It seems to me that the parallels between VR and 3D cinema are pretty striking. Both technologies that had an original heyday decades ago, but both ran out of steam. Then in the past decade or so they both got resurrected, largely on the promise that _if they worked well_ they'd be super cool, and lots of big companies really invested in them on that premise. But the sad truth is, they don't work all that well, and the actual experience of them is (almost) always a little disappointing. So eventually, even the huge hype generated by the big companies isn't enough to sustain them, and they sink back into obscurity... until the next time someone remembers the dream but forgets the reality.
Couldn't agree more with the 3D parallel. It seemed this was the hot new piece of tech the last few years that we promised would be improved with future investment.
>You're still tethered to a computer or console via a big cable. A cable that you're definitely going to trip over, fight with or yank out of its ports on a regular basis
This is still one of the biggest flaws. If the VR experience is supposed to be submersive, it is almost impossible to forget you are connected to a computer when tethered to a massive physical "rope".
Even when untethered headsets come into play, and even when hardware performance gets better and smaller to allow that, I think VR headsets will always have the problem regarding locomotion as described in the article. At least in a consumer use case, eventually a wall, or a desk, or a door, or furniture will inevitably be bumped against. It may be made better in the future, but I'm not sure if said level of better will be enough to ever feel fully immersed.
Perhaps until a better VR comes in the future, it would be best if there were applications, games, or media that understands its current weaknesses and plays its current strengths. Game scenarios, for example, where players would normally be controlling a vehicle while seated is an immediate example I can think of that would work across--from cheaper Daydreams or Gear VRs to higher-end rigs. Social areas that utilized teleportation for moving, but allowed using the controller for arm movements to feel like you're 'interacting' with someone in a manner more personal than just hearing voice through a microphone or text on a screen. Things like that. That way the 'craze' may last longer until something better happens.
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[ 4.2 ms ] story [ 21.1 ms ] thread>You're still tethered to a computer or console via a big cable. A cable that you're definitely going to trip over, fight with or yank out of its ports on a regular basis
This is still one of the biggest flaws. If the VR experience is supposed to be submersive, it is almost impossible to forget you are connected to a computer when tethered to a massive physical "rope".
Perhaps until a better VR comes in the future, it would be best if there were applications, games, or media that understands its current weaknesses and plays its current strengths. Game scenarios, for example, where players would normally be controlling a vehicle while seated is an immediate example I can think of that would work across--from cheaper Daydreams or Gear VRs to higher-end rigs. Social areas that utilized teleportation for moving, but allowed using the controller for arm movements to feel like you're 'interacting' with someone in a manner more personal than just hearing voice through a microphone or text on a screen. Things like that. That way the 'craze' may last longer until something better happens.