps that make them the most money. A key part of Apple's success is that they sell "pro" devices by showing people using them to create high-status art, music, and videos but most purchasers don't use them for that. They have to keep up the image if they want to keep their high margins and brand value.
Just because they don't highlight games doesn't mean they don't expect games to be a major money maker on this device.
Quest 3 is superior in every way, save its $500. Apple device is heavy on top of that.
I just don't see what is great about it. The controllerless gimmick? Pretty sure it will be replicated if it proves to be effective. Killer ap for headsets was always VR . AR might be useful but so far there is not many use cases
My current gaming PC, that I bought in part to enable playing games in VR and is overpriced by probably something like %30 because I had Puget Systems (which I can recommend!) build it when I got nervous about handling multiple $400+ parts myself, was around $3600. I can't imagine why you'd buy this, but I also don't any other Apple products either.
I have an Oculus Rift S which was pretty impressive for its price, but there just isn't a whole lot worth using it for still.
One of the underdiscussed use cases for VR I rarely see is stuff like emulating concert-going experiences, which isn't something I'm personally interested in but seems like something I'd love to have if it was. Also, AFAICT most VR headsets already have dynamic passthrough, they just don't generally use it for much and aren't built to look like it has it. My Rift S definitely has cameras on it that let you see the room through them during calibration.
I'll be impressed if they solved the motion sickness/nausea problem though.
Yeah, I don't know. Can't see myself using this, especially at the price point (hurts even more since I'd have to pay in BRL, not USD).
Then again, I'm someone who created his first Twitter account this year and only upgraded his 2013 laptop a few months ago. I'm not really at the cutting edge of things.
Seems better than what I thought it would be when I first saw it announced, I'll admit. Not really sure about the impact though.
I want to live in a cartoon, this device should let me do that. We are taking about passthrough and filter, maybe it'll take version 2 or 3 to make the compute fast enough for it to be seamless, but we are all going to live in our own worlds. In my world fat people don't exist, and every woman is a fit 18 year old anime school girl. Need to give a talk why imagine everyone naked, just use AI to make them that way. Why take acid/shrooms when you can just make the walls groovy at will.
Also this device replaces a number of things. A TV sure, but what about nice furniture and art? Paint for your walls.
Also I can't wait for NPC XR porn. Pick the girl tell her what to do.
Sharpening physical skills, in my case baseball batting, would be a killer app. Meta Quest Win Reality for baseball was a killer app for me in the wrong direction. I could never get consistent calibration of the bat, plus the position sampling rate was inadequate. I'm currently in the worst slump of my life, with an on base percentage 400+ points lower than past seasons. Accurately tracking the entire swing (quest can't track the backswing or early swing phase), and being able to swap bats freely and immediately during a session would deliver the promise of VR batting practice.
My guess is that the killer app for the first generation of VR is just watching video, either movies or TV shows. There's a chicken-and-egg problem where developers aren't going to put a lot of work into good productivity or gaming experiences as long as the market is small. But the VR goggles can just be superior to a 70 inch TV screen, for watching movies that already are being created.
Likely aimed at developers 1st, as well as the less price-sensitive early adopters (e.g. consumer enthusiasts and those who want bragging rights with social & business peers). After next gen units are released, the price drops for “yesterday’s” technology to accommodate a growing user base. Seems like the typical Apple playbook.
"Do video calls from anywhere and have no one be able to tell, thanks to your realistic digital avatar?"
Is this a job thing? As in, somebody cares enough to force you to do video but doesn't care enough to make sure it's really you on video?
I am in the "I have been dying for something this for 30 years, but until it becomes lower actual-physical-profile, I think it will be a dud, because it just simulates lots of things that we already have less expensive devices for, plus making you look like a robot" category.
Call me a luddite, but I don't care how productivity-enhancing this stuff may become, I'm never touching it. We're already too alienated from the real, physical world around us, and our fellow humans, as is. I currently work in software but if it becomes impossible to participate in the high-tech economy without using these things, I'll be happily down in a cabin in the woods somewhere living off the land. I have certain thresholds I refuse to cross, technology-wise, and this is one of them.
