31–40 of 72 posts
The article doesn't go into details as to why Apple should be doing anything with VR that isn't a) a proven technology nor is it b) anything more than a fad. I've heard of the same thing being said about 3D TV, it quickly died a few years. I have a 3d Projector but never used it. I've tried a few 3D movies but prefer the standard vision. In addition, we went through the VR fed back in the 90s, just like 3D TV, it die…
And after removing all the unnecessary HP crapware, driver installation headaches and navigating the weird hybrid UI, I was reminded of how much I haven't missed.
Does no one remember the Eee PC? The whole "netbook" craze? It was at least 2-3 years that each quarterly earnings call some analyst would ask, like clockwork, why Apple was letting the netbook market get away from them. Officially, the answer that Apple repeatedly gave was that they "weren't impressed with any of the current offerings" and that they would not "rush to market with a product we're not proud of" (not e…
There's a big difference between Apple making their own VR hardware and shipping a computer with a fast enough GPU to run other VR hardware (or ability to have a fast enough GPU via something like the Razer Core). The latter would be necessary for Apple in the growing VR ecosystem but it could be great for many other areas that require an intensive GPU. And that's the argument of the piece.
But Apple doesn't care...
The thing about Apple is that, unlike almost all of their competitors, they really don't care about a "Mac in every home". They'd much rather target specific slices of the market where they can excel and make a lot of money (think BMW, not Ford).
Apple gets a lot less love overall from game developers than from web developers because they don't appear to care about games and don't give the kind of developer support game devs are used to from other platform holders and hardware companies. Even if they were to announce something in the VR space it would take a lot of changes to their approach for that to change I feel.
The article doesn't go into details as to why Apple should be doing anything with VR that isn't a) a proven technology nor is it b) anything more than a fad. I've heard of the same thing being said about 3D TV, it quickly died a few years. I have a 3d Projector but never used it. I've tried a few 3D movies but prefer the standard vision. In addition, we went through the VR fed back in the 90s, just like 3D TV, it die…
>The article doesn't go into details as to why Apple should be doing anything with VR that isn't a) a proven technology nor is it b) anything more than a fad. You could say the same about cars, but Apple is supposedly working on building one. The same could be said about watches before the Apple Watch was released too. I agree with your point, but I'm just playing devil's advocate.
VR is not yet 'here' and is not currently delivering, but it is promising a lot. The form factor alone has challenges which the public will not be willing to sacrifice for the experience, which could turn out to be mostly a gimmick. Some things people don't think about; -) looking at your keyboard/input device whilst wearing a VR headset -) being the same room as other people for prolonged periods of time with a head…
The real problem with this question is that it's like asking someone in 1990 what the point of 3d graphics are. Beyond what's been announced, there's no definite timeline for anything - who besides John Carmack would even imagine the genre (FPS) that would popularize 3d graphics cards? Who could predict that Castlevania would suck in 3d but Mario would find an amazing niche?
I trust that most people reading this thread are alive and well, so clearly we don't "need" VR, but I can imagine some incredibly engaging experiences that will make today's best entertainment options look second best at best. Imagine playing a competitive game of ping pong with a friend that lives a few states away. Imagine watching a sporting event from the best seats in the stadium. Imagine being able to golf at a luxurious seaside resort... after work in the middle of winter, in your apartment. Imagine watching movies on a movie screen sized virtual screen. All of these are necessarily limited by being based on existing analogues, some or all of which could be completely off the mark, but I for one believe we'll see some breakthrough experiences rather quickly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It combines proven technologies into polished products. Is that not innovation? Maybe technically the iPhone was just a combination of existing technologies, but it went above and beyond them to the point that it was essentially new.
No, it's marketing more than innovation.
VR has its use cases. But the question is, will it be like 3D for mass market? Everybody praised 3D when it started a few years back. But now 3D seems to be dead, with the few exceptions like movie cinemas. Even most of the TV manufacturers seems to get rid of it. So what about VR? Only a hype by the tech savvy community and the lost and forgotten in a few years when it should be ready for mass market?
Note: Have not read article, going from title. Apple is usually not a first to market type. They are a first to market with an amazing, polished, product type. They'll wait to see what gets proved in the market and what doesn't.
> They are a first to market with an amazing, polished, product type That hasn't been true for a long time. The iPad might have been the last product fitting that description, and it was released in 2010.
Ok, 'amazing' and 'polished' are aesthetic judgements on which reasonable people can disagree. How much better would it have to do to count, in your opinion?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
To that we can add the biggest problem: nausea.
We have a DK2 at the office and no-one has experienced any nausea. Anecdotal but still, I think that was a much bigger problem with the DK1.
I recently picked up a first person game for the first time in quite a few years, and I was surprised to discover I got a little motion sickness after a few hours. It was fairly mild, but it's not an experience I'm keen to repeat for the sake of entertainment.