got early access to the VR glasses, my unfiltered thoughts:
- first few min is a learning curve (swipe vs click, eye tracking as navigation). after that, navigation is surprisingly intuitive
- ergonomics better than expected: nose bridge and eye position are adjustable, a lot more comfortable than vision pro. Big step up on price and weight too - definitely a lot less like a helmet and more like glasses
- eye and gesture tracking is surprisingly accurate. you look at a target and pinch to select, no controllers
- was skeptical of the surface keyboard (any table becomes a keyboard and trackpad) but it worked and was able to write an instagram comment directly from the glasses!
- I'd personally still default to voice for most navigation (same way I do on a smart TV vs typing)
- games were genuinely fun! Also watched a full Avengers scene and James Cameron Billie Eilish piece in full immersion
- courtside sports is an interesting wedge - watched highlights from a Knicks game from floor seats. Wonder if "courtside for everyone" becomes new revenue line for leagues. Live sports is further push into entertainment instead of pure gaming (quest)
- passthrough to mixed reality is smooth - could seamlessly talk to people in the room while looking at screens
- natural handoff to go from coding on a laptop, then switching to coding on multiple screens in VR
- didn't get to try the hologram video calls
still have questions around:
- is this an entertainment, productivity, or work device? Meta is pitching all three (cinema, workspace, console)
- the cord and battery puck are still present, though the puck is light and fits in a pocket. Neither is that disruptive, but it's hard to picture people walking around and being active in these
- my personal read is entertainment first, probably light work on the side. there's still slight app latency and 3-hour battery so probably movies, sports, and games vs deep work. I can see myself buying this as a hobbyist for entertainment, but not as my core work device yet
all and all an awesome engineering feat and the best case of AR/VR I've ever tried so far - huge credit to the team! I'm still not convinced we'll all be walking around with computers on our eyes just yet, but the first time I can see the path + a real leap forward
launching spring 2027 🕶️🚀