The Apple Thread - The Bear and Badger

Minnesänger

acemuzzy wrote:

Unity is kinda the budget end of gamedev isn't it, vs the premium end of tech? Hmm

They're also in massive financial trouble.

EDIT:

Or rather, their results last quarter were good, and their stock is up post-Apple Moron VR announcement. But they've been aggressive with cost-cutting and are losing their bread and butter to dip into some dubious and long-term not very smart areas. Lots of losses prior, loads of layoffs, and now some profitability, but no idea if it works long term.

Wookienopants

More and more I see this the more I want one. But that price is just stupid and can't honestly see it taking off beyond with some wanky American corporate design company.

Now price it at £999 and make it available on a contract deal for £40pm with AppleTV included. That's how you get it in people's houses

Blue Swirl

I'd rather just get an actual Apple TV, and not have to strap anything to my face.

Blue Swirl

VR, for me anyway, is starting to feel like hydrogen powered cars - it's just ten years away from being ubiquitous. But it's been "ten years away" since the 80s.

Wookienopants

But it saves everyone from looking at your face.

OOOOO BURN!!

Wookienopants

I'm just joking, I like your face. It's very welcoming

LivDiv

"Disney Content", what does that even mean? Little Mermaid wig for your FaceTime avatar? Disney+ app? As far as Im aware Disney dont own software devs anymore do they?

Wookienopants

I think it means access to Disney+ and some extra little ar bits like the Disney castle on your table

LivDiv

Basically pays for itself

djchump

ILMxLAB just rebranded as ILM Immersive so possibly it’ll be them working on some more AR/VR stuff.

monkey

According to a couple of journos, you definitely need the lenses if you wear glasses. The first gen Vive could fit over my bins so I'm not sure what excuse Apple have got for that. Aesthetics?

monkey

Aesthetics.

poprock wrote:

LivDiv wrote:

LivDiv

That pic I posted, those aren't her eyes right? Thats some kind of projection of her eyes or avatar eyes?

poprock

Yes. That’s right. It can film your eyes and project them on the outside.

Creepy. As. Fuck.

Expect game devs to find even creepier uses for that. Projecting someone else’s eyes. Bleeding eye sockets. Whatever.

LivDiv

Very uncanny valley.

Kow

I always thought Apple were kind of wily with their overpriced tat, but this seems like a fucking joke. As the VR market was moving slowly into the mainstream, they've kicked it back to the fringe. An elite toy for a handful of hipsters.

EvilRedEye

Wookienopants wrote:

I like your face. It's very welcoming

This is perhaps the worst damning with faint praise I’ve ever seen.

Kow

Welcome on my face.

g.man

Two hour battery life...and it's heavy on your head.

yourfavouriteuncle

Minnesänger wrote:

acemuzzy wrote:

Unity is kinda the budget end of gamedev isn't it, vs the premium end of tech? Hmm

They're also in massive financial trouble.

EDIT:

Or rather, their results last quarter were good, and their stock is up post-Apple Moron VR announcement. But they've been aggressive with cost-cutting and are losing their bread and butter to dip into some dubious and long-term not very smart areas. Lots of losses prior, loads of layoffs, and now some profitability, but no idea if it works long term.

I might not have this quite right but I think that quarter of decent results was dug into and found to be -ahem- creative accounting and it turned out they’d moved like half a billion about? The markets still liked this though and say a £200 million loss as positive. Something like that anyway.

LivDiv

I honestly cant see third party devs getting funding to develop stuff for this.
The audience for a $3500 device is too niche.

Big companies might make something using some research fund, money burning departments. Maybe some marketing teams might fund something as a "look we did a Apple VR thing" rather than expecting actual numbers to use it.

That sort of leaves workplaces buying them for various reasons. Engineering, medical research, showroom shit. Avenues that have been well explored and remain largely dead ends because of reasons this device doesn't really resolve.

