I did this a few years ago. With googly eyes, cat ears, and a nose, people generally responded with a smile. But there wasn't a lot of attention. In coffee houses, subways and buses, meetups, etc. Some parks. Ears made from (two colors of) gaff tape. :) Nose was a monocular passthru camera, gaff taped to various headsets. Sometimes also had an MIT VR sticker, to help people with any "what flavor of wacky is this?" uncertainty. It was tethered, without raised-hand gesturing, so "just a person working on laptop". Perhaps supporting personalization might help smooth hmd adoption?

There is a point in the video where the "protagonist" is served a drink in the Cafe. The scene cuts as he puts it on his lips but for a split second I recognised that weird dance once must do to sip with a VR headset on. I've tried enough times to know that drink+cup+VR does not mix.

add a straw to that equation and they mix, but yeah les hope vr headsets get smaller and lighter in the future

You'd be the first person I've seen drinking coffee with a straw, unless we're talking about the sugary "coffees" from Starbucks.

I still struggle to understand any advantages of this as a desktop (workstation) replacement. Many studies have shown that dual monitors increase productivity, but there are exponentially diminishing returns on additional monitors beyond two.

While this technology theoretically gives you "infinite" workspace(s), you are still limited by human physiology. Do I really want to have a virtual window that requires me to look upward and to the left? How long am I going to want to hold my head in that direction to do anything practical? So this creates a natural limitation of where I can look directly forward in a natural head-holding position, glancing slightly left or right. Which brings us right back to where we are today, dual side-by-side monitors. A human can only look in one direction at once anyway, so there are few advantages to having random windows floating around above or below us. A user could be better serviced by learning shortcuts to quickly switch windows (ie. alt-tab) on their desktop while continuing to look forward in a natural position.

I am all for change and progression, but this doesn't seem like we really gain anything. I don't want to be in a virtual "work" reality, that sounds horrible. I want to look at my monitors to work, then have other things around me. Maybe look out the window or pick up my guitar and play for 5 minutes between meetings. I don't want to see the barista virtually surrounded by my virtual monitors, I just want to see this human in real life. If my partner comes into my home office while I work I want to be able to look at them and have them see my eyes in return. When I am on a zoom call I want people to see a real human, not a virtual avatar.

I just struggle to see any advantages from a virtualized work world. Someone feel free to tell me what I am missing out on here. But as far as I see it, I would still need to work from a desk at home. I am still staring at windows containing spreadsheets/code/documents/files, they are just floating around in virtual space instead of displayed on monitors. I don't understand the point of going to a park when you are wearing a virtual headset. The reason people go to a park or a coffee shop to work is for a change in scenery. But if you are still in your virtual world, then why go to a park?

- you can work anywhere in the house with your big screen. In the bed, then on the thread mill, then on the desk, then standing. No need to change the setup.

- you can use it in any luminosity. No reflection if you code, no big light to wake up people sleeping if you watch a movie.

- you can code in any posture, including on your back.

- you can go in nature and code, read, get into a meeting. I really want that. I miss the sun on my skin at the office.

- you can go in full immersion, with no visual distraction what so ever.

- you can have your big screen when traveling. Want to work near the beach in the south of France ? Sure your can, why wait for the holidays ? You can be productive in the hotel room with your full setup, and then enjoy a dip in the water then a lunch at the local cafe.

I wouldn't make it my only setup. It kills social interaction. I like my pen and paper. But the options are nice, if you can afford it.

It's definitely something to improve some aspects of work, not a shift. And you will enjoy it more if you are already fortunate to have money, and freedom in your work.

But there is a place for it.

I miss the sun too but I can't imagine being outdoors with those and enjoying being outside. What about the sweat on my face because of having a heating device strapped onto my head ?

I'd rather have an long battery life arm pc with an e-ink screen.

> No reflection if you code

You may be overestimating the state of vr lenses.

Consumer lenses, definitely. But with higher end lenses like in our headset or Varjo, XTAL, etc. there are very little image errors.

First of all, imagine the VR glasses rumored from Apple: lightweight, high resolution, OLED, and camera's for augmented reality. Especially OLED and super high resolution will make the experience much more tolerable.

You could now take your workplace with you wherever you go. In the train, to the office, any room of your house. Always having a beautiful cleaned up working space with a lot of workspace.

I think the face/eye tracking camera's will help with realistic meetings. Furthermore with augmented reality you could grab a coffee or play some guitar without taking your headset off. Obviously when going to the park you would take the headset off. You probably would have to do so anyways as 8 hours of VR is though.

>> You could now take your workplace with you wherever you go.

The capitalists dream - the workers nightmare.

As a freelancer, for me, it's very nice.

But it's definitely more advantageous if you have cash to spare, and freedom in your work.

Question is, would Apple's VR kit require Apple devices to work...

Yes, the video is a total cringe, I don't understand how they could imagine it would help them sell the thing.

But I could totally see myself going into the forest or the mountain in a remote area, and enjoy working remotely in nature. As long as I know there will be no humans around.

First, as you said, it's very awkward. It can already create social tensions to have hearphones on in public, so a whole mask...

But it's also dangerous. People are idiots, sometimes means, sometimes just clumsy. And I am an idiot. With my eyes free, I manage to do plenty of damage, breaking glasses, hitting people by mistake, pouring liquids in the wrong places. I know with a certainty I would cause trouble with a helmet on.

Yeah but when it is just a pair of glasses or contacts something like this will be bad ass with AR.

I'll even take retina implants happily. But not a full on helmet-contraption. Not in public anyway.

This is why I firmly believe that augmented reality has far more potential than VR. Augmented reality recreates the world, whereas VR builds a new one and creates unavoidable barriers due to total immersion.

With AR you go out, with VR you no longer have to. And yes, I want AR but potential wise... Not sure if their aren't billions of people who would rather just sit inside in nice worlds being entertained for almost free than step outside in the horrorshow they actually live in. I mean in a few years or so when the manual jobs are gone and we missed a bunch of climate goals etc.

theyre not mutually exclusive, one can want immersion (VR) while gaming at home, and AR while going about ones day in the world

True. But I am not that convinced the AR part will be popular in the future.

I heard similar comments when portable audio came out and people were wearing headphones. The simula headset is unfortunately styled (unless you are a nintendo fanboy) but future less striking headsets will be fine.

I routinely see people wearing not too dissimilar headsets as vision aids for severe myopia and macular degeneration.

I feel you, but VR can still be used outside "privately" in places like backyards and urban/apt balconies. At least was more what we were thinking =]

Hah, I feel that. We're approaching the Shadowrun timeline anyway; might as well add cyberdecks to the list.