It's a screen on your face. I know it's crazy and immersive, but it's not really a household product. It's more of bounce house for adults.
It's instructive to do a Google image search for "VR." You can do it on "oculus rift"; the results are nearly the same. this is pretty much the way you pitch VR:
If you're an advertising guy, you're going for "this person is so overwhelmed by the awesomeness on his face that he's completely ignoring the world around him." If you're not an advertising guy, you're watching a person descend into utter and total dorkitude.
"Thanks to Google Glass, I'll never be mistaken for a hot girl again!"
It's a legitimate problem - if they can only get people to try it, they'll love it so much they'll give up on the dorkitude! except with Oculus they have to love it like what? A grand worth? Plus the herkin' rig to drive it? Fuckin' Sony can't pull that off and their rig is like $300 on top of a $400 playstation.
Except that isn't the problem either because if you buy a Pixel phone Google will send you this dorktastic thing for free:
And you know what? The experience of belting your phone to your face is about as compelling as staring at Netflix in 3D can possibly be.
VR boosters: Lawnmower man! But like not 20 years ago!
Target audience: "I may have trid it out. I'm definitely curious."
About the time the Oculus was announced, the drone guys were just starting to get into FPV. At the time you had to roll your own rig and it was awful and cost a minimum of $2500.
About the time the Oculus came out, you could buy an FPV-ready rig from every drone manufacturer you've ever heard of. They're under $100 now.
Market forces are at work in one of these channels. In the other, they are betraying a lack of market.
I would try it but doubt I would like it. Maybe behind a locked door in the privacy of my own home. I do not even like 3D movies or wearing headphones in public.
I am no Steve Mann.
That guy has been dedicated to living his life through wearable computing for decades. I used to see him walking around campus and people went out of their way to get out of his way.
The wearables dorks have been the Untouchables since they began. That smartwatches have had any penetration at all demonstrates that at least some of us want the utility... but none of us want the stigma.
There is no VR without stigma, at least as it's being sold these days. This is why I think Microsoft's Hololens will end up winning, even though it's the dorkiest thing imaginable:
"yes, you look like an utter dork, but the VR is a means to an end, not the end itself. Besides, everyone else looks as dorky as you."
I've met a few people who own a decent VR set up and LOVE IT! Play with it every day, get excited about games that are coming out etc.
I've met more people who are excited enthusiastic about their VR set up than people who feel that way about their smartwatch.
I guess I'd buy a VR set up before I'd buy a smartwatch but neither product seems all that compelling to me right now.
If VR porn explodes than it will move a lot of units and VR will have a stigma to overcome.
I was just at a Best Buy, with you, for the first time in years. It seemed to be pretty busy. I didn't see a demo station, or I may have tried it out. I'm definitely curious.
It's worth checking out, but I'm pretty sure all the videos of people falling over and stuff... those aren't normal people.
I got a Shinecon rig for Christmas, you just slap an iPhone in it. More than a bit underwhelming. Still cool, but it's not like my boss wants to VR telecon yet.