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Forbes writer says vr expensive gimic

inovator
Consultant
I dont know where these idiots come from. I once read a review about a movie that was SyFy. The critic gave it a horrible review and the reasons given for why the movie was so bad made me want to see the movie and that movie was fantastic and overall got great reviews. That critic was obviously a Sci-Fi hater and should not have been reviewing that genere.
The forbes writer said vr was an expensive gimic and not a very good gimic (a stab in the heart) because many of the games could be enjoyed on a regular Tv. He personally said he got a headache after 20 or 30 minutes not nauseous. He gave some of the other usual criticism that we all have heard in the past.
I think one of the major points missed buy these VR haters is not whether or not you can enjoy a game or any experience on TV but actually being inside of the game. There are people that play 2d video games who get headaches as well, so this guy is saying because it's bad for him it's bad for everybody. If vr was totally flawless this guy wouldnt like it. Hes intitled to his opinion but does everyone a disservice reviewing vr when he is a vr hater.
63 REPLIES 63

bigmike20vt
Visionary
its a segue but i gotta admit, as far as phones go, my smart phone is CRAP as a phone!  my old nokia 3310 was way better... a battery which pushed 2 weeks and a way better signal.

my phone is pretty much an email/texting device which i use for toilet gaming.... and the odd phone call. 🙂

Dom Joly (a fairly meh! comedian) used to do a sketch taking the piss out of people with their phones... and bugger me if it has not come true with people using their 7 inch phablets to phone people.. maybe its my age but it really does seem nuts when i see someone talking on something that barely fits in your pocket.

I know i need to set up 2 stage security... one day maybe.
Fiat Coupe, gone. 350Z gone. Dirty nappies, no sleep & practical transport incoming. Thank goodness for VR 🙂

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Two-Stage security (aka multi-factor authentication) is an absolute must-have today. Our phone numbers are as unique as our Social Security Numbers in the new Information Age. Not only is WiFi data easily sniffed out, but Bluetooth is so much easier to hack (Bluejacking).

As it stands today, everyone's privacy/security has been compromised. Moving forward, the best we can do is increase the requirements to prove that... we are who we say we are. Hence the Chips on all bank and credit cards, and the need for tools like Google Authenticator on smart phones.

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer

nosys70 said:

smartphones are not necessary, and mostly they are useless.
Probably 90% of the activity you get with your smartphone is making phone call and receiving message.
all the rest (social networking, games, silly utility, watching cat's video on youtube, taking selfies) is probably as much improductive as VR.
The big thing with the smartphone is it connects you to internet almost anywhere, anytime and link useless feature with others you cannot live without.
The difference is you get the smartphone with you, almost all the time, you can download tons of apps for free
and everyday, there is something new you can do with the smartphone (payment for exemple will hugely increase smartphone penetration)
So much of the free time you get (on the toilet seat for example) can be filled by some activity with a smartphone.
most of these activities are not new (reading news, gaming, chatting), you were already doing it before, you just do it now another way, faster, easier.

VR (unless you see it as another apps running on smartphone) does not has any of these caracteristic.

it is harldly mobile (too bulky)
it does not allow/replace anything usefull in real life
it cuts you from the world , not connecting to it.

There si a long way to go before VR can find any place in the society.
For instance it is just an nice game add-on, and sony well understood that.



Uh, what's this now?  Smartphones are incredibly useful.  I use mine constantly for navigation.  I'd have much more stress driving around Los Angeles and the Inland Empire without Google Maps.  Used to have to know all the places I was going to beforehand and print out directions.  And yes, people went on just fine with their lives before this, but with much more stress in such a busy urban area.   If I'm shopping I can quickly research products.  For example, my sister picks things up for me a lot of times, and if there's a choice between items she'll send me a pic and ask which I want, showing me the labels and such (esp useful for food products).  Just yesterday she went to buy me some medicine, said they didn't have what I wanted, and sent me a pic of the shelf of similar products asking which I'd be okay with.  
I have health problems / in severe pain 24/7 and we were house hunting, and I couldn't go out to see them, so her and her friend live chatted with me walking around the whole place so I could see it.

