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Report: Google Will Go In Big For VR Hardware This Year
The Financial Times reports that Google isn't going to let the VR hardware wars fall to the likes of Samsung and Oculus; instead, it's working on a (cardboard-free) VR headset of its own, to be released in conjunction with Android VR software intended not only to make Android more VR friendly in general but specifically to help developers reduce nausea-inducing lag. The report doesn't quite come out of the blue, considering that Google has shipped more than 5 million of its own Cardboard viewer already, and has several projects dealing with VR infrastructure, either directly (like Jump) or indrectly (like Project Tango). Google (or Alphabet) has proven itself a hardware behemoth, not just the "search giant" it's so often called in news stories, and of late seems to be more interested in making its footprint in hardware a bit firmer.
The big thing a few years ago was to add 3D technology to movies and games, but nothing really came of it. The 3D movie fad seems to have slowed. Do people play a ton of games in 3D?
I figure there's a small gaming market for things like the Oculus Rift especially at its current total cost (with a powerful computer).
I suppose there might be commercial uses for VR such as training.
You mean like the way they invested heavily in Glass, and how a year later, we are all wearing them?
They suck now
If you think of a company as being from what it derives its revenue, Google is still an advertising company.
Its a real stretch, to describe them as a hardware "behemoth". All they made is:
- Nexus 4/5/6/7
- Nexus Q (cancelled)
- Glass (arguably cancelled, but at least still in test)
- Chromecast
- Chromebook Pixel
- Pixel C
- Car (still in test, and will be for years)
Of those , Chromecast is probably the only large seller, maybe Nexus devices depending on what your threshold level is for "large" sales.
Theres other stuff like OnHub, Android TV, Chromebooks, Android etc, but Google doesn't make any of these hardware devices - they are made and branded by other companies, and Google does the heavy lifting on most of the software stack.
Cardboard is, a cardboard cut out. That doesn't make you a hardware behemoth either.
Right now, comments on this article are 100% Anonymous Cowards, who all agree this is dumb and won't go anwhere. And that's pretty much par for the course here - people dumping on random consumer tech, websites, every company in software, VR, robotics, AI, self-driving cars.
I think VR is going to be big. We bought an Oculus DK2 a while back, and people are blown away by it, despite it being flakey, being a generation behind in hardware, and there being essentially no professional content.
Maybe I'm wrong and VR won't go anywhere, but it's sad that Slashdot has become so blase about technology and the future. There's plenty of places VR could go and plenty of things you could do with it that are at least potentially exciting. But nobody is imagining any of that, they're thinking "meh, I'm happy playing normal FPS games on my normal monitor", "this didn't work before, so it won't work now", and "nobody wants to wear goggles on their head".
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
will it require a Google+ account? I don't think I want VR unless it can be social, so I hope they make sure Google+ is well integrated into the experience. Google+ is definitely the greatest creation this century. It's doing right all the things Facebook has done wrong. If they need to kill anymore of their good products to make room for Google+ integrated with Google VR, that's well justified to continue and further integrate the greatness of Google+. If anything Google+ has saved that company from the threats of irrelevance.
While nausea caused by VR has genetics as a significant factor ( a "if your vision does not match your inner ear you may have eaten something bad and should probably vomit it back up" type survival trait) it cannot be rolled out universally as a teaching aid because to do so would disadvantage the significant numbers of people who are born with a sensitivity to VR induced nausea syndrome.
Better invest in some new a better drugs guys, because the current anti nausea drugs don't work well and make you dumber.
Gotta attract the young grunts... I mean talent... somehow!
Really need the content. I have an Oculus DK1 and a Cardboard viewer too - I really, really want to be a fan but there's only so many roller coasters and dinosaur parks I need to see.
You could do great things even now with it - there's some interesting solar system exploration apps for example. Too few people are actually doing this though, and my viewers more or less sit in a cupboard doing nothing. The push needs to be towards applications (including games yes, but other stuff too) and not just the hardware.
I'm sure VR could utterly awesome for flight sims, or Arma IV or whatever when it appears but they're not mainstream games. Where is the mainstream game (or app) that people will pay to play?
"Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."
Darryl Zanuck, executive at 20th Century Fox, 1946
You are completely ignoring psychological comfort. Imagine how long a typical couch potato would be willing to watch an idiot box if they had to stand up to do it or if they had to continually twist and flex their neck or it caused nausea. I write this from a lazy boy rocker recliner with a customised over bed table to hold my desktop, in the lounge with a nice view out the window and a big screen TV. Yeah, comfort counts and VR doesn't really cut it, in those stakes but hell, I don't care either way. You know what, lets run a test, grab some people and make the use VR 8 hours a day for a week and see what they feel like, hmm, OK? (now ramp that up to a month or how about 8 hours at work and 4 hours at home).
Simple immersion 3D video and sound are going to be difficult enough to make comfortable with extended use, without demanding people will never be allowed to rest their heads or even entire body (stresses building up in the neck, affects the persons entire physiology).
Sure likely to be fun with limited use but extended use will be hugely problematic. Simple immersion systems with no motion just cheaply extending the usability of a smart phone, turning the small screen into a very big screen, fairly cheaply with a huge improvement in usability but still likely to have limitations on extended use due to discomfort.
Seriously knuckle head, you can't seriously expect anyone could possibly believe people would accept TV if they had to wear a face mask to watch it and not be lounging about with their family, in the lounge room munching, oh yeah forget that bit huh, drinks and munchies, oh my, what will you do (hmm grope around making a mess or stop every time you had a thirst or hunger, oh yeah, that will go down well with the typical gamer). Let alone getting stoned whilst drinking and playing VR, more than the screen will be technicolor http://www.urbandictionary.com....
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen