[Razengan]

I rarely put my VR headset on because I have to COMMIT to it and stop doing everything else; i.e. no host OS's GUI is VR-friendly.

Why did smartphones supersede computers in usage? and laptops supersede desktops? because of the low commitment barrier: something you can pick up and put down at any time without necessarily pausing other activities, is always going to be preferred by the masses.

So all current VR is sitting behind a user-commitment barrier, often collecting dust. Looking forward to see how Apple will tackle this problem.

[fudgefactorfive]

I completely agree with this sentiment.

I think VR has the same issue that smartphones had at the start of their cycle, the UI/UX is not designed to intuitively mesh with how users actually want to use the system. Even things like keyboard inputs are just not quite there yet, resorting to clunky index-finger typing at best and type-by-laser at worst.

I think we are moving towards a usable version of AR eventually (with tech still needing to catch up on weight/latency/tracking) but full VR is almost only useful for games.

As much as I'm not an Apple-enthusiast, the one thing they (used to) get right is the sort of UX where you almost don't even need to explain how to do things, they just intuitively make sense and you can just let intent directly flow. Given their current trends though I'm not convinced their alternative AR/VR UI will be that though.

I'm essentially waiting for glasses that go full VR when they need to, and otherwise just allow me to overlay a GUI on reality with minimal effort.

E.g. a video player following me around while I do normal stuff. Helpful, and importantly, optional popups overlayed on real objects to enhance my interactions, not completely replace them with a crude 3D facsimile.

[Razengan]

Yes, AR+VR should converge into something similar to the differentiation between windowed- vs fullscreen-mode today: AR should be translucent, non-intrusive visuals overlaid atop your vision of meatspace, and when you need to sit down and fully immerse yourself into a game or movie, you would temporarily switch to VR, on the same device.

So until we have lightweight and powerful-enough glasses — not bulky headsets — everything else is just a public-funded prototype on the way to the real goal.

[Geee]

One cool thing Apple can do is display mirroring from all your devices into VR. They also have 3D models of all their products, so they can redraw your devices inside VR without needing to use see-through AR. Keyboard, mouse and display with mirrored UI. iPhone and Watch too.