For some credit I think they have recognised some of the limitations on VR/AR and have tried to address them I just dont think they have landed it. I also still dont think they really get it properly.
The video section with the dad using it in the kitchen who then kicks the football to his son. This on paper addresses the issue of interactivity in the real world while using a headset but ultimately comes across as depressing, he has a load of shit everywhere blocking or distorting the interactions with his son as opposed to a computer screen which he could walk away from sectioning off work and family.

In general I feel this is the best tech we have had so far for addressing a problem that wasn't one, that potentially looked cool 5+ years ago. I think Covid changed people. People are wanting real experiences separate from but as well as digital ones, not tech augmented ones that blur the lines.

Ive been down a lot of these routes with various companies across several sectors, been to tech shows and spoken to very clever people with really cool sounding ideas. The end result always seems to be the same though, regardless of how good the tech gets people dont want it. After that novelty of the first few moments wears off they want the headset off and to be back to normality. Its a pattern Ive seen time and again and that includes people who are really techy.

monkey

g.man wrote:

Two hour battery life

Less than most of the films they're expecting you to watch on it.

LivDiv

monkey wrote:

g.man wrote:

Two hour battery life

Less than most of the films they're expecting you to watch on it.

You can plug it into the mains.
Game Gear 2023

djchump

poprock wrote:

Yes. That’s right. It can film your eyes and project them on the outside. Creepy. As. Fuck. Expect game devs to find even creepier uses for that. Projecting someone else’s eyes. Bleeding eye sockets. Whatever.

It's not even filming your real eyes - as part of onboarding step it (or an iphone) scans your face to create a "Digital Persona" avatar of you - that's what then gets used for the freaky looking front eyes and also for when you FaceTime while wearing this.

So, laughably, the hardware that's supposed to "not get in the way or isolate you and increases your connection with those around you!" is actually not showing you at all, and very much gets in the way and isolates you - lol at all the lonely fuckers watching TV alone in their rooms without anyone around but look you don't need a TV anymore, you just need $3,500 headset to see a virtual TV! That no one else can watch! Alone!

And 2 people wearing these "FaceTiming" each other? 2 digital avatars gesturing at each other with your voices. Fuck me, what a stupid and awful use case.

djchump

djchump wrote:

Iger didn’t even show anything, it was just an Apple power flex. Expected that Unity is early with engine support, kinda interesting that Epic/Unreal not in sight at all, nor seemingly making any noise about it online/Twitter?

Ah wait, I forgot Epic are in a bust up with Apple: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Games_v._Apple

Tim Sweeney holds his grudges. That's why Epic and Unreal aren't supporting Vision Pro.

LivDiv

Its another example of them solving the problem wrong innit.
Problem: People read a lot through eye contact and miss having that.
Solution: DIGITAL EYES!

g.man

The whole thing just seems to have been engineered backwards.
Good engineering takes a problem and finds a solution for it.
This is the complete opposite of that.
We've designed this tech, now we have to find a problem for it to solve.
It's all ass-backwards imo.

g.man

Let's not forget that the price is from 3.5K.
I strongly suspect that the full bhuna is going to cost you considerably more than that.

LivDiv

I looked up Zeiss lenses.
Their site says "Starting from £285". (about $350 direct conversion).
Thats assuming they arent premium Apple Cunto Lens, which they will be.

So starting at $3850 for glasses wearers.

Minnesänger

yourfavouriteuncle wrote:

Minnesänger wrote:

acemuzzy wrote:

Unity is kinda the budget end of gamedev isn't it, vs the premium end of tech? Hmm

They're also in massive financial trouble. EDIT: Or rather, their results last quarter were good, and their stock is up post-Apple Moron VR announcement. But they've been aggressive with cost-cutting and are losing their bread and butter to dip into some dubious and long-term not very smart areas. Lots of losses prior, loads of layoffs, and now some profitability, but no idea if it works long term.

I might not have this quite right but I think that quarter of decent results was dug into and found to be -ahem- creative accounting and it turned out they’d moved like half a billion about? The markets still liked this though and say a £200 million loss as positive. Something like that anyway.

Oh, entirely possible - current Unity is an absolute garbage fire.

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