Mixed Reality (MR) is characterized by the ability to merge your physical world with the virtual world, allowing seamless interaction between the two universes. If the concept is not new (experiences are already available on Meta Quest 2 And pico 4), we must admit that this, in the games that have been presented to us recently (Bam, Stranger Things VR, Lego Brick Tales, BookSpatial Ops…), has really reached a milestone. That being said, John Carmackformer technical director ofOculus VRdoes not at all agree with this opinionand we explain the reasons to you.
Clearly, the father of Doom is far from convinced by the potential of mixed reality. The person concerned does not see how this could become a bestseller for the general public. A quick reminder of the facts: the promise of VR is to immerse yourself, or even escape, for a moment from a stressful daily life. According to Carmackmixed reality will widen inequalities between players! We can, on this point, only agree with him: between the one who experiences (lack of means) poor housing from the inside, and the other who has so much space that he wonders what he could do it well, one thing is certain, one of the two will not risk, with his helmet in mind, fully appreciating (to remain polite) putting his nose back into it.
Here is what John Carmackin a series of tweetssaid :
I’m still not convinced that mixed reality applications will be a driver of increased headset sales. High quality rendering is good, but I don’t see how applications built around the real environment can be qualified as killer app. I consider it to be an interesting and stimulating technology, but one that is still finding its raison d’être.
The power of VR is to replace your environment with something that is better, and not to float a virtual screen there (Editor’s note: it has really evolved since then, right?). Moreover, in all the videos demonstrating the future of mixed reality, the environments are always elegant, clean and spacious. This does not at all reflect the reality experienced by the majority of headset users in the “real” world.
These efforts certainly have undeniable value, but I always felt that there was much more important to take care of in the first place.
The observation is bitter. And for good reason, the one who allowed VR to acquire its letters of nobility, in particular by offering devices that are autonomous, portable, light, comfortable and affordable, sees his ideas shattered. He who, despite much reluctance, laid the foundations of consumer VR, he who surely allowed Meta Quest 2 to reach 20 million sales. He, who ultimately must feel helpless in the face of a Meta Quest 3 sold more expensively (€200 more than the Q2) and banking on a technology that was not on the interested party’s agenda: mixed reality. He who had unshakeable confidence in the superiority of his ideas and in their persistence must certainly have it wrong. In other words, no need to resort to hand tracking to understand that the person concerned must be biting their fingers!
Whatever happens, only the future will allow us to decide on the position taken by John Carmack : was he right or wrong? Meanwhile, you can also feed this reflection by indicating your point of view in the comments.
Meta Quest 3 is now available for pre-order on the site of Meta and on Amazon. The model with 128 GB of storage costs 549.99 euros while the one with 512 GBis sold at 699.99 euros.