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Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

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Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#331

Post by Earw0rm »

Towaway69 wrote: post #314
Simon_ORourke wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It doesn’t really solve enough of a “real” problem to justify the current cost Exactly this, for now the minimal use cases for these kinds of high-end VR headsets leave them firmly in the "gimmick" category. I'm pretty sure some mass-market use case will be found for them, maybe even outside of gaming, but the fact that some pretty smart people haven't found this one already is a teensey-tiny bit worrying too.

By what the OP describes, these devices could become a limited but perhaps “profound” replacement for flying thousands of kms to have a holiday. Or to have “power holidays” similar to a Power Nap, where you use an VR/AR device to relive a holiday for 5/10 mins. Or to have “preview holidays” to experience a destination before booking a flight there. If travel agents still existed, then they would be a perfect market f…

Unless perhaps you're severely disabled, holidays are so much more than just your eyes and ears.

Not just all of your five senses, and your ability to interact, but the social and human side as well, and your ability to interact physically with it all.

People said the same kind of things about TV - and while, on the one hand, they perhaps underestimated the profound effects of TV on society, nobody would confuse it with telepresence.

I'm not sure what VR offers here that web panoramas, detailed photos and customer reviews don't.. there's a marginal advantage there perhaps but it feels like a $250-300 peripheral rather than a $kk investment.

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#332

Post by jillesvangurp »

Animats wrote: post #227

As Carmack (the game guy, head of Oculus, etc.) says, until the headgear gets down to swim goggle size, it's not going to get any traction, and until it gets down to eyeglass size, it's not going mainstream. The Apple Vision Pro was an unexpected dud. Something more eyeglass sized, with phone-like functionality and good design, would have been more in line with Apple's aesthetic. Instead, it was another half brick on…

It's not about the hardware but about the content. There's a lack of compelling content. And because the audience is so small, publishers aren't in a hurry to create that content. And they cross publish what little they create to boost its value. Which further dilutes the value of these devices.

Apple and Meta need to start investing in exclusive content for these devices. Neither of them is really doing that. Apple has some bits and pieces but it doesn't really add up to much. Both are spending billions on the hardware; but not on the content. They need to be doing both. And not just on launch content but on a steady stream of content, games, and apps that people will want, talk about, review, etc. That will create demand for these devices.

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#333

Post by closewith »

zmmmmm wrote: post #150
screye wrote: post #53

A counter point on premium VR headsets. They are teleportation devices. I've used every popular VR device, but one Vision Pro experience stood out - 'The Haleakala environment'[1] It was literally like being transported there. I know because I had been in that exact spot a few years before. I have a rich visual memory which served as reference, and no exaggeration, it felt like was there. I was immediately in tears.…

I think the teleportation angle is even more compelling from the point of view of enabling virtual co-presence. With photo-realistic avatars as Apple and Meta have both demonstrated are fully possible, we'll soon be in a situation where you can click a button and be fully present with anybody anywhere, any time. This is as close to true physical teleportation that humanity will ever get, and I expect that once it's m…

This use-case is decades away from being compelling and to a rounding error, nobody wants it.

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#334

Post by bratwurst3000 »

Simon_ORourke wrote: post #298
conductr wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want to believe you but until the price range becomes below $1000 or so there’s virtually no market. It’s a toy. People don’t need a teleportation device. It’s fun to play with, like a toy. It doesn’t really solve enough of a “real” problem to justify the current cost. It’s also too expensive to be given as a holiday or birthday gift by most family members. I believe the “just give it a few years thing” but only if…

> It doesn’t really solve enough of a “real” problem to justify the current cost Exactly this, for now the minimal use cases for these kinds of high-end VR headsets leave them firmly in the "gimmick" category. I'm pretty sure some mass-market use case will be found for them, maybe even outside of gaming, but the fact that some pretty smart people haven't found this one already is a teensey-tiny bit worrying too.

how didnt porn run this over? honestly porn did advances the internet because it, and gaming, was THE usecase for most people. youtube etc wasnt there at the time it was porn and games. And porn and games should be the reason why VR shall sell

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#335

Post by lm28469 »

what wrote: post #260
vlovich123 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fidelity of a real local $1000 experience vs a fake one is a lot different even if you can’t travel as far.

