116 pointsby polymorph1sman hour ago16 comments
  • slowin21 minutes ago
    I had an Oculus Quest and it was a really great device. After the "Meta" rebrand, the quality rapidly decreased and now it wants me to upload my ID to Meta to keep using it. Absolutely not! Zuckerberg already has way too much information on me, uploading my state issued identification to them is such an insane ask, I will never do it. While this looks like interesting hardware, the company behind it has unacceptable and user-hostile practices, so I'll pass.
    • ewild10 minutes ago
      oculus didnt ship a single product not owned by facebook.
      • slowin6 minutes ago
        Correct, but you didn't have to log into the Quest 1 with facebook until ~2024. They had "Oculus accounts" at first.
    • -pao12 minutes ago
      They recently managed to crack open the bootloader, most of meta stuff can be bypassed now. I despise how it went from a great device to almost a paperweight with just horrible software updates (as it's the norm these days).
    • Mistletoe18 minutes ago
      How do they explain why they need your ID to use VR glasses?
      • slowin17 minutes ago
        Age verification.
        • Mistletoe15 minutes ago
          Yes but why do you need to verify your age to use computer hardware?
          • dmix2 minutes ago
            Because people are naive enough to think the huge privacy compromise will be worth the cost to society in order to protect kids.

            The better question is why in 5yrs we will have to use ID to buy a product on some random ecommerce site or to play a video game or use Uber or post a comment on Reddit. It will be because people pushed for this for kids on social media and opened the door for the rest of the internet companies to demand it and therefore the government.

          • slowin11 minutes ago
            You shouldn't have to do this and I won't. I'll vote with my dollars and never buy another device from them. It's too bad because I genuinely liked it as well, but it's not worth the invasion of privacy and normalizing sending this type of information to any consumer company.
          • zamadatix12 minutes ago
            They can't stand the idea you'd use it without a social media account. It's Facebook after all.
  • aranelsurion30 minutes ago
    Coming from Quest 3, everything about it sounds great BUT for that FOV. Even on Quest with 103 x 96, I sometimes feel like I'm looking around through a mask or binoculars. Can't imagine how restrictive it might be on 70 x 66.

    Hopefully it's not so bad.

    Oh BTW they showed a new Beat Saber game, and among the logos I've seen Ace Attorney VR among a few others. Let's see if those come for Quest 3 and maybe even PCVR.

    • bpye25 minutes ago
      > Can't imagine how restrictive it might be on 70 x 66.

      Ouch, that's a tough sell. Maybe useful for AR type stuff, but I wouldn't want to go from a Quest/Index/Frame/etc to that for VR.

  • dmixan hour ago
    Youtube video Meta released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyD_bmMy5nQ

    And another random youtube influencer who tried it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8oIs1GA0o

    $1300 price

    • 26 minutes ago
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    • 30 minutes ago
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  • Grombobulous11 minutes ago
    It’s HoloLens reinvented I guess.

    What problem does it solve? I see a bunch of potential uses but I don’t see any problems looking to be solved.

    Will I like gaming better if I control the games with my hands instead of a controller?

    Will I like working in my glasses better than my laptop screen? Or even a dual laptop screen like a ZenBook Duo? Or a cheap second portable display? Do these glasses fit better in a backpack than a laptop and a second portable screen? They can’t collapse flat.

    Are these glasses more portable and convenient than a smartphone? What are the benefits to watching an NBA game on this compared to a phone or my TV screen at home?

    I can’t believe Meta is blowing their money on this stuff still.

    • foldshifta minute ago
      I might consider them if I can wire it to my laptop. I use the meta quest for development because of infinite virtual screens and due to my apartment being so small I can't fit a proper desk and office chair. But still is a very niche usage, if I had space I would very likely get a desk with a dual or triple monitor setup. If the resolution is good, it is actually nice to have a very portable infinite screen setup if you travel a lot. But anyway, i don't think using these glasses as monitor replacements for work is the top of their use cases
    • garciasn2 minutes ago
      From the video they have on their site: watching movies in places where you normally would stare at a tiny screen; they also show folks using virtual floating keyboards in front of a VR desktop to work.

