The Apple headset does look a lot more lightweight and comfortable than most of what we have today - but even then, I just don't see it.
Even if they got it down to the weight and bulk of actual ski goggles, that wouldn't actually be comfortable for long sessions compared to sitting at a computer or watching TV (or even using a smart phone)
And ultimately you have to ask what the actual benefit is. The VR/AR industry seems (baffingly) to be moving away from games and towards social/business use cases (the Apple headset baffingly seems to be mosty selling itself as a laptop replacement). Everything we saw them doing with the Apple headset in the demo would be more comfortable and easier to do via more traditional mediums.
And don't even get me started on Meta who wants us to start working and shopping in VR...
VR has amazing potential for games, but it seems like just when we started to realize that potential with HL:A, the industry just gave up on it. Now-a-days, all the new titles are arcade games optimized for the quest, and hardware developers seem hell-bent on selling these headsets for everything except games.
I could see wanting something like what the Google Glass was supposed to be as a "wear everywhere" headset, but even then it'd be a niche thing for tech enthusiasts
No one talks about how bad it is to have tons of little LEDs in your eyes. My eyes are already messed up, and I can't use VR for more than an hour before I feel like I want to die. So it's a HARD pass from people like me. Talk to me once you put screens in the walls, not on them.
For all the faults Google glass had, at least they were similar in size to regular glasses. I would only consider these things if they were as non-intrusive as possible, aka not ski goggles
The Vision product is a more like a monitor than AR glasses you wear all day. It makes nods to the practicality of strapping a monitor to your face: you can unplug, slide the battery in your pocket, stand up and walk into a different room to get something without disengaging from the monitor. If someone wants to chat, you can fade in reality and let them see your eyes so that the two of you can more comfortably (we'll see about this!) exchange a few words.
Without things like that, strapping a monitor to your face to get great eye tracking, immersive photos/video, and the giant digital canvas for your application windows might prove too inconvenient. For example, needing to pull the goggles off to answer a quick question from someone else in the room could make the whole endeavor not worth the hassle in some settings. If those settings turn out to be popular (e.g. using this at work in an office), then Apple is one step ahead.
I think that AR glasses you wear when out and about will be a different product. Admittedly, the photography aspect of Vision is a tentative move in this direction. I think it's being positioned more as a thing where you'd pull it out to capture a particular scene, then put it away again, rather than something you'd wear for an entire outing (the battery life largely precludes such a use, after all). I don't think it's a great fit for this now as it seems like it'd require the equivalent of a camera bag to bring with you, but undoubtedly some people will capture some amazing images.
I think the end goal would be AR/VR built into your glasses that are as light as current day glasses. We are probably a long time away from that, but I feel like most VR headsets right now are beta versions of this end goal.
Honestly, yeah, looking forward to when my budget lets me get the SimulaVR headset. Do I want something with a fraction of the software or apps as my laptop. No, that would be a huge step backwards. Do I want to have to buy software and jump through 15 hoops to modify anything? no.
So unfortunately Apple's ISore and Facebook's head-mounted surveillance device aren't for me, but a full Linux machine with x86 with infinite displays and full body interactions, for sure.
I use a headband to keep my hair backwards and even using something as light as that becomes irritating after prolonged periods of time. I'd have to try it, but I'm leaning towards thinking I'd be super annoying for extensive use.
I probably wouldn't use them in any form for what they want to do with them, not a fan of plugging in that hard, but I could wear them for extended periods of time no problem. Can play video games with the big bulky Valve Index for hours on end without a break, I doubt this AR set is much heavier or hotter. Any sort of exercise would probably make it way too steamy to be reliable though.
Would be cool to get some sort of advanced vision system to augment my poor vision though. Start looking like I'm from Star Trek with that sweet visor.
I've tried VR (PlayStation) and found the experience interesting but the novelty wore off pretty quick. I can't imagine using it for long than an hour at a time. Like the 'metaverse' and 3DTV the whole thing seems like a gimmick.
People aren't talking about being in VR all the time, they are talking about Augmented Reality. This isn't the metaverse, it's bring the digital experience into our normal reality to enhance every day life.
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