HTC prices Vive VR headset at $799 ($200 more than the Rift), will ship in early April

[Technician]

I was just asked by my employer to make sure I order one (on their dime) in the first batch... so I'm sure I'll be raving about it soon. I've used the current Vive development model and it was an incredibly immersive experience - one of those "Don't knock it till you've tried it" sort of things.

I notice a lot of people give their opinions on the devices who have never touched this generation's VR devices - not really sure how that works but you guys should at least try it on a proper setup before writing it off. Sure, this won't be for everyone but it's hard for me to understand why there are so many bashers of the technology when every time I get someone to just try the device (DK2) at my office they are immediately sold on it. I've only had one or two people actually say they didn't like it after using it though I do work in the technology field so there might be some bias there.

I guess I just didn't think strapping blinders on increased immersion in any way. It had the opposite effect in fact, constantly reminding me this was on my head. I have far more immersion without it. I forget about the edges of the screen and just react to the content. When I think back to a game I played or a movie I saw I don't remember the screen I saw it on, just the content. But when I think about the games I played in VR I remember the thing on my head being uncomfortable and hot and restrictive not the content. To me its the content that is immersive, not the gear.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

I was just asked by my employer to make sure I order one (on their dime) in the first batch... so I'm sure I'll be raving about it soon. I've used the current Vive development model and it was an incredibly immersive experience - one of those "Don't knock it till you've tried it" sort of things.

I notice a lot of people give their opinions on the devices who have never touched this generation's VR devices - not really sure how that works but you guys should at least try it on a proper setup before writing it off. Sure, this won't be for everyone but it's hard for me to understand why there are so many bashers of the technology when every time I get someone to just try the device (DK2) at my office they are immediately sold on it. I've only had one or two people actually say they didn't like it after using it though I do work in the technology field so there might be some bias there.

I guess I just didn't think strapping blinders on increased immersion in any way. It had the opposite effect in fact, constantly reminding me this was on my head. I have far more immersion without it. I forget about the edges of the screen and just react to the content. When I think back to a game I played or a movie I saw I don't remember the screen I saw it on, just the content. But when I think about the games I played in VR I remember the thing on my head being uncomfortable and hot and restrictive not the content. To me its the content that is immersive, not the gear.

Very interesting point of view you have. Makes sense... I haven't had a chance to try one of these in person except for Google Cardboard. The FOV angle wasn't very good being on a phone, and I could easily see the pixels, but it was otherwise fairly immersive. I would think just like a monitor, you would adapt and forget about the headset being on as well. I guess it all depends on how heavy the device is, how well it fits, and how comfortable you are with it. Perhaps they will need to start integrating cooling fans into these headsets to keep the users face and head from getting hot and sweaty.

 

[Technician]

Very interesting point of view you have. Makes sense... I haven't had a chance to try one of these in person except for Google Cardboard. The FOV angle wasn't very good being on a phone, and I could easily see the pixels, but it was otherwise fairly immersive. I would think just like a monitor, you would adapt and forget about the headset being on as well. I guess it all depends on how heavy the device is, how well it fits, and how comfortable you are with it. Perhaps they will need to start integrating cooling fans into these headsets to keep the users face and head from getting hot and sweaty.

I don't see that as a solution, it reminds me of this

 

[LNCPapa]

Just ordered mine.

 

[Technician]

Just ordered mine.

You might not want to admit that in public.
Its kind of like saying you just bought a chia pet for 300.00 on eBay. Not the most savvy consumer.

 

[LNCPapa]

I'll admit it all day. This is a site that is based around love and passion for technology. I'm sure you're old enough to have seen plenty of new techs start and grow into things we take for granted today. This is one of those things. There are enough naysayers on the rest of the internet and just because a device may not fit into "your" needs doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing.

I love tech - I work in tech - and I use tech everyday. I'm not afraid of change and it's my goal to make sure I grow old still being unafraid of change. If change scares you so much then it might be time to look elsewhere because that's the only thing guaranteed about this field.

 

[Technician]

I'll admit it all day. This is a site that is based around love and passion for technology. I'm sure you're old enough to have seen plenty of new techs start and grow into things we take for granted today. This is one of those things. There are enough naysayers on the rest of the internet and just because a device may not fit into "your" needs doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing.

I love tech - I work in tech - and I use tech everyday. I'm not afraid of change and it's my goal to make sure I grow old still being unafraid of change. If change scares you so much then it might be time to look elsewhere because that's the only thing guaranteed about this field.

Sure, like the betamax...oh yeah. Well, then, the Apple Newton, no? IMB PCjr? Iridium?
I am sure VR won't go the way of all that tech though right? Ask Jaron Lanier. He started the first VR company VPL research in the 80's and went bankrupt in 1990. Sun acquired the patents they held.

They keep trotting this tech out and it keeps failing every few years, just like 3D, and for the same reason, you have to wear something to use it. People don't like wearing something EVERY time they want to do something to save their lives. They don't even wear a helmet every time they ride a motorcycle and that actually could save their lives.

I also love tech and work in tech. I also love inventing new tech that doesn't exsist, but it HAS to meet a need to be sale-able. I made a bottle capper that runs at 600% faster than the ones that were available before. I also understand that not all tech makes sense and will last, some tech is just a bad idea and will always be a bad idea. VR and 3D is a great idea, but it needs to lose the headgear to be widely used. I loved VR, I hate the headgear. I won't do something I hate just to do another thing that I can do another way without it. No one needs VR to do what they can do now without it.
Hololens is the same way, it needs you to wear gear, and then it just shows labels on things, reminds me of 5S where everything in the workplace is labeled and taped around so it goes back where it came from. If you need a label to know where to put your tools, you might not be suited to working with tools.

 

[LNCPapa]

All that said... the technology still has to start somewhere. It always starts rough, large and slow and over time gets refined, smaller, and faster. Those willing to be on the cutting edge or guinea pigs will jump on early and try to shape the future of the technology. Those who want to wait for it to be refined before looking at it will buy another iPhone this year.

Don't get me wrong, I think the iPhone is a great piece of gear. It just doesn't really do anything that hasn't been available for some time now, albeit in a less refined state.

 

[Technician]

All that said... the technology still has to start somewhere. It always starts rough, large and slow and over time gets refined, smaller, and faster. Those willing to be on the cutting edge or guinea pigs will jump on early and try to shape the future of the technology. Those who want to wait for it to be refined before looking at it will buy another iPhone this year.

Don't get me wrong, I think the iPhone is a great piece of gear. It just doesn't really do anything that hasn't been available for some time now, albeit in a less refined state.

But VR started in the 80's the adopters of this round are not cutting edge anything, they just didn't notice the boat leaving the last time around.

 

[LNCPapa]

The technology has changed sooooo much since even the last round of VR. I've been interested each time I've seen it but this is the first time I've felt like the experience is actually worthwhile. Lucky for me I'm in a position where I can do a lot of this research at work - since I am the VR projects liaison where I work.

FYI - I'm not trying to change your mind here - just saying that just because it doesn't fit your needs or move you in a positive way that doesn't make it dumb or bad for everyone.

 

[Technician]

The technology has changed sooooo much since even the last round of VR. I've been interested each time I've seen it but this is the first time I've felt like the experience is actually worthwhile. Lucky for me I'm in a position where I can do a lot of this research at work - since I am the VR projects liaison where I work.

FYI - I'm not trying to change your mind here - just saying that just because it doesn't fit your needs or move you in a positive way that doesn't make it dumb or bad for everyone.

Of course not, those that enjoy strapping stuff to their head will love it, those that don't, wont.