      So: no problems solved. Few will use this other than as the gimmick they still are at this time.

  • throw0317201919 minutes ago
    Seeing a person at a coffee shop typing with his fingers on a table and moving his invisible mouse would be…interesting.

    I can see value on a plane. But I’d rather use my MacBook then look like a crazy person pretending to work.

    • phyrex16 minutes ago
      That's what people used to say about Bluetooth headsets
    • juiceland17 minutes ago
      I’ve used the Vision Pro in public. I don’t care what people think of me, but I did get annoyed at people tapping me on the shoulder and asking about it.
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  • markus_zhang27 minutes ago
    This is very cool. We finally have something that genuinely looks like glasses.

    Now someone just needs to learn how to hack into these glasses remotely…and then we will have the Ghost in the Shell moment.

  • Topfi44 minutes ago
    Some of the key specs cause the page is rather thin on details:

    * Display Type: Micro-OLED

    * Resolution: 2412 × 2288 pixels per eye

    * Angular Resolution: 37 PPD

    * Field of View: 70° × 66°

    * Chipset: Snapdragon Reality Elite

    * Memory & Storage: 12GB RAM with 128GB internal storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD on the puck)

    * Tracking & Sensors: 6DoF positional tracking, depth sensing, autofocus, 4-camera eye tracking, face tracking, and hand tracking

    * Passthrough: Color RGB passthrough cameras at 26 PPD

    * Price: $ 1300,- USD plus your data

    Similar PPD to an AVP at, what I as a former owner of one (alongside a Quest 2 and 3, a Magic Leap, Xreal and Viture) would call is a far more appealing implementation for actual productive work.

    Really wish Apple had gone down this route, have the puck incorporate an A series chip rather than shoving a M series one into the headset itself and heck, I could see such a design being doable for them back when they first launched the AVP if they hadn't forced that utterly ridiculous eye display and stupendously heavy metal body.

    There is, unless I am mistaken, nothing here that isn't established technology as found in the AVP, all the fancy display and lens experiments from Starburst, over Holocake to Mirror Lake seem to remain in the lab, this seems to be "just" pancake lenses plus Micro-OLED once more.

    • bottlepalm31 minutes ago
      70 degree FOV is such a deal breaker for gaming. That and the price. In a world where people already have tons of screens, monitors and TVs in their face - the practical use case for this is relegated to trains and planes. Very niche.
      • michelsedgh15 minutes ago
        exactly i dont see the appeal or use cases other than planes or trains and stuff.
    • porphyra11 minutes ago
      meanwhile the Bigscreen Beyond 2:

      * Display: also micro-OLED

      * Resolution: 2560 x 2560 per eye

      * Angular resolution: 32 PPD

      * Field of view: 116°D, 108°H x 96°V

      * Chipset: none lol plugs into your computer

      * Tracking and sensors: needs base stations

      * Weight: 107 g

      * Passthrough: no

      * Price: $959 (+$200 for eye tracking)

      * needs base stations, a PC, and has a cable, and looks kinda like dorky swim goggles (but still pretty futuristic and cool)

      meanwhile the Steam Frame:

      * Display: LCD

      * Resolution: 2160 x 2160 per eye

      * Angular resolution: 20

      * Field of view: 110 degrees

      * Chipset: Snapdragon 8 gen 3

      * Memory and storage: 16GB of ram with 256GB UFS plus microSD

      * Tracking and sensors: inside out camera based tracking

      * Weight: 185 g core headset, 440 g including strap, rear battery, facial interface, and audio

      * Passthrough: idk

      * Price: $1059 for 256GB, $1299 for 1TB

    • pj_mukh29 minutes ago
      There was mention of a DisplayPort, so is there a way to just stream your MacBook into it?

      Closing the lid and working in one of these would be great, but there's always a caveat that blocks this.

