191–200 of 229 posts
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Could you name three? (I fully expect that you can, but it'll make your argument that much more convincing). Of the top of my head, I think of DuckDuckGo, which does not spy, but it still have ads.
LexisNexis VersusLaw various legal, bio, tech, IP, etc. sites.
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Absolutely. I wouldn't even look back. I have plenty of other things to occupy my time that isn't work. Painting, writing, photography, music, and the list goes on forever. Freed of the daily grind I would nothing but things I expect no return on simply for the pleasure of it. I'd probably even give away the output of those activities for nothing.
Ah, so you would do something. Okay.
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> _Someone_ is going to create a Google Hangouts-style product that incorporates VR. Are they? Why is VR inevitable? We already went through this once in the 90s, and the same truths are still true: nobody wants to put a face-covering headset just to communicate with other people.
> Why is VR inevitable? Good point, I agree that I am making a big assumption. That said, I don't think the argument that "it didn't work before" is valid. I don't think people want face-covering headsets that _suck_. If I can wear an _awesome_ headset and have a virtual conversation with my family across the country, I'd purchase one in a heartbeat.
So if it's avatars, what are those avatars going to be? Some off the shelf selection of Mii/Second Life/WoW avatars?
But you'll say "modern technology can provide avatars that are very realistic simulacrums of actual people!"
and I say, who will build those models? Now people have to buy high-res 3d scanners for their home as well? Or spend loads of money on modeling teams to build these avatars? Or go to Facebook centers where people get their faces scanned and avatars built?
And the rift doesn't yet even support facial expression mapping.
How do you think this is going to work?
You think people lose their shit over privacy issues now? Wait until Facebook has a sub-mm accurate 3d model of every person's face!
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What if you wanted to do something bigger? Like, say, design a next-generation VR platform?
Why is that bigger? I can already instantaneously communicate with whomever I wish anywhere on or near the planet...cheaply or for essentially free. To play games? I love gaming as much as the next guy, but at the end of the day it's just a toy.
I'd say VR headsets are as much of a toy as Otto Lilienthal's hang gliders. As such, sure, they won't do much more than cool games. But the future is obvious: they're a first step into the Matrix, and from there to fully fledged Mind Uploading. (It may not help us develop the necessary technology —though it may help us figure out crucial neurological facts. But it will give us a glimpse of what is to come.)
Not to mention, VR will probably help us get to AR, which will surely have an even bigger impact.
At this point, we're not looking at a toy any more, but at a Prophecy.
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Okay, any reason that would succeed where VRML failed? I just don't see it.
No wireless, less space than a Nomad. Lame. This was the slashdot editor's byline when Apple released the iPod. Just because a technology exists at one point and failed, doesn't mean that sort of technology can never work. Apple released the Newton ages ago, and we didn't switch to touch screen mobile devices till the iPhone.
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I pretty sure that they want to create something like a successful second life - i.e. a VR social network, where users have their own virtual property that they can customize and virtual spaces where they can meet. Basically something like the metaverse in Snowcrash. And I can completely see the high ups in Occulus thinking that this is a brilliant match of visions.
Okay, any reason that would succeed where VRML failed? I just don't see it.
1. Headset navigation. You move your head and your view changes.
2. Rendering speed.
3. Social network with real audio incorporated into the game? Say goodbye to the chat line.
They're not actually that dumb, right? "According to Mitchell, the company’s current goal is to educate people about the merge and why it is a good thing. He thinks this is working since the negativity is finally starting to cool down." I assume this "gee, we had no idea there would be this reaction" thing is a subtle part of that education campaign.
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Absolutely. I wouldn't even look back. I have plenty of other things to occupy my time that isn't work. Painting, writing, photography, music, and the list goes on forever. Freed of the daily grind I would nothing but things I expect no return on simply for the pleasure of it. I'd probably even give away the output of those activities for nothing.
Ah, so you would do something. Okay.
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I'm not even angry. I'm just not going to buy a VR device with a Facebook connection, Facebook being involved in platform management, etc. I might consider it if it were an unlocked piece of hardware, but I suspect that's so unlikely, I don't actually need to make up my mind about that possibility. I've also had a couple friends cancel projects they were planning for the Oculus platform, because they're no longer sur…
> I've also had a couple friends cancel projects they were planning for the Oculus platform This sort of reaction is such an embarrassing load of nonsense. People have cancelled some nebulous 'projects' that they might have carried out? To be honest, the whole 'anger' thing seems like a bunch of gamers and similar people are just upset that all the 'normal' people might get to experience VR technology at the same tim…
There's no need for a bizarre conspiracy theory in which people are elitist assholes. It's simple: a lot of people think that the Facebook acquisition means that the product is dead, because it will either be transformed into something terrible (VR Farmville!) or the project will be mismanaged until it dies.
You don't have to agree with that assessment, but that is the fear, not some ridiculous idea that people are upset because they don't want "normal" people to have access to cool tech.