Live data from Hacker News

Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

hugo.blog

91–100 of 863 posts

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#91

After obsessing on thinness and weight for a decade on the iPhone and MacBook, Apple inexplicably did the opposite and missed the opportunity to focus on the major painpoint or VR : every headset hurts after 30 minutes. The Vision Pro is heavier than most flagship headsets. I have 1000 hours on SteamVR, but coming back is a chore. And my face is red after every session.

The iphone was heavier than almost any phone on the market when it was released.

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incomplete, with a poor launch app ecosystem, dependent on owning another of the company's devices to scan your head to get a rather variable quality of mask fit, and when that phone guesses wrong it costs the customer a further $300 for a second guess? As long as the fans keep paying, I suppose you're right.

you just described the first iPod, iPhone, and iPad. they were right about them. you could see where they would assume the magic would happen again just from hubris.

Also, as with the iPhone, etc., they appear to have solved the fundamental problems: in this case, screen quality, UI, and hopefully presence in the surrounding environment.

From here they hardware will get cheaper, the bugs can be worked out, and everything will become more refined.

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#93
post #84
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll only buy a VR device if it's in the form of glasses, not big goggles I need to strap to my face.

glasses won't take over your entire fov though so it suck for VR. maybe better for AR

There's nothing that says that a pair of glasses can't have panels on the sides and top to provide full coverage [0]. The main obstacle is miniaturizing the necessary compute and display technology.

[0] A random example: https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Driving-Around-Sunglasses-Pola...

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#94
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully you're right, but the cynic in me thinks we've been saying the same thing about every VR headset that has come out in the last ten years.

The cynic in you is overly cynical. Ten years ago was pre oculus rift. We weren't saying anything about VR headsets. Five years ago was pre valve index. We didn't have CPUs in a headset. Nor a battery. Cameras were only used for tracking. The things we were saying would improve is "screen door effect" and "tracking", both of which have.

The optical pathway is pretty much locked in. LEEP was invented in the 80s, and that's still the optical system used today. Compare the size to NASA's VR system from the early 90s. https://images.nasa.gov/details/ARC-1992-AC89-0437-6

It's been 30 years of massive improvements to all of the rest of computers, and VR has only shrunk a couple inches. There's not much else we can do to make it smaller.

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#95
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully you're right, but the cynic in me thinks we've been saying the same thing about every VR headset that has come out in the last ten years.

I'll only buy a VR device if it's in the form of glasses, not big goggles I need to strap to my face.

My main concern with the vision pro is that all use cases I know of (other than gaming) work better with some sort of pass through HUD display like the HoloLens.

They spent a ton of company resources, weight and power making the wrong form factor emulate the right form factor, and are shipping with zero killer apps.

You can’t even let your friends play with it without getting it re-fit to their head at the Apple Store, which basically kills social/word of mouth marketing. It certainly isn’t a fashion item / status symbol to be seen in public like all their other stuff.

Maybe the “real” product is sitting in the wings and will be ready to ship in a few years, but the current form factor seems like a non-starter to me.

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#97
post #45

> Watching movies in Vision Pro is great at first but most people will stop doing it after the initial novelty excitement wears off Watching TV/movies in virtual reality seemed like such an incredibly compelling idea that we (the Oculus team at Meta/Facebook) built an entire product around that idea — Oculus Go. Launched in 2018, Oculus Go was the biggest product failure I’ve ever been associated with for the simple…

How do you watch a movie on the vision pro with your family?

i am going to reply earnestly here:

shareplay over facetime is wonderful. i have watched a few big movies with my buddies in this way

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#99

After obsessing on thinness and weight for a decade on the iPhone and MacBook, Apple inexplicably did the opposite and missed the opportunity to focus on the major painpoint or VR : every headset hurts after 30 minutes. The Vision Pro is heavier than most flagship headsets. I have 1000 hours on SteamVR, but coming back is a chore. And my face is red after every session.

isn't it 10 grams heavier than an oculus?

Re: Vision Pro: What we got wrong at Oculus that Apple got right

#100
post #45

> Watching movies in Vision Pro is great at first but most people will stop doing it after the initial novelty excitement wears off Watching TV/movies in virtual reality seemed like such an incredibly compelling idea that we (the Oculus team at Meta/Facebook) built an entire product around that idea — Oculus Go. Launched in 2018, Oculus Go was the biggest product failure I’ve ever been associated with for the simple…

I don't know. I have roughly 0 interest in watching movies with a VR headset. And I have a VR headset, such that I have tried it a bit.

You are also kind of... ignoring the fact that the walkman was very successful. Ridiculously so, in fact. Such that, people did predict ipod like things would be a success because of it. There was a whole line of successful portable music devices leading up to the ipod.

Post reply on HN