
HTC Vive President: 'VR Clearly Has a Marketing Problem' - TwoMysticalOrbs
http://www.alistdaily.com/strategy/htc-vive-president-vr-clearly-has-a-marketing-problem/
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oblib
The problem VR has is very few people really want to sit, or stand and stumble
around, with a headset on for very long and that's not gonna be easy to fix
because the main competition with it, real reality, is pretty darn good.

~~~
kakarot
"Casual VR" will probably have the same sucess as "casual gaming" has in the
industry.

After the fad blows over, VR space will probably largely be enthusiasts for a
while if I had to guess.

The real potential for VR's wide adoption, the "killer app", outside of the
productivity space, will likely be experiences that sensually overwhelm and
stir up intense emotions while educating the user.

But there are still fundamental issues with VR that must be worked out first,
namely inside-out tracking, increased mobility scale, and fatigue. It's an
ongoing effort.

~~~
oblib
I think it goes deeper than that, or more pointed, it goes to "fatigue" and
that aspect is highly underrated in the market projections.

The tech is amazing, no doubt about it, and there's lot's of headroom to make
it even more so, but the experience is a novelty that wears off fast and when
it does one is left fatigued and that sticks.

The idea of exploring, say, Machu Picchu in VR is cool as can be. Same can be
said for 1000s of destinations, but after a few you're satiated and it's human
nature to long for what's real.

Like any trendy tech there will some who immerse themselves in it but I don't
see people spending huge amounts of time with it.

Here's why... After I've done Machu Picchu in VR I know pretty much what
everything else will look like. I want to touch the walls and breath the air
and meet the people at Machu Picchu, not just see images of it. I want to be
there.

And deep down inside I know if I become immersed in (or addicted to) VR I lose
touch with reality and there are innate feelings of guilt and waste in that
which are inescapable for most of us.

~~~
kakarot
I think this is why the holy grail is experiences that both sensually
overwhelm and educate the user.

Social multiplayer VR games like Star Trek: Bridge Crew will certainly
maintain a foothold, but what I and I think most people are looking for isn't
a tour of the reality we already experience, but a tour of places that expand
upon or altogether do away with reality.

I want to come out of some VR experiences a changed person, just like I would
a great journey into the unknown.

I want to experience the bloodshed of war firsthand in such a profound way
that I develop PTSD and refuse to support any unnecessary warfare in real
life, and develop empathy and respect for veterans.

I want to solve puzzles so intricately deep (4-dimensional, based on different
physical laws, etc) that I have no comparison for real life.

I want to create my very own meditation / thinking chamber, where I can
surround myself with things I'm trying to comprehend, like a new language, or
information surrounding an unsolved mystery, or a multidimensional flow
control graph in an interpreted program.

I want to study 3-dimensional star maps and universal simulations like Space
Engine [0], because I don't have time to wait for holograms.

I want to physically train my reaction speed, my hand-eye coordination, my
racquetball score, etc.

I want to experience VR audiovisual albums that will no doubt be made by
experimental artists of the next generation.

When I am putting on a VR headset, if I am not doing so to teach myself, I am
doing so to give the opportunity for someone else to teach me with
unprecedented access to my sensory system.

That, to me, is the real application of VR. That is why I will probably end up
spending hours upon hours in VR-space, like many today spend on their phone,
only I am getting something appreciable and of essence.

[0] [http://spaceengine.org/](http://spaceengine.org/)

~~~
oblib
"I want to physically train my reaction speed, my hand-eye coordination, my
racquetball score"

I get all that, but this example sticks out because it's not really
"racquetball" and I couldn't help but question myself about why I didn't go
play real racquetball, or go to real concert.

And, as far as war is concerned, I find it far to easy to imagine the
experience in an all to real way and do not want to dwell on that or see or
suffer the real effects of participating in it.

"When I am putting on a VR headset, if I am not doing so to teach myself, I am
doing so to give the opportunity for someone else to teach me with
unprecedented access to my sensory system."

That may be true to a point. It's also a great description of a "brainwashing"
machine.