As for VR, who said it has to be necessary?  It's as necessary as a TV or radio.  I actually agree with a lot of the points in the article.  It is uncomfortable, it is hot, but it's also pretty damn sweet.  It's not where I'd like it to be just yet, but that doesn't mean it's a gimmick.  It has to start somewhere.  

CrashFu
Consultant
People still use their smart-phones as PHONES?  :astonished:

Lol.  Yeah, no, smart-phones are great because they're portable wi-fi enabled computers, with texting and access to web browsers and media etc..  And even though mine cost like $20 and is as slow as a dial-up modem, I still often reflect on how amazing it is just to have that kind of utility available to me for so cheap.

But a phone is severely limited in its hardware power.  It also has a screen that's only a few inches big. Also, the audio is going to suck.

So yeah, you can watch or listen to media ANYWHERE with a smart-phone, but it's going to be the worst-quality experience possible. And you can play games on a smart-phone, but most of them are going to be like "free flash game on the internet" quality, especially if you don't have A REALLY EXPENSIVE phone.


It's hard being the voice of reason when you're surrounded by unreasonable people.

Greyman
Superstar
Smart phones are one of the best pieces of measuring equipment to assess the level of ignorance attained by their users.  

For example, if said phone is being used whilst being served in a shop, leading to absolutely no attention whatsoever being paid to the person doing the serving, that would register pretty high.  

For a full scale deflection however, a reading that would suggest absolute rank stupidity, that would be achieved by using it whilst driving a car and doing what must be the single most complicated pastime that most humans will ever experience.  

I see a worrying number of peeps that register a maximum reading.  

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
I use my phone while driving all the time. And proud of it!

danknugz
Superstar
Badass
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing on forums?

Greyman
Superstar

Zenbane said:

I use my phone while driving all the time. And proud of it!


If that's not hands-free, if you cause an accident and particularly if you cause a serious injury to yourself or someone else as a result, your pride, misplaced as it is, will disappear immediately.

i know, from everyday observation, that there are lots of people that think they are skilled enough to drive safely and use a handset at the same time.  Well the evidence of the accidents, serious injuries and deaths would appear to indicate otherwise.

Please think on, as there won't be an app to help you get over it, that's for sure.


bigmike20vt
Visionary

Zenbane said:

I use my phone while driving all the time. And proud of it!

if you get spotted doing it in the UK you should expect getting nicked! (unless you have hands free). the amount of accidents caused by doing this is quite scary and I would say your statement is almost on a par with me if i was to say "I drive pissed and am proud of it"!.  It was a good day when this was made illegal imo, sadly loads still do it.
(hypocrisy warning - I break speed limits and would also get nicked if caught... but i am  NOT proud of it).

driving whilst texting/talking on your phone needs to be stamped out imo.  At least when i edge over the speed limit my concentration IS 100% on the road.

True story, 3 months ago i was standing with my 6 month old in his pram waiting at a pelican crossing, white van man chatting on the phone smacked the kerb, almost mounted it, inches from my push  chair.... fair to say had he stopped i would have been shoving his phone somewhere VERY uncomfortable for him.

(sorry, rant over you hit a nerve!)
Fiat Coupe, gone. 350Z gone. Dirty nappies, no sleep & practical transport incoming. Thank goodness for VR 🙂

Warbloke
Superstar

I must admit, my phone gets used to play clash of clans more than I use it as an actual phone if Im honest 😕

and yeh, totally understand the 'ban the phones while driving views' of those who had near misses or have lost someone as a result.  I used to have a brother... until some old guy killed him with his car 😞
This wasn't mobile phone related, but was certainly a lack of concentration issue and he was only charged with 'driving without due care and attention'.  I guess anything that takes concentration away from the road isn't a good thing though. Anyway... this was many, MANY years ago.



"You can't believe everything you read on the Internet " :- Abraham Lincoln