> I don't really understand why it's not taking off in the mainstream.
"Non-VR games, books, movies, music already get people deeply immersed without putting their head into a bucket" (Jonathan Blow in a recent stream). To me that pretty much sums it up. Your mileage may vary, but I don't think most people are actually waiting for that type of experience.
This point of view kind of assumes that all immersion is the same and so why bother adding this bizarre contraption to your face. But then why bother buying a TV and build your living room seating around it if you could just sit and read a book ? As more 3D 6DOF experiences are made possible and built there will be more usefulness in the extra immersion levels you get from putting your head into that bucket. Besides it should be more important what is going on inside your head than what is on it.
With a TV you can still grab the pop-corn bowl or talk to people around you. I think the immersion will make sense for people living on their own but even then it's too much immersion imo, so remains to be seen if Apple's version by allowing you to still interact with your environment will at least make the pop-corn bowl conundrum moot for these people. I can't see wearing this at all in a family/group environment (even the apple TV one).
"Non-VR games, books, movies, music already get people deeply immersed without putting their head into a bucket" (Jonathan Blow in a recent stream). To me that pretty much sums it up. Your mileage may vary, but I don't think most people are actually waiting for that type of experience.