VR manufacturers, have you ever considered Hawking’s feelings?

Last week, within less than a day of opening his blog, Stephen Hawking attracted more than 2 million followers, and was dubbed by netizens as "the fastest rising 'Internet celebrity'". Weibo users were so excited that they left messages to mark this historic moment, and some asked the master all kinds of amazing questions.

From astronomy and geography to trivial matters, netizens really regard Mr. Hawking as an omniscient "god". The hot topic of VR (virtual reality) was also brought up.

Although we don’t know whether the master has experienced VR helmets, the master actually has something to say about “virtual reality”…

We may be living in a virtual reality. All the information we perceive may just be a computer program created by a higher civilization like in The Matrix.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, virtual reality is already affecting our lives. With virtual reality, it feels like you can take an interstellar trip anytime and anywhere, dance on the moon, and sail in the Milky Way...

But, in fact, if you have seen or played VR, you must know that, at present, Mr. Huo cannot experience the VR helmet well...

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Imagine if such a VR helmet was worn on Hawking’s head... So, VR manufacturers, have you considered Hawking’s feelings?

In fact, this is not a joke. It at least reflects a realistic problem:

The current VR helmets still have many problems or shortcomings and cannot meet people's needs well. There is still a big gap between them and the virtual reality we want.

Many players who have experienced it feel that VR helmets are too heavy to wear for a long time. A behavioral research report on Chinese VR users shows that more than one-third of users think that VR devices are too heavy! Even the Oculus Rift, which has been working hard to "slim down", now weighs the same as two Apple phones.

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VR helmets not only look bulky, but are also difficult to use.

Before entering the virtual world, you need to prepare these things: a game console or PC that meets the configuration requirements of the VR helmet, a remote control and game controller for interacting with the virtual world, various sensors for motion recognition and capture, and a long cable connecting the PC and the helmet...

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I would like to mention here that many users who want to buy VR helmets give up because of the difficulty of equipment matching. For example, some VR helmets are really "hardware-intensive" and have very high hardware requirements, especially Oculus and HTC helmets have extremely high requirements for PC hosts. In reality, only a very small number of local tyrants can meet these configurations.

After preparing all these, you may still need to spend 1 hour to complete the configuration. If it is HTC VIVE, it will take even longer to arrange the sensors and debug the equipment.

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OK, now you can enter the game or video. However, don't think that everything is fine, you may still encounter various situations, such as:

When you move around, you have to be careful not to trip over the cable. However, even if you manage to avoid being tripped by the cable, it is possible that the cable will fall off the signal box due to excessive movement, causing the signal to go out of control. In this case, you will have to interrupt the game and re-debug it before you can continue.

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There are many similar problems, but even if you overcome all these difficulties, you still can't enjoy the VR world beautifully. Because when you immerse yourself in the virtual world, you will soon be defeated by the irresistible "motion sickness".

You will find that when you are in a virtual environment, you often need to observe dynamic scenes without moving your body. In this case, you will have a forced sense of self-movement (called motion illusion), and symptoms include nausea, eye fatigue, dizziness, etc. And you often need to control the virtual reality system by turning your head. When you turn your head, the dizziness will be further enhanced. If you have experienced motion sickness once, I believe you will not want to wear a VR helmet again for a long time.

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In addition, there are some issues that are easily overlooked, such as heat dissipation. When Google Glass first came out, some people said that their faces felt like they were burning up after using it. The heat dissipation problem of VR helmets is even more difficult.

For a better sense of immersion, the VR helmet is designed to fit your face tightly, so that no external light can enter. At the same time, a large area of ​​sponge pads are added to the panel for comfort. If you wear such a VR helmet in the hot summer, will your head be at risk of being "cooked" by the high temperature?

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VR face is already annoying enough, and it also causes prickly heat...

Therefore, if Hawking wants to try the immersive 3D experience of virtual reality one day, he really needs a special solution. Before this solution comes out, let Hawking be a great god quietly!