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Google Cardboard is stupid

9 points by dpweb ↗ HN
I'm sorry but we've jumped the shark when some fold up cardboard box with a phone stuck in it - is important innovation. I thought this was an April fools joke.

I'm all for pushing the envelope, innovation and all that.. But these companies need to get over themselves a little bit. They don't have to fill up the media with every little idea even if its relatively clever.

4 comments

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tomwritesjs
I'm sorry to hear that you have such a negative feeling on the subject. I for one have been frustrated by all the media attention given to VR over the last year. Mostly because I have had no way to experience it without paying Facebook for an Oculous dev kit. As such I was pretty stoked that the editors of Gizmodo rated the Google cardboard experience as comparable to the Oculous V1 dev kit. Avalible now using my existing Nexus 5 and about $20 worth of materials. New and expensive hardware needs a chance to permeate to the public so we can form our own opinions on the trend. I for one applaud Google for finding a sub $20 maker solution to the problem and making it publicly available.

It's important to remember that the media are the ones who blew up about it. From what I understand it was a short aside for Google's I/O Keynote. I think that your frustration is misplaced.

acosmism
Well... When you think about it, the software managing the headtracking using phone sensors is kind of awesome...
Someone1234
I think you're taking this far too seriously. It is a little bit of fun both on Google's part and on the part of the people who will make/get a Cardboard.

So what if some people have a little bit of fun? Nobody that I've read claims it is the next big thing or it will somehow replace Google Glass or any other VR-like solution.

kordless
Cardboard has no intelligence. It's just recycled trees.

People bring context to things. That context is occasionally interesting to some. Sometimes it's interesting to many. When many people find something interesting, it is called 'bandwagon bias'. Bandwagon bias is so common we have a word for it: meme. To be upset about a meme, well, that says something about YOU. The companies who, as you say, 'need to get over themselves' are just having a good time living life and talking about the things that interest them.

Filling up the media sphere is very difficult, but I wonder why one or maybe a few individuals think they should be able to dictate what fills it. Moreover, I wonder why these individuals find it OK to make blaming statements of others?