      • bottlepalm16 minutes ago
        You can, but the FOV is narrow so not great for multiple screens, and the focal length is probably around 4 ft so you're not going to be able to use a screen closer without eye strain.
      • Topfi27 minutes ago
        The Quest series supports both wired and wireless streaming, so I'd be surprised if that wasn't an option.
    • mohsen113 minutes ago
      "100 grams" is the headline here
    • busymom06 minutes ago
      How is it powered? External battery? Or what's the built in battery life like?
      • dmarcos2 minutes ago
        Battery and computer puck. There are photos on the site
  • avaer8 minutes ago
    I hope one day a version of this becomes mainstream enough that it justifies developing for it. It's the ergonomics that prevent that from happening, and moving toward glasses is one of the most important stepping stones. (though if you saw someone wearing "glasses" like this you would probably say it's stretching the definition of glasses)

    When someone gets this right I do think we're all gonna ditch the 2d screens and phones.

    It doesn't even matter if it's Meta that instigates this, if money is smelled there will be more consumer friendly alternatives popping up overnight (e.g. see how quickly the industry copied the iPhone).

  • djierardi35 minutes ago
    And still capturing audio where (in my state) you can't record conversations without consent?
    • plantain33 minutes ago
      Sounds like you shouldn't use them in your state then? You can't open carry in my state... so I don't.
    • cheema3321 minutes ago
      > And still capturing audio where

      This may come as a surprise, but most phones can capture audio these days. Has your state made them illegal yet?

  • monster_truck38 minutes ago
    37 PPD is dogshit man.

    I understand this is quite good, but I also have something like 20/12.5 eyesight. To me, using these things feels like looking through a coarse screen door.

    E: For reference, I can comfortably count pixels on a 24.5" 1080p screen from a normal seated position.

    I've been buying HMDs since the first Oculus, and I promptly sell them to somebody else. 37 PPD is a little more than halfway to "perfect" for someone with 20/20 eyesight

    • GuB-4226 minutes ago
      It is all a compromise. 37 PPD is well under the standard for normal "good" eyesight (aka. "retina" in Apple marketing), which is 60 (aka. 1 arcminute).

      Doing more with a narrower field of view is easy, it is even cheaper. Doing more with the same or better field of view means you need more pixels and more computing power to drive them, so more expensive, heavier hardware that gets hotter and with less battery life.

      People at Meta consitered 37 PPD to be a good compromise, and I kind of agree.

    • rhyperior8 minutes ago
      Just give yourself time and you’ll be the target customer then!
    • Dylan1680733 minutes ago
      Notably the standard resolution of 96 DPI at 28 inches is 47 PPD.
    • jachee31 minutes ago
      37PPD is triple the Index’s density.

      What in the world are you using as your benchmark to call 37 “dogshit”?

      • zamadatix8 minutes ago
        Probably comparing something like a normal monitor at standard distance.
    • nicechianti37 minutes ago
      [dead]
  • chaostheory44 minutes ago
    If Apple released a product with the same form factor, it would likely be a winner. The issue with Meta is that its brand is tarnished for anyone older than Gen Alpha. I don’t have hard data, but I am guessing the majority of VR users are children under their parents’ meta accounts.

    I’m still buying this for myself. I enjoy the private movie theater experience and turning every video game session into a decent cardio workout; I’ve lost 60 lbs with VR to date.

    • qmr23 minutes ago
      What are you doing in VR for fitness?
      • chaostheory14 minutes ago
        The list is too long, but essentially almost every VR game will force you to move since you’re no longer controlling an avatar with buttons. You are now inside the game instead of viewing it from outside of a box, so you’re going to be moving and punching.

        For me the biggest calorie burners are boxing games. Beat Saber and others like Synth Riders are great too. Then there are fitness focus apps like Body Combat and even one for rowing machines.

        Hopefully, Meta can convince HR firms that this is a fitness device that is eligible for FSA like benefits.

