Kind of odd that it takes yc this long to understand such a world changing technology. And their point is that other vcs are even more pessimistic and unexcited about technology.
It really shows you how absolutely myopic and limited the current startup ecosystem is. Many thousands of people could tell VR was real this time back when Oculus did a Kickstarter. But vcs take +n years? Shows how much room for improvement there is, I suppose.
Agreed. In fact I found this post a little obnoxious. Not only is it an observation that is at least two years behind the times, it offers no new insight into everything that we've learned about VR in those last two years. Heck, we're already seeing the first round of VR startup closures (VRideo and Envelop VR among others), something we'll only see more of in 2017. It's exactly what was to be expected and not a sign of the death of VR. But nonetheless a culling will take place and there's a lot more we know now about what areas are and aren't viable in the current and near-future VR ecosystem. I would have far preferred a post from YC titled something like: "How To Think About VR Startups In 2017".
You make a good point - many investors (maybe us as well) don't start thinking a new technology is cool until they can investing in companies using or leveraging that technology... From a user perspective though, I bought Oculus Rift dk2 and thought it was horrible. The user experience has come a long way since then.
What is different now, compared to when Oculus did Kickstarter years ago, that would be the reason why you want to pay attention on VR now? Is it just that the hardware is better, or are there other reason for you to think the timing is now right as opposed to years ago when Oculus did KS
It really shows you how absolutely myopic and limited the current startup ecosystem is. Many thousands of people could tell VR was real this time back when Oculus did a Kickstarter. But vcs take +n years? Shows how much room for improvement there is, I suppose.