I’m pretty bullish on Mixed Reality being the future of computing and how we’ll interact with our devices in future (including our phone). I’m not just saying, as you might see soon enough…
A friend showed me A16Z’s newsletter with the 5 VR trends they noticed. A16Z also considered crypto the tech of the future and it didn’t pan out (yet), so you shouldn’t believe everything they say. But I’m convinced there’s something happening in the eXtended Reality space.
Here are the trends they mention and my opinion on them:
1. Both Hardware and Software Will Become More Inviting
I agree with this. I think we’ll have glasses soon enough (3-5 years) . Even if it’s a device connected to your phone (like an Apple Watch). The battery is the biggest issue so you can’t put all the processing power in glasses for the moment.
2. The Roblox Generation Is Coming
The friend that sent me the link to this article asked me recently what should his kid use to learn coding. And I suggested Roblox. Coding, marketing, sales, you have it all. The “kids” that learned to code there are coming to every other platforms soon. With an attached audience as well. Will they come to XR? I think it’s easier for them to go to mobile devices and PC, rather than headsets, but we’ll see.
3. Smaller, Faster Devs Will Break New Ground
Oh, do I believe this? Yes, yes I do. A lot!
4. More Cross-Platform Experiences
Some games on the headsets already allow some crossplay with mobile phones. We’ll see more cross-platform development for sure.
5. VR is here to stay
If we consider VR being Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality as well, I agree.
But if you think of VR as the experience where it replaces your environment completely, I don’t think it’s gonna flourish to the level of a computing device. For that, you need the Mixed Reality devices (like Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro).
