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Comment by closedloop129 | Hacker News Reader

VR only underdelivers when compared to full emergence. You don't need a television when you have a VR headset. I think that Meta's headsets will be the the consoles for the next generation because TV sets are not a given anymore. So a console becomes more expensive because you have to also buy a television.

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I have to say, that based on my family and friends who I occasionally watch TV shows and movies with, I'm the only person who is able to focus on the TV screen without my phone in sight. Everyone else I know is constantly half-listening, half-watching, while simultaneously browsing IG, Zillow, YT, TikTok, etc. I think our very real phone addictions are going to play an adverse role in VR adoption until the VR app space fully replaces everything in the mobile app space (plus the time it will take for people to break their phone habits and replace them with VR habits)... seems like a uphill slog for Meta.

> I'm the only person who is able to focus on the TV screen

I don't know why you'd want to do so for most TV. I like to idly code at 1/4 speed during average shows. Like if the cousins want to watch Moana for the 34th time, I'm not gonna dedicate my full attention the whole time, but I do want to hang out with everyone else in the family.

On the other hand, I've never wanted to pick up a phone while my VR headset is on my head. It's engrossing! But the downside of VR is that it's so isolating. There's no way for me to be half in a head-mounted display. No one can casually look over my shoulder, nor can I causally peek up from my screen when someone says something interesting.

I used to do that a lot, and I finally realized that I actually didn't care about what was on the TV and just started leaving it off. Either a show is worth actually watching or it isn't IMO.

I guess it's a little bit of a different story if it's just the centerpiece of family time, though..

Powerful insight. And the tech giants own phone addiction - as a product and data source - also slows the progress of all AR and VR efforts.

The first killer accessory in the metaverse will be some kind of pass-through phone gateway or phone proxy that people can use as a substitute for their physical phone, to satiate their compulsive need to (ABC) Always Be Checking it. I don't see people accepting strapping on a headset that blocks access to their primary addiction.

I don't think it'll be particularly hard to mirror your phone screen into your virtual space. Closely similar things are already done in a bunch of apps.

The mental image of a bunch of virtual avatars sitting at a table on the moon all silently staring at their virtual phones and scrolling through reddit seems so hilariously stupid that it just might happen.

> TV sets are not a given anymore

Everyone I know has at least one TV. You can buy a 58" TV at Walmart for $298. That's less expensive than an Xbox or PS console.

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