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Comment by DagAgren | Hacker News Reader

> we're experimenting with the idea of an app that has a comic reader, book reader, Reddit client, art viewer, video player

Why? I have all of those on my computer without strapping anything to my head.

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You could potentially always have with you as many displays you want to whatever size you prefer and use them wherever you like: desk, couch, laying in bed... VR / AR Headsets can be a more convenient and comfortable replacement for traditional displays and desk setups.

[edit] typo

Yeah, but all the things mentioned are things that require my full attention for longer spans of time. I don't need separate displays for them, I need one single good display.

I personally would love VR/AR glasses that I could keep attached and do everything on. Phone, CLI, PowerPoint, web browser, unlimited monitor space, Netflix, Xbox, etc.

I know the pixel density isn’t there yet but I don’t want different screens. The AR/VR would be the “single good display” you’re looking for. I want glasses I can use for literally everything I need a screen for.

For the reality-clingers, this is also the perfect set-up. No more closing your laptop and having your TV staring back at you. Your screen is your screen is your screen, and you can turn it off and not have to deal with any of them.

A VR headset can also give you a single good display on demand. What about reading a 100” mural scale comic book while laying down in bed?

It definitely will not have the relative resolution of a physical monitor.

Current headsets resolution is already surprisingly good with some dev tricks. We use something called Compositor Layers at https://supermedium.com/ to render comic books in VR that look sharp and vivid. Not “retina” resolution yet but improving very quickly. Give it a couple of headset generations. We already have much much higher resolution and density panels but need to work within other constraints like small form factor, mobile SOCs limited compute power, weight, thermals and battery life.

It's still unclear to me what the benefit is, though. The drawbacks are obvious - I have to wear a headset, I lost the physical interfacing, both in terms of input interfaces and in terms of being able to, say, just a put an e-reader down to stop reading it. What do I gain, after giving up all that?

Best is to try. If you have an Oculus Quest handy you can give supermedium demo a try. Your feedback would be super appreciated. With a headset you get better ergonomics: resize and position a display at will and don’t have to hold anything. For comic books in particular, mural scale pages give you an appreciation of the art not possible on a traditional display. Notice that physical input is still available via controllers: similar to a TV remote or gamepad and also tracked in space enabling more subtle interactions than “traditional” input. Tracked physical keyboards will be eventually available too. I agree wearing / removing a headset is additional friction. We consider it a feature, not a bug. Hard to focus these days with so many distractions. Once you put a headset on you’re committed to the task and it removes all the noise. We see VR as a tool for focus, like shutting the door of a super fancy and private office.

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