IMO this blog post can be summarized as "Even if nobody actually wants to use VR for extended periods, it's cool so it will be coming in the future eventually!!"

VR is the perfect metaphor IMO for how "the tech industry" at large has lost its way. It's no longer about using technology to solve long standing human problems, it's about how tech firms can find ways to insert themselves in the fabric of human existence so they can suck their rent indefinitely.

I actually think VR is very cool, and I thoroughly enjoy playing VR games like Beat Saber. But building a really fun (short term) gaming platform, or finding some dedicated VR use cases in specific environments like construction, was never going to be enough for big tech. They wouldn't be satisfied unless all of us had goggles strapped to our faces for 8+ hours a day. Everything Meta talked about made this clear - they only invested a ton of money because they saw it as the new "platform" after desktop and mobile that they could own and control. And it's obviously why AI is commanding so much investment now, as companies are scrambling to own the means of production in human society for years to come.

I agree that VR is not "dead", whatever that means, but I do find some joy that tech companies haven't found yet one more way to own the basics in societal existence.

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dryadin 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It is not about the technology being cool (although I think it is). It is about its being intimately linked to human psychology, philosophy, and culture. That makes it, in my view, a very human technology. It allows us, in theory, to break out of our physical environment, bodies, and limitations.

	▲	hn_throwaway_99 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		> It allows us, in theory, to break out of our physical environment, bodies, and limitations. Or one could, you know, go for a walk outside. There is a reason phrases like "go touch grass" have become popular, or that the prescient Nickelodeon ad from the 90s about putting down VR so you can experience the wonders of "actual reality" has gone viral again. For the past 30 or so years we've seen an explosion of tech that was supposedly going to make humanity more connected, yet somehow in many ways I've seen the exact opposite happen. Until I see folks "max out" on the amazing experiences available in our natural world, I'm extremely skeptical that VR is the solution to our natural limitations.

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chii 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

wanting to own the platform first before the "killer application" became known is how they intend to keep extracting rent for said killer application when it appears.

Consumers need to be wary, and take steps to prevent such an outcome. Unfortunately, most consumers just simply dont know they're in a chess game with corporations they deal with, so don't see any setup moves as being threatening.