  • Computer0an hour ago
    It will be interesting to see how this product is differentiated from the Meta Ray Ban Display. They now have the line up:

    Meta Ray Ban Audio

    Meta Ray Ban Display

    Meta VR Glasses

    Meta Quest 3

    • qingcharles7 minutes ago
      On the bottom of the page it says they are called:

        Meta Ray-Ban Display
      
      and

        Ray-Ban Meta Audio
      
      Which really grinds my OCD.
    • epmaybe28 minutes ago
      This feels closer to the quest 3, so maybe consider it a successor in a way? Since meta is moving away from VR gaming, it may end up cannibalizing sales in a "good" way for the company.
  • rvz41 minutes ago
    As long as this is mixed reality and not a clunky VR-only headset like the previous Meta Quest devices, then this far exceeds what ever the Vision Pro hype was and any other XR device in the market.

    This is XR for the rest of us and a worthy competitor to the Xreal.

  • the_wolo19 minutes ago
    Looks fun, but it'll most probably need a Meta account, won't run open firmware, and most importantly wearing it in public instead of using my MacBook will make me look like an idiot. So: meh.
    • the_wolo17 minutes ago
      Although looking like an idiot is probably better than being one of those Meta Glasses perverts
  • la647939 minutes ago
    oh man playing halo and jumping off the ship and falling through the sky will feel insane with this i imagine. i just hope people have enough open space around them when enjoying the limitless expansion of VR world. DOnt want people to hurt their knees and heads and knock off their furnitures all the time.
    • aranelsurion32 minutes ago
      two weeks ago I basically punched my coffee table while trying to stab a guy on the floor in VR. My left hand still hurts.

      So yeah, be careful of the play area. :)

      Obligatory subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/VRtoER/

  • JKCalhounan hour ago
    I tried VR and, as many others have said, it's a novelty that wears thin quickly.

    I'm amazed though at the amount of effort and corporate money that keeps being thrown at VR trying to make it a thing.

    It feels like, to the public, it's like some tired The Beverly Hillbillies re-run that keeps popping up from time to time.

    • bottlepalm42 minutes ago
      The younger generation uses VR a lot. It's like Nintendo in the 80s.
      • JKCalhoun38 minutes ago
        Must be younger than my (20's) daughters then. Their crowd would rather touch grass.
        • bottlepalm32 minutes ago
          I'm sure they touch their phones a million times more than grass.
          • deadbabe14 minutes ago
            Touching grass is actually not that good for you. You get itchy or could have an allergic reaction.
            • bottlepalm6 minutes ago
              Virtual reality grass is much safer, maybe that's what he meant?
    • colordrops41 minutes ago
      It's a novelty because you had to put on a big uncomfortable headset that required wires up until recently went was really fidgety. Once you get the form factor fixed and comfortable everything will change. This looks like a big step in that direction. Too bad I don't want Meta looking through my eyes.
      • bigyabai32 minutes ago
        > Once you get the form factor fixed and comfortable everything will change

        Will it? Even if you offer people AR glasses and smartphones at the same price, I'd expect most people to pick the phone. Nobody wants to tap their glasses on a Square reader to buy coffee, or ask their specs to take a picture.

        The VR/AR modality struggles when OEMs rely on unique native experiences as a selling point. There's no "killer app" for VR a even decade after the original Oculus DTK. Palmer Luckey sold Oculus to go work on building cruise missiles, to give you an idea of how awful VR's prospects are.

      • JKCalhoun37 minutes ago
        You could be right. But I also keep hearing that excuse (since the Jaron Lanier, power-glove VR days) so color me skeptical.
    • 33 minutes ago
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    • khazhoux24 minutes ago
      I no longer bother watching movies or shows on my (very big) TV ever since I got an AVP. The experience (lying down on my bed, with gigantic movie screen floating above me) is unmatched.
      • shonenknifefan16 minutes ago
        I sometimes wish that I could read a book like that. But I think the reality is that it would make me tired and fall asleep.
      • sublinear9 minutes ago
        For that use case, why would you choose wearing anything over just having a couple of projectors in the bedroom and living room? That is far more common than owning a vision pro because it's cheaper, more comfortable, more social, etc.

        On the audio end of this, you can even throw in some properly righteous speakers in both rooms. All combined, this is still cheaper than or equal to the vision pro price for an objectively better movie experience. Speakers that expensive will rattle the walls with bass and shatter your eardrums. It doesn't matter how good earbuds get, there's no replacement for displacement (of air). Don't you like feeling the power?