this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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I won’t argue about whether this is dystopian, but the practical reason for the face projection is that they wanted to make this not just something you wear sitting alone in your basement, like most other VR headsets. They wanted it to be usable around other people, at a workplace, with family, etc.
Interacting with someone wearing a full face blind is just weird, so they thought that making the eyes visible would help make this a bit more socially usable.
I’m not sure that’s really going to work out — seems at least as awkward as Google’s failed Glass project — but Apple’s design decision has some merit.
Google Glass really feels smarter in this particular regard.
Also they decided to stuff everything into the headset.
Maybe making it a separate thing and moving as much mass and volume as possible to something worn on your belt or your back would be a better idea. EDIT: But I do understand how this doesn't fit their marketing.
Especially considering they already put the battery external, if you have to shove a battery in your pocket and run a wire up to your head they might as well have put more of the electronics there too.
It would conserve a lot of weight and space and make it more comfortable to wear
Yes, I didn't see that initially. When they already have it in two parts, the "doesn't fit marketing" part stops making sense.
I agree. I thought they were going to do that to create a lighter, less intrusive headset. This just seems like the worst of both worlds. Maybe processing in the pocket became too hot without ventilation. I thought they were going to plug the thing into an iPhone in the pocket and offload power and processing there, but the Vision is very power hungry so I guess they eliminated that early on.
Honestly, that part doesn't strike me as any stranger than talking to someone wearing aviator sunglasses
Given the number of TV shows and movies around this topic, I can sense this change coming.
If I have to interact with someone that's wearing goggles, I might go full Luddite.
People wear those fucking white stalks hanging from their ears when interacting with people. I see gangs of teens hanging out, all having white stalks on their ears and no one seem to care anymore.
It's not respectful to the person you're interacting with having those dangling around without showing you actually listen to what's being said. Of course people will wear these to show off as soon as possible.
I think we're past this being a disrespectful thing, and it's just how society evolves. There was a time in which anyone carrying around a cellphone (the big, brick ones) were seeing as showoff.
And years ago, if you saw someone with one of those bluetooth "stalks" as you called them in one ear, talking on the phone loudly on the street, you would think "what a douche!" But today, it's so, so, so common, that nobody seems to care anymore, not even myself. Of course, if they're in an enclosed space, or a relatively quiet space, then that will always be annoying.
Do I like this new norm? Not particularly, as I'm old school. But I just accepted it. And there has been a few times in which I had to do it myself (e.g. talking to someone while carrying some boxes or solving a problem with my bank while folding laundry), and it's kind of relieving that I can do this without feeling ashamed - again, because everyone else is doing it.
It's super easy to know if someone is looking at you when they take off the headset
It's a VR headset. It's not a social experience.
But that's what Apple is trying to change. They don't call it a VR headset. They don't even use the phrase "virtual reality" because they don't want people thinking of it as a VR headset.
Their goal is to get people used to wearing a headset to do normal "real" world things. They want it to be AR, not VR. It's like getting people used to a touchscreen, or not having a headphone jack, or a big-ass notch in the screen.
Their long-term goal is likely glasses that can do the same things as this headset, but with transparent screens, so that they don't need the outer display. And then it won't be VR-first, it'll be AR-first.
Already there
All I want is a pair of glasses that can display notifications like a smart watch. We have had the tech to do this for years and it upsets me that it doesn't exist yet.
Hell, Google even calls it WearOS... pretty sure you wear glasses.
Not gonna happen for a long time
Way to ignore the entire comment and show that you don't understand VR in the slightest, all in one sentence.
Ever heard of Taklings House Party? I've also spent many a night throwing back a few beers and taking turns in Beat Saber.