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Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

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Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#21

Post by ako »

writimov wrote: post #2

I've used a Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Cardboard VR systems and seen a demo of Oculus Rift. Is the Lenovo ThinkReality a real competitor? The market hasn't picked up VR for gaming and AR has flopped so far. How about high end systems for engineering and design. There could be a case where engineering speed and collaboration could increase from using a few of these systems at any company doing hardware design.

I don't think AR has flopped so far, but when it's used well it's not perceived as AR.

For example, my car has a rear camera, which overlays where you are going depending on the position of the steering wheel. This is reality augmented, but since it feels so natural, nobody thinks about this as AR.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#22

Post by andybak »

thrower123 wrote: post #19
andybak wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've missed out something in between "games" and "useful". The arts. There's still a lot of interest (at least from where I'm standing) in VR etc as a creative medium. There's some really remarkable work being created.

Is there a market in there somewhere, or is it a whizz-bang gimmick like 3D TVs? I've seen a lot of VR gaming, or at least, I did, approximately 18-12 months ago, but it really seems to have petered out.

> Is there a market in there somewhere, or is it a whizz-bang gimmick like 3D TVs?

There's very little similarity between VR and 3D TV. The latter was mostly driven by marketing teams whilst the former was and is mostly driven by enthusiasts.

> I've seen a lot of VR gaming, or at least, I did, approximately 18-12 months ago, but it really seems to have petered out.

The Quest is about to be released. That's where most of the excitement is at the moment as it's a new form factor and potentially a new market.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#23

Post by andybak »

germinalphrase wrote: post #17
andybak wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've missed out something in between "games" and "useful". The arts. There's still a lot of interest (at least from where I'm standing) in VR etc as a creative medium. There's some really remarkable work being created.

Is there a good resource for finding such work? I recently experienced some VR art at the Walker Art Center (museum of modern art) in Minneapolis and was decidedly underwhelmed.

> Is there a good resource for finding such work?

Not really. Most stuff is released to Steam or the Oculus Store and it's reported and occasionally reviewed on VR blogs and subreddits.

> I recently experienced some VR art at the Walker Art Center (museum of modern art) in Minneapolis and was decidedly underwhelmed.

What was it? Actual VR or just 360 video?

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#24

Post by callalex »

ako wrote: post #21
writimov wrote: post #2

I've used a Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Cardboard VR systems and seen a demo of Oculus Rift. Is the Lenovo ThinkReality a real competitor? The market hasn't picked up VR for gaming and AR has flopped so far. How about high end systems for engineering and design. There could be a case where engineering speed and collaboration could increase from using a few of these systems at any company doing hardware design.

I don't think AR has flopped so far, but when it's used well it's not perceived as AR. For example, my car has a rear camera, which overlays where you are going depending on the position of the steering wheel. This is reality augmented, but since it feels so natural, nobody thinks about this as AR.

I disagree that the steering guide lines on a reverse camera are AR. A key aspect of AR is that it is environment-aware. An image overlaid on a video is not actually aware of “reality” at all.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#25

Post by eugeniub »

skellera wrote: post #18
eugeniub wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Oculus Quest could be the iPhone of VR. Keep in mind that the iPhone gen 1 didn’t sell well at all compared to just about any other iPhone generation.

It’s not about selling well. It’s revolutionizing the field. I don’t think the quest would be considered that. It’s great and will bring more people to the market but it is still to be seen if that price point for something only a single person can enjoy at a time will be a game changer.

Ok, then by that definition the Oculus Rift is the iPhone of VR.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#26

Post by sheep-a »

ako wrote: post #21
writimov wrote: post #2

I've used a Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Cardboard VR systems and seen a demo of Oculus Rift. Is the Lenovo ThinkReality a real competitor? The market hasn't picked up VR for gaming and AR has flopped so far. How about high end systems for engineering and design. There could be a case where engineering speed and collaboration could increase from using a few of these systems at any company doing hardware design.

I don't think AR has flopped so far, but when it's used well it's not perceived as AR. For example, my car has a rear camera, which overlays where you are going depending on the position of the steering wheel. This is reality augmented, but since it feels so natural, nobody thinks about this as AR.

I'm not convinced... to me AR is an environment you can interact with or it interacts with the environment. Some lines drawn on a screen. meh

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#27

Post by samplatt »

k__ wrote: post #7
writimov wrote: post #2

I've used a Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Cardboard VR systems and seen a demo of Oculus Rift. Is the Lenovo ThinkReality a real competitor? The market hasn't picked up VR for gaming and AR has flopped so far. How about high end systems for engineering and design. There could be a case where engineering speed and collaboration could increase from using a few of these systems at any company doing hardware design.

I think VR could take off this year. The Quest and Shadow VR have reasonable price ranges. AR headsets are still a magnitude too expensive.

Could take off?

It already has. Four of my buddies that play Rocket League almost exclusively have dropped AU$300 on a headset because we showed them Beat Saber at a LAN party, and they haven't stopped playing it since.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#28

Post by garmaine »

andybak wrote: post #14
dna_polymerase wrote: post #8

The only place I see such devices are highly polished demos to show the 'capabilities of AR/VR'. I've never seen such headsets used for anything even remotely useful (not considering gaming as extremely useful). I think the AR/VR craze is just here because we have nothing really new at the moment and investors want to pour money into something.

You've missed out something in between "games" and "useful". The arts. There's still a lot of interest (at least from where I'm standing) in VR etc as a creative medium. There's some really remarkable work being created.

Also engineering—meaning physical engineering, not software. Think: CAD, simulations, architecture, manufacturing. You could do a virtual walk though of a factory before breaking ground, or just look at the output of a numerical simulation to get a gist of it instead of spending time writing summary tools.

When VR controllers get there you could program an industrial robot arm just by doing the activity yourself in a simulated environment.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#29

Post by samplatt »

keyle wrote: post #11
k__ wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think VR could take off this year. The Quest and Shadow VR have reasonable price ranges. AR headsets are still a magnitude too expensive.

Still miles away from mass adoption. VR/AR is at the stage of the Apple Newton and I don't think we're at the iPhone stage yet (in relative terms).

I'd put it closer to the HTC TyTn or first Google phone levels. It's still an enthusiasts thing, and there's no barrier for entry other than knowing what you want.

Once it becomes something that people want without knowing why, then it'll be iPhone level.

Re: Lenovo launches HoloLens competitor

#30

Post by TravHatesMe »

AlphaWeaver wrote: post #15
writimov wrote: post #2

I've used a Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Cardboard VR systems and seen a demo of Oculus Rift. Is the Lenovo ThinkReality a real competitor? The market hasn't picked up VR for gaming and AR has flopped so far. How about high end systems for engineering and design. There could be a case where engineering speed and collaboration could increase from using a few of these systems at any company doing hardware design.

I've used the original Hololens and one of the things that stuck with me was how well-polished it was from an OS standpoint. Microsoft has worked hard on Windows Holographic and it shows. If this device can run Windows Holographic I think this could be really great. Lenovo already works with Microsoft to run it on some of their budget AR headsets but it is unclear to me whether Microsoft will grant them permission to…

I was also impressed by the original Hololens. The hardware, however, needs some improvements. The headset was a bit heavy for long term use and the resolution of the AR image was not as good as I had expected. The software and SDK were solid; what stood out to me was the realtime spatial construction of the environment.
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