Steam released their stats for 2018: vr users doubled, now at 0.8. Proud to call myself part of this one percent, but it’s still a technology in search of a killer app or reason for being. That’s .8 percent of gamers: have to believe that the general public percentage is much smaller.

Stand-alone might make a case for adoption. Can’t wait to see what the Oculus Quest brings.

For producing our own custom parts.

I never thought we'd be printing out mass produced parts just to save a day or two on purchasing and delivery.

This.

It feels like we're talking about pc's in the early 80's, and how having one in the home would be impractical since the only use is to store recipes.

VR is a fad and has barely gone anywhere past what people were imagining in the 80s.

I remember touch screens being in museums when I went on school trips (also in the 80s). That tech slept for a long time and now it is finally commonplace. VR will never reach that state. It will always be a gimmick that pops up every few decades and then rests for a few more.

Remember some 10 years ago when every new movie was in 3D and people cared about that? Remember another 15 years before that when the same craze came and went? VR is the same thing. People get curious about things when they haven't been around for a while and it sparks an interest that fizzles out.

The post about VR in architecture sounds amazing, though. Also 3D printers are fascinating but I think I agree they are not likely to become a common household item anytime soon.

Anyone who think it's a fad is painfully short-sighted.

I wouldn't pay much attention to the flat earth troll. Wasn't he supposed to be contained to that thread?

Remember virtual reality? Its buzz has faded at CES 2019

Just a few years ago, virtual reality was poised to take over the world. After decades of near misses, the revolution finally seemed imminent, with slick consumer headsets about to hit the market and industries from gaming and entertainment to social media ready to hop on the bandwagon.

But the buzz over VR has faded to a whisper. At the CES 2019 tech show in Las Vegas, Facebook’s Oculus unit isn’t holding any glitzy press events, just closed-door demos for its upcoming Oculus Quest, a $399 untethered headset due out in the spring. Other VR companies are similarly subdued. HTC announced two new headsets — one with only sketchy details — while Sony has some kiosks for its $300 PlayStation VR set in the main hall.

...

Software makers are retrenching. IMAX said in late December it was shutting down its VR unit. Jaunt, a startup focused on cinematic VR and once backed by Disney, restructured this year. Its new focus? VR’s cousin technology, “augmented reality,” which paints consumer-simulated objects into the real world, a la the cartoony monsters of “Pokemon Go.”

Oh, it's augmented reality we're supposed to be excited about?





Can't wait!