Hacker News Reader

Comment by cbuq | Hacker News Reader

I enjoyed this video, but couldn't help but think about the irony when he started talking about this being "$40" project compared to Oculus + PC ($600 + $2000) while his entire project still required a $600 iPhone and a $2000 Mac book

View on HN

At what point in time is the cost of tooling written off in your view?

I'll grand you the $2600 price tag if you also tack on the 400K for the house to keep the setup dry and you assert that the creator only ever uses the laptop for this specific purpose.

You can't factor in costs like that and then critique the DIY project because of it. I'm sorry, that's just not fair.

I'll admit my comment was overzealous. I just couldn't help but laugh when he was "splurging on a $10 case" to put his $600 phone in.

If you already have the equipment, I don't see any difference between already owning a $600 phone and already owning a $600 vr headset. Both are probably purchased for reasons other than the DIY project

Valid point, but the reason why I didn't factor in the cost of the smartphone is because I am assuming the vast majority of the intended audience already owns a smartphone. A Macbook is not required to develop for Arduino + Unity. Any cheap PC will do.

It also requires a bike and indoor trainer, but those are things that anyone interested in this project is likely to already have.

Chances are if they have an indoor trainer, they'll also have an Ant+ Cadence/Speed sensor.

I see what you're getting at, however the scene is rather simple and is actually rendered on the the phone.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com