The Next Computing Platform
“The Internet is to Information as VR is to Experience” — Me (or whoever said it first)

Yes. The next computing platform is Virtual Reality. That was said by Mark Zuckerberg, but the everyday person doesn’t resonate with computing platforms.
“VR is going to be the next Human Platform” — Me again (or someone else if they said it first)
After getting feedback from my good friend (recurring in most of my posts) Leon Coe, he made a good point in that VR doesn’t “compute”, but is more of a “medium”, and I’d have to argue that it sits basically at the intersection of computing, socializing, and as a medium… but that’ll be for a later article.
Why VR is the sleeping giant
I ordered an Oculus Quest on October 28th, and through the magic of Amazon, I received it the next day. I was so excited, I was waiting for the delivery at the front office of my apartment complex.
I will say I get excited easily, so my behavior was not out of the norm. I opened the package, pulled out the headset, and followed the instructions to get started. After a few minutes of setup (internet connection, pairing, logging in, etc..), I was invited to create my “Guardian” barrier. Because the Quest is wireless, you create a small “area” that will visually notify you as you interact with your environment.
And then it happened…
I was literally teleported to another dimension. I was metaphorically beamed to the Oculus World and immediately blown away by the fidelity of the system. Oculus walked me through using the Touch controllers and interacting with my environment. I played with blocks, a ping pong ball and paddle, a little rocket, a blimp, and more.
Then it guided me to play a traditional shooting game that was very fun, and then I got to dance… this one kind of freaked me out a little at first. The robot stands at about 5 feet tall and stands about 5 feet away from you with a beaming smile. He/she then reaches out with a hand and asks you to dance.
It genuinely feels like he/she is actually there with you dancing. The feeling of interacting with another “person” feels shockingly real. When you reach out and shake his/her hand and get the haptic feedback of the handshake, I had an emotional reaction comparable to shaking a real person’s hand.
Intuition
The controls were intuitive. The head movements felt natural. Moving around my environment felt natural. The headset wasn’t too heavy. I genuinely felt immersed.
Curious
I had this new environment that I could control and manipulate in a brand new way, and every fiber of my being wanted to buy every game available. I played RecRoom and felt like a kid in a candy store, just grabbing everything and seeing how my new world interacted. I didn’t know what would happen if I grabbed a ball or fire a paintball gun. These little discoveries were amazing.
Powerful
Because I can manipulate my environment, I felt powerful. I wanted to flex this power on anything I could. I wanted to see how I interacted with my environment and how my environment interacted with me. Playing the free version of Beat Saber, standing in my living room, and just swinging at these blocks was oddly liberating.
We are sleeping on this.
We are sleeping on this technology. I’m not a gamer. I’m not a “futurist”. I’m just a curious guy, and I will say that the VR world became immediately addictive. I wanted to get back into it and explore more. Play more games. Socialize with others and make new friends. I wanted to do more in VR.
My Mom is betting Long on VR
My mom is how I know that everyone is going to be using VR in the coming decades. It’ll be as ubiquitous as the smartphone.
I’ll let my previous tweet showcase this.
Seriously… My mom whose never played a video game ever, got upset when I needed to take the headset back from her.
Limiting Factors
There are a few limiting factors that I see at the moment, but these are all to be solved with time just like with smartphones and laptops, and the end result may even be bigger than both…
- Creative Financing. The VR headsets are cheap, but the masses are reluctant to spend >$300 on something that his limited capabilities. We very well may see plans from Apple or Facebook that look like wireless carrier plans: 2 year contract at $100 / month for access to these 1000 apps and pays off your headset.
- Content. The VR content that is available is still limited and has marginal utility outside of Entertainment and VR related activities. Checking email, surfing the web, and even getting SnapChat notifications aren’t easy or don’t even exist yet.
- Experience. People have never experienced VR, and candidly, I hadn’t either until just a week ago. Once you experience once, you want it again. It’s too magical of an experience.
Industries VR will Disrupt
This is a non-exhaustive list of industries VR will disrupt based on my observations of current trends, human nature, and building VR applications.
If you read any of these and think, “So what? I can do this with my computer.” I will say, “Go play with a VR headset, walk around, explore, and interact with a new world and then come back.” The experience of being in VR is unparalleled.
Online Shopping
I’ve asked so many people why they still grocery shop in real life? You can order all your groceries online and get them delivered directly to your door. Why do you still shop in real life?
And every time the answer is “Because I like looking at everything and seeing people”. Shopping is an experience. And Amazon is limited to the size of your screen. Imaging “shopping” with your friends in VR seeing “aisles” of stuff with 3D models that reflect the product in real life… with the power of Amazon’s recommendation engines. Online Shopping will be huge.
Dating
Long term relationships are common place. Meeting online is commonplace, but with VR, we take that to the next level. First dates can be in VR. No longer do you worry about your safety. Long term dating can be done in VR and you virtually close the gap between individuals… it’s as close to Real Life as we can get.
Combine VR with A.I. and you’ve got a virtual partner that you customize to look exactly how you want. Based on my experience with the dancing robot, it will feel as though they are there with you.
Concerts
I went to a Starset concert recently. I loved the music. I loved the band.
I hated the venue. I hated how loud the music was. I hated standing for 4 hours. I hated the opening bands. I hated being packed in like sardines.
As you can see the “hates” are more than the “loves”, and that’s a perfect spot for a VR experience.
Bands can sell tickets as normal, give away virtual assets, and let everyone have a front row seat and STILL interact with the audience, but in a brand new way. Ways that we haven’t even thought of yet.
Video Conferencing / Conferences
This is the combination of the concert and hanging out aspects. I’ve missed so many conferences because they’re in Las Vegas, or in Canada, or Hawaii.
Everyone will attend these events PUT TOGETHER ENTIRELY IN VR. No venues needed. No hotels to book. No Flights needed. No food and drinks to buy. No need to get an Uber or rent a car.
The venue can be specifically crafted for the event. People can still buy tickets, interact, see speakers, go to break out groups, and more. But the limitation of “going” to a conference has been eliminated.
AltSpace VR has an absolute trash user experience and will die in the coming years, but they’ve got the right ideas. (Lolz… they’re a microsoft product)
This also opens another “tier” to the conference. 1 Tier for just viewing the content. Another tier for the break out groups. Another tier to talk to the speakers. Another tier for the private social events.
And this interaction will NOT be like in real life. It will be organized, presented, composed, and distributed in entirely new ways.

“Hanging Out”
The most recent announcement of Oculus Horizon may be the winner, but we don’t know yet. The next big social platform may be something other that Facebook.
Currently I’ve played with Rec Room, which is an avatar driven social environment that lets you play games with your friends.
These games include things like: Archery, Paintball, Quests, Shooter games, and more. This will continue to expand and Horizon has said they’ll allow individuals to create their own environments, spaces, games, and more.
Why would anyone want to hang out in these spaces? Because there are things to do. How often do you hang out with friends and ask, “What should we do?”, and you end up playing a board game.
Combine that with limitless reach of potential friends and family, and the genuine feeling like you are really there with that person, and the idea of calling / video chatting seems silly.
Online Work
Why work in a cubicle? Why work at an office at all? Why not conduct all my business in a VR office from the comfort of my own home, the applications to do it VR (mostly just excel and email), and the VR office sits on the Beaches of Tahiti?
This is going to happen. Facebook and Apple have both proposed Mixed Reality features and Document, meaning the ability to “import” a keyboard and edit documents in VR will happen.
Other applications will continue to extend their applications to VR as more and more work moves the platform. Any and all design work will take place in VR. Even simple things like sketching, drawing, or painting are more intuitive