Occulus Founder - Traditional TVs To Die In A Couple Of Decades

[harv]

Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey has said that ‘traditional’ TVs and displays will no longer exist in ‘a couple of decades’. Luckey reasoned that, in the near future, costs of making large TVs would not make sense when compared to cheaper, smaller virtual reality (VR) headsets such as the company’s own Oculus Rift headset.

“I think there’s almost no way that traditional displays will be around in a couple of decade because it just won’t be feasible,” Luckey said at last weekend’s PAX East event in Boston, as recorded by Maximum PC. “Why in the world would you buy a 60-inch TV that, even if it worked dirt cheap for that it’s still gonna cost a lot to ship it, to make it from raw materials. Yeah, I mean a VR headset is gonna be much better and much cheaper and you can take it anywhere.”

What do you think..?

In 20-30 years we might have something similar to the Star Trek Next Gennie Holodeck, and for my money VR is a BIG step towards making this possible. VR is going to be HUUUUUGE for entertainment in the not too distant future. Just imagine it.

Want to see Elvis, The Beatles or Jimi in concert..? Bung on a headset (or maybe even contact lenses) and you're right there. It would obviously have to be CGI but given the distance in time I'm pretty sure that by then the realism will be there.

Be a part of film classics such as The Godfather, Magnificent Seven, African Queen, The Maltese Falcon, Scarface, Taxi Driver, Star Wars etc etc as if you're right there.

Even if (when!) these tellies have superior resolution I can see people eventually dropping them in favour of VR headsets which by then will be as cheap as chips to buy.

What do you think..?

[Late]

Everyone will be wearing smart contact lenses within the next few decades. It's the natural tech progression.

[harv]

Yup, I mentioned contact lenses above. Going to be a problem for me though, diabetics aren't supposed to use them for some reason.

[jman]

Yeah.. I look forward to the day where I sit down on the sofa with my family.. and we each put VR headsets on.. and in doing so, absolutely destroy the whole social aspect of watching television together -  think about it harv.. do you really believe VR will replace TV.. its so backwards, its not even worth contemplating

VR headsets will be used for gaming and that's about it.. there's nothing practical about wearing a headset that makes me think that it can be used for anything else inside the home.

[Late]

Yeah.. I look forward to the day where I sit down on the sofa with my family.. and we each put VR headsets on.. and in doing so, absolutely destroy the whole social aspect of watching television together - 

Mate, we're already there.
When I'm sat in the front room with the wife and kids you can be pretty sure the kids will both be on their phones or ipods, and I'll be on my tablet. Without exaggerating, over 50% of the time the four of us are together in the front room at least two of us will be doing our own thing on our own screen. It'd be more like 90% but I usually insist all phones/devices be powered off when we're watching a film.
It's awful, but that's the way the world's heading. It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that before long we'll end up with every household having several VR headsets; and the living room will have mum, dad, and the kids all sat there sporting something akin to Stevie Wonder's diving goggles.
But like I say, I think we'll have smart contact lenses pretty soon after vr goggles. Sort of like google glasses, with everyone connected to the web and watching different things.

[jman]

Well its a different story in my house.. although I don't have kids and perhaps that's the difference in opinions.  Whilst I may get out my phone while a tv programme is on, the fact that I can see and socialise using eye-eye contact with other people in the same room is the important factor here.

Besides, there are many times I have been pottering around the house and just put the tv on (either in the background - or I sit and watch any old crap) - this would effectively be made impossible and inconvenient with the VR headset.  And while you may take them out and about - how many people do you know with portable TV's.. I hardly know anyone - with phones/internet - there is no need to carry around a bulky headset aswell.

[Late]

It's not just in the home. Have a look over your shoulder in the cinema


Okay, so that's a staged picture - but it's uncomfortably close to the reality.



Once the bulkiness inevitably disappears and you're left with a lightweight device*1 that gives you full access to the internet, phone, tv, films, games, etc. which you can take out and about and you can customise the hud*2 then it's going to become an essential tool for everyone.
And if everyone's got that then who's going to have TVs?

Like I say - I don't like how antisocial it is - but I do think it's the natural progression of technology in the coming decades.



*1 As mentioned earlier, contact lenses are the most likely solution. Google have already made contact lenses with cameras in them, as well as contact lenses that monitor blood glucose levels (through tear fluid); and several companies have developed contact lenses with displays in them (they're not light enough to be worn much, yet, but that's just a matter of time).

*2 So you might have the tv/film/internet/game in a small floating window, full screen, partly opaque, whatever; as well as AR stuff so when you look at someone you might have their name, profile, and recent email/sms or other details floating next to them; when you're driving your satnav is highlighting what route to take, and so on. Similar to the hud you get in games, but available in real life.

