The Neo-Luddites Are Coming for VR

This time the target is VR platforms like Meta, VR Chat, and vice-versa.

Photo by Sophia Sideri on Unsplash

As soon as Mark Zuckerburg released a video about him explaining their new social media rebrand known as Meta. People around youtube have started speculating air out of their arse about VR.

From religious specters to pseudo-scientific morons that talk about science from a science fiction fish eye view. It’s become increasingly challenging to debate how VR will revolutionize the world around us.

And how it already has shaped how we view things. From AR filters on Snapchat and Instagram; to games like Pokemon Go. These technologies have given people a new to connect.

Facebook’s Meta is no different. It’s a VR/AR/MR-XR researcher’s prime fantasy being realized. I would know, I am one of them. For around 3+ years, even before the pandemic, I started my pursuit of researching solutions using VR.

I was able to test how VR could impact classroom learning as well as experiment with various forms of techniques to optimize VR experiences.

So far I have been able to not only immerse myself in the world of VR. But also I have created acceptance around using this technology for the greater good in my social circles. It has been perhaps the best thing to come out of the last technological decade.

I am so stoked about what newer companies will come out with next.

Criticism of the Tech from an Actual Scientific Standpoint

If you’ve ever developed the Oculus Quest or ever donned a headset in your life. You can easily deduce that it feels surreal. But the image quality is still not immersive.

The reason being the hardware accelerators on board being used to compute the Image is not powerful. But still does the job of providing a subtle experience.

So to compensate for the lack of visual immersion, sound fidelity is improved by adding ambiance in the background. Often it’s the wind blowing in the background or a natural phenomenon buzzing.

This adds a layer of immersion into the supposed 6-Degrees of Freedom that oculus talks about.