Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

news.ycombinator.com

171–180 of 257 posts

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#171
I'm currently visiting family abroad and working remotely. I bought my work machine (A Mac M1) and a quest 2 with me. So far I've done one week of 9 hour days and on one of those days I used Immersed VR until I got a battery warning.

The experience was flawed but many things worked surprisingly well. I was getting fed up with just having one screen and having four low-resolution screens was really useful for some things. I could have slack on one screen, VSCode in the centre, my calendar or documentation on the left and my personal recreational browser and music Windows on my right (I eventually moved this to the top because otherwise it was covering the corridor where family members walked past and I preferred to see them using pass-through than being completely oblivious to the outside world).

Is it a very small screen for an IDE and is text blurry? Yes both. But text right in front of your head is quite clear. You have to scan your head to read lots, but most of the time a suggestion of the surrounding text is enough to get by. You also have to change your idea of "sharp text" it's better to use something like cool-retro-term or zoomed in browser to get text that's knowingly large and fuzzy.

I wear glasses but have VROptician lenses and a Bobovr headstrap. The batteries would have died before I became uncomfortable.

The most important observation is that I didn't jump back in to VR once the batteries were charged or the next morning, but I'm glad to have a multi monitor option that fits in my cabin luggage, and cost a free hundred pounds, for when I'm doing a task that would be a total pain on one monitor.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#172

Don't only consider VR headsets; also check out AR glasses. The newest generation of AR glasses are surprisingly practical as portable displays e.g. Nreal Air.[1] However neither VR headsets nor AR glasses have reached the resolution sweet spot to compete with monitors in permanent workspaces [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDekX4vrSsA

The HP G2 is much better than any AR product for reading text. It comes close to desktop monitors. It’s also under $300 on eBay and frequently on sale

That’s interesting. As a HP G2 owner, it really doesn’t come close to reading text on a desktop monitor for me.

The combination of FoV and the resolution really isn’t there, I struggle reading text through it vs a 27” 1440p desktop monitor I have on the same PC. I really couldn’t imagine reading text for any length of time in VR.

(Edit: I just realised you were comparing to AR, not desktop, sorry.)

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#173

I would rather become a brick mason or plumber before I have to work with a VR headset on. Zero doubts. If this becomes any kind of norm for tech work I'm throwing my computer out the window.

not a plumber--some contortions are sometimes involved to get into tight spaces (not as bad as my brother who is an auto mechanic when he has to get under the dash.) But I have put my name in for the position that drives the lawn mower for my wind down at the end of my career.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#174
post #3

Have you ever used VR and tried to read small text? Feels like we're still far from from minimum viable resolution for that to me.

This is why VR pixel density (PPD) is so important for VR computing. It's the #1 thing that impacts how legible text and other fine details are when working. Here's a list of headsets for comparison: - Valve Index: 11.07 PPD - Quest II: 20.58 PPD - Quest Pro: 22.6 PPD (In full disclaimer I'm affiliated with SimulaVR, and we're working on a headset with 35.5 PPD.)

What’s the PPD equivalent for a recent MacBook Pro at a distance of “sitting on your lap”?

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#176
I've got a Quest 2 but used it for about a week barely used it since due to eye strain off it had the worst head ache ever after 1/2 a day on it, found it had some cool ideas certainly not ready for productivity but certainly on the way to it. Quest Pro sounds like it could be a game changer but whats it like on eye strain/ head aches? The continuous IPD adjustment sounds like a real improvement but I don't want to gamble on one at 1500.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#178
This is way far away from your specific question, but I've had a similar situation to yours (travelling constantly between cities).

What has worked for me (staying a couple of months within citiies) is to "buy" good used monitors in local pawn shops and re-pawn (sorry dont know the exact English term) them once I've finished using them. I end up paying around $50 usd or equivalent to "rent" a monitor for a couple of months.

I tried asking local internet cafes to rent me screens, but it is becoming less and less common.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#179
I easily fit two 27" monitors in 1/2 of my normal sized suitcase. At first I was super careful how I packed them. But they've lasted so long I just throw some clothes around them for the past few years.

Full size mechanical keyboard too, and lots of cables and a power strip. I almost always have extra space and end up adding clothes I don't need just to keep stuff in its place.

Weight is the real consideration you might have to manage. One time I had to remove some items and put them in carry-on to meet a weight restriction. After which I bought a very cheap luggage scale.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#180
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you recommend one of these great products that won’t transmit my activity and usage off my device? Fortunately monitor manufacturers haven’t figured out that trick yet and I don’t want a privacy regression from my non-virtual monitor setup. Everything I have found in VR land assumes internet connectivity, demands a login/PII, and transmits data back to the mothership against my will.

It’s not a dumb monitor. Even the new Apple headset will require internet connectivity and an online account. Also from what I’ve seen, most VR headsets have an option for not sharing your usage analytics. It’s not shared by default.

> It’s not a dumb monitor

It could be. Just like you can use Android phones without signing into Google (or at least could, not sure how stock OS works nowadays as I'm on microG for the last couple years).

Post reply on HN