Frankly, in an ideal world these would be banned. We don't live in an ideal world, so at least I will do my part in socially ostracizing use of these things to the maximum possible extent.
Looks like the Adam Savage link is wrong, it goes to a TechCrunch article.
I’m a now tried traveling English/Japanese discussion manager and teacher. I want technology that brings at least families (plural) together into communities. I don’t want tech in isolated hotel rooms. What about the hundreds of thousands of commuters into and out of Tokyo every day? What can be shared or individualized with a headset’s touch? o
Until jailbreaks come out it looks like the SimulaVR I pre-ordered will do a better job of being a wearable AR headset computer you can use to do work hanging out in the park. Though the shiny features not related to getting work done do indeed look very shiny indeed.
“Can the device continuously telling you what to do, and you learning to automatically do it, be far behind? Won’t people welcome that?”
On first reading, this strikes me as incredibly dystopian. Don’t know if I’m “people”, but I would not on the face of it welcome interactions with a person I knew was automatically following instructions from an AI-connected headset. I don’t think I would welcome having my mind read to enable such instructions to be issued to me, or following said instructions, either. Maybe there’s something I’m missing here...
Apple has long ignored games even though it's the category of apps that make them the most money. A key part of Apple's success is that they sell "pro" devices by showing people using them to create high-status art, music, and videos but most purchasers don't use them for that. They have to keep up the image if they want to keep their high margins and brand value.
Just because they don't highlight games doesn't mean they don't expect games to be a major money maker on this device.
Concerts. If I’m Apple, I make a deal with Taylor Swift.
Quest 3 is superior in every way, save its $500. Apple device is heavy on top of that.
I just don't see what is great about it. The controllerless gimmick? Pretty sure it will be replicated if it proves to be effective. Killer ap for headsets was always VR . AR might be useful but so far there is not many use cases
My current gaming PC, that I bought in part to enable playing games in VR and is overpriced by probably something like %30 because I had Puget Systems (which I can recommend!) build it when I got nervous about handling multiple $400+ parts myself, was around $3600. I can't imagine why you'd buy this, but I also don't any other Apple products either.
I have an Oculus Rift S which was pretty impressive for its price, but there just isn't a whole lot worth using it for still.
One of the underdiscussed use cases for VR I rarely see is stuff like emulating concert-going experiences, which isn't something I'm personally interested in but seems like something I'd love to have if it was. Also, AFAICT most VR headsets already have dynamic passthrough, they just don't generally use it for much and aren't built to look like it has it. My Rift S definitely has cameras on it that let you see the room through them during calibration.
I'll be impressed if they solved the motion sickness/nausea problem though.
Yeah, I don't know. Can't see myself using this, especially at the price point (hurts even more since I'd have to pay in BRL, not USD).
Then again, I'm someone who created his first Twitter account this year and only upgraded his 2013 laptop a few months ago. I'm not really at the cutting edge of things.
Seems better than what I thought it would be when I first saw it announced, I'll admit. Not really sure about the impact though.
Thoughts:
I want to live in a cartoon, this device should let me do that. We are taking about passthrough and filter, maybe it'll take version 2 or 3 to make the compute fast enough for it to be seamless, but we are all going to live in our own worlds. In my world fat people don't exist, and every woman is a fit 18 year old anime school girl. Need to give a talk why imagine everyone naked, just use AI to make them that way. Why take acid/shrooms when you can just make the walls groovy at will.
Also this device replaces a number of things. A TV sure, but what about nice furniture and art? Paint for your walls.
Also I can't wait for NPC XR porn. Pick the girl tell her what to do.
Sharpening physical skills, in my case baseball batting, would be a killer app. Meta Quest Win Reality for baseball was a killer app for me in the wrong direction. I could never get consistent calibration of the bat, plus the position sampling rate was inadequate. I'm currently in the worst slump of my life, with an on base percentage 400+ points lower than past seasons. Accurately tracking the entire swing (quest can't track the backswing or early swing phase), and being able to swap bats freely and immediately during a session would deliver the promise of VR batting practice.