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Comment by hoodoof | Hacker News Reader

I think Microsoft has bet on the wrong horse.

When I play games I want to get OUT of my reality. I don't want every game being painted onto my lounge room.

It might be a great experience if you have a lounge room as stylish and clean and spacious as Bill Gates or Satya Nadella, but I have a small cluttered lounge room and I have no interest in playing games projected into that reality.

I'm holding a fistful of dollars which I am trying to throw at Sony as soon as they'll take it from me for immersive VR.

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I don't think Microsoft really see this as just a gaming device. I saw a presentation by some members of the hololens team that really emphasised the devices use right through the product design process. I think they see it as a productivity device for design studios and businesses that happens to have some game applications.

And honestly, I think they're on to something. Using an HTC Vive with the tilt brush app really emphasises just how intuitive 3D design work can be in VR. The robot repair demo features a really eye-opening moment when you're looking into the innards of an exploded-view robot. It's such an intuitive way to work with 3D models, and so obvious that it will eventually become commonplace.

The biggest problem with the Vive demos is that you're fully immersed. Hololens addresses that.

See for example ScopeAR (a YC-backed company, YC Summer 2015 I think) for some use cases:

http://www.scopear.com/

video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=o_cD_jVaWJo

I think this targets a completely different use case. It is not VR, it's AR -- enriching your environment vs. replacing it. Gaming is probably better in VR, but AR may be better when you want to interact with others in the same room (for example, when designing an object), or if you need some help with a real-life object (during an operation, etc.).

So where is Microsoft's VR play?

VR is becoming huge and so far they have no product in the game.

Most industry pundits believe AR will eventually supersede VR:

"Mobile is the next phase of VR, and augmented reality, also known as mixed reality, is the third phase, said (Piper Jaffray analyst Gene) Munster."

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/07/welcome-to-the-future-virtual...

Cover the camera and you have VR.

Have you seen the film Her? The game he plays in his living room looked great.

I think, just like watching a movie at home, it's fairly easy to get immersed and "lose yourself" if it's engaging. Not that I'm uninterested in something totally immersive like you mean, just think there's room for both.

For now, VR is probably a better gaming solution, but X years down the line, when the Hololens can fill your entire field of view, I don't see why it can't provide the same experience.

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