[harv]

Didn't expect jman to be a Luddite

It's the entertainment usage that's going to be huge. Video games is only a small portion of the pie. Music is going to be where it's at. That's why I'm surprised that they let OR go so cheaply. $2bn is a steal.

[Late]

I'm not so sure about contact lenses for music, mind...

[harv]

Why not? If you're going to have contact lenses for telly, films and video games you'll have them for music too. Unless you're telly, films and video games are going to be without sound of course. Bung in your contact lenses, choose your song or album and choose your background - a countryside scene, a day at the beach, somewhere abroad, underwater, in space, in the studio with the band or in a concert seeing the band.

And then you've got sports events, pay per view boxing with ringside seats or even views from the referee's eyes, pay per view football, rugby, tennis, golf, Olympics etc etc.

[jman]

Once the bulkiness inevitably disappears and you're left with a lightweight device*1 that gives you full access to the internet, phone, tv, films, games, etc. which you can take out and about and you can customise the hud*2 then it's going to become an essential tool for everyone.
And if everyone's got that then who's going to have TVs?

A lightweight device that gives you full access to the internet, phone, tv, films, games etc.

Ermm.. that's a mobile phone is it not.  Plus using your mobile doesn't make you look like a total prat!

Next harv will be claiming that VR will also kill off the radio (if music is where it is at) lol

[Late]

Yes, you can call it a future step of mobile phone development.
Whether you see it as an extension of VR, phones, TV, or whatever is irrelevant. Whatever it's basis, it's coming.

And I'm talking contact lenses more than headsets. Effectively the same thing but one generation beyond. And you ain't going to look a prat walking around with contact lenses in.

[harv]

Once the bulkiness inevitably disappears and you're left with a lightweight device*1 that gives you full access to the internet, phone, tv, films, games, etc. which you can take out and about and you can customise the hud*2 then it's going to become an essential tool for everyone.
And if everyone's got that then who's going to have TVs?

A lightweight device that gives you full access to the internet, phone, tv, films, games etc.

Ermm.. that's a mobile phone is it not.  Plus using your mobile doesn't make you look like a total prat!

Next harv will be claiming that VR will also kill off the radio (if music is where it is at) lol

The difference between VR (whether it's discreet glasses or contact lenses) and a mobile phone is that the former puts you INSIDE telly programmes, film, video games or musical performances. Be at a prize fight, a football match. Be in a film with the action going on around you. Be at Glastonbury or Woodstock. Be inside a video game environment.

You'll obviously have safety issues doing those things out and about though, VR is better suited to being indoors for obvious reasons but you could probably have stuff like the web, GPS information etc overlaid on top of your sight being transparent.

And people won't look like total pratts because EVERYONE will be wearing them. Apart from you lol

[jman]

Have you ever seen those prats that appear to be talking to themselves.. but are actually talking through a discreet Bluetooth device.. yeah, that's gonna be you then lol.

And if its a future step of mobile phone development.. surely TV and Radios should already died out then - I can watch BBC1, BBC2, ITV, CH4 and CH5 through my mobile phone, a lot of people can stream cable channels too, I can also access any digital radio channel and listen to it, I can watch films and games too.. the fact is.. I don't actually need a television because I wouldn't lose any functionality that another device can provide.. yet it just does everything better than my phone, its more convenient than my phone, its more social than a phone, its the hub of my living room and as a television - it handles television functions far better than my phone.

20 years is a long time in technology.. hell I could say that in 10 years time we'll discover a way to stream tv/films/games straight to our brains which eliminates the use of any VR headset or contact lense.  The fact is, the guy who made the quote has a biased interest and hasn't really got a scooby.

[Late]

The main reason we use TV sets to watch films/tv/play console games rather than using our phones or tablets is because it's bigger (I don't want a massive mobile phone, and I don't want to watch tv on a 4 or 7 inch screen when there's a perfectly good fifty inch screen in the front room); and we use phones/tablets for browsing, social media, handheld gaming etc. because it's much smaller and more portable than our TV/PC/console.

But a screen that's on your eyeball and allows the watching of TV/films, as well as gaming and social media? - in most regards it wins hands down. It's smaller and more convenient than the smallest of mobile phones, but with a screen that's effectively bigger than the biggest TV. Best of both worlds.
Naturally you'd need to have something in your pocket sending data to the lens/implant but that'd an innocuous little thing.

I fully agree family and direct social interactions suffer when it happens, but it's something that'll happen in our lifetime. (Touch wood.)