I’m still a firm believer that AR will prove to be more popular and more widely adapted than VR. For starters, it’s easier to add content to reality than replicate the natural world entirely and we already carry around the infrastructure needed for AR with us at all times…our phones. But considering that we’re stuck inside right now with no where to go the idea of virtual worlds providing an escape definitely has a certain appeal. Especially since the latest iteration of a VR headset from Facebook is thin enough to resemble a pair of sunglasses.
According to The Verge:
“Facebook has shown off a new proof-of-concept virtual reality headset, and it has a completely different design than most other VR devices on the market today. Instead of a bulky contraption that covers up the top half of your face and has to be strapped to your head, this proof-of-concept headset looks kind of like a pair of large sunglasses that can sit comfortably on your ears.
Yet Facebook is billing this new device as not a pair of augmented reality glasses, as common conceptions of AR devices go, but a legitimate VR product. They’re very thin, with a display thickness of less than 9mm, and Facebook claims they have a field of view that’s ‘comparable to today’s consumer VR products.'”
In my mind Facebook has lost a lot of luster lately. Excessive suntan lotion wearer Mark Zuckerberg seems out of touch with reality as he aligns himself with Donald Trump, stubbornly refusing to censor content that encourages violence. A move that just further deepens the narrative that Facebook is a negative feedback loop that spreads fake news and swings elections with no regard for moral responsibility.
Not to mention the fact that nothing ever came of their Oculus Rift acquisition or the fact that the only new products they seem to develop are purely copycats of features from other companies like Whatsapp and Snapchat. In fact, when was the last time Facebook did something truly innovative itself? When they created The Wall?
That’s why their VR Sunglasses are so exciting. Aside from what they could offer in of themselves they would also seem to indicate that Facebook is still capable of innovating, still capable of setting trends and raising the bar for the rest of us to follow. That is, if they can get out of their own way and stop screwing everything up before it’s too late. Before they’ve really had a chance to see how far VR can go.
Are VR Sunglasses the Greatest Idea Ever?
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