The only advantage I see to this vs. something like HoloLens is that it doesn't require a head mounted display. Unfortunately for this project, that's not as big a barrier for serious companies as they need it to be. In time I think this "advantage" will also dwindle due to shrinking component size, etc.
The price is also considerable - it's about a thousand dollars cheaper than a HoloLens (I'm going to keep going back to HoloLens because to me they're directly comparable.) But the thousand saved also comes with some significant drawbacks:
- The notion of collaboration seems to be non-existent with this device - I don't see them showing how that might work based on their promo clips. Seems to be single user driven.
- It has a back-face. How do you render something like text so that it's readable from all perspectives?
- Control appears to be limited with no standard input. HoloLens tracks the users hands, by comparison.
- Does it have a top on it? At that point, what really separates it from a 3D TV? Seems like you'd only get limited perspective translation.
I'm having trouble coming up with really practical applications for such a device, that wouldn't be better suited by a head mounted personal device. I fully support the effort if they find their niche, but coming from a VR/MR point of view, I can't really see any real advantages. Please enlighten me! I don't mean to be a downer!