That doesn’t really answer the question. What real local experience can you have for $1000 that isn’t in your back yard?

I went a week a Norway from Germany, everything included for 4 people was less than 1k

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#336

Post by bratwurst3000 »

nine_k wrote: post #318
what wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn’t really answer the question. What real local experience can you have for $1000 that isn’t in your back yard?

OK, if you live in (Western) Europe, you can go, say, from Netherlands or Sweden to fabulous places like Barcelona or Rome or Istanbul, all very different, picturesque, and not hugely expensive. A flight, if you time it well, could cost less than €100, or even €60..

we in europe are lucky. i got a flight for 20€ to portugal and was staying there for a week for around 50€ a day. thats not even 500 bucks. this vr headset would be 5-8 weeks of holiday worth

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#337

Post by Earw0rm »

what wrote: post #260
vlovich123 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fidelity of a real local $1000 experience vs a fake one is a lot different even if you can’t travel as far.

That doesn’t really answer the question. What real local experience can you have for $1000 that isn’t in your back yard?

So many options in Europe if you don't mind discomfort. From the UK, I'd maybe take a cheap flight to Poland or even the long distance bus. Once there, YHA hostels, camping etc.

Another option is fly to Greece and island hop on the ferries. Or Portugal and northern Spain. Buses are the cheapest way to get around there and fairly flexible although not quick. Sometimes you can hire a car for a week for $250, or some places hire mopeds for way less.

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#338

Post by ingenieros »

wrsh07 wrote: post #40

Honestly, this is a shame, because I think a lot of the vision pro's flaws are Apple problems. That said, meta seems to have found a sweet spot in price/performance, so maybe in a few generations we will have something with the quality of vision pro that is not locked down

This so called “sweet spot” comes at the cost of billions of dollars in operating losses and layoffs at Reality Labs year after year. The worst part is that Meta is merely licensing the Ray-Ban form factor and this also comes at a hefty price tag. Specially if other companies such as Google enter a bidding war to snatch that exclusivity away from them. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/07/31/metas-reality-labs-posts...

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-steal-ray-ban-meta-m...

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#339

Post by Towaway69 »

davkan wrote: post #325
Towaway69 wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By what the OP describes, these devices could become a limited but perhaps “profound” replacement for flying thousands of kms to have a holiday. Or to have “power holidays” similar to a Power Nap, where you use an VR/AR device to relive a holiday for 5/10 mins. Or to have “preview holidays” to experience a destination before booking a flight there. If travel agents still existed, then they would be a perfect market f…

That all sounds very depressing to me if I’m being honest.

So are the regular news concerning the destruction of the environment and our human caused climate change.

If a VR set can reduce travel, then that might be something positive for the environment.

Re: Meta cancels high-end mixed reality headset after Apple Vision Pro struggles

#340

Post by Earw0rm »

Miraste wrote: post #117
geoelectric wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is that I don’t really see the Vision Pro as Palm OS. Palm OS was out for years and years and was really successful, all things considered. Sure, it wasn’t as ubiquitous as iOS or Android now, but it obviously filled a niche for a large enough number of people that it stuck around and pioneered that market. I had a Kyocera 6035 Palm “smartphone” over half a decade before the iPhone came out, and the Handspr…

My hope is that the Vision Pro is like the Apple Watch. It launched without a clear idea of why people would buy it--originally Apple tried to sell their bland aluminum box as a fashion accessory--and it was only after multiple iterations that they found out health and fitness was the main appeal and focused on it. If they pay attention to how people do use VR headsets, maybe they can do that again.

The stumbling block here seems likely to be Apple's fundamental dislike of, and disconnect with, all things gaming.

It's an aesthetic and cultural divide. Like premium German car brands vs ricers, and I don't need to tell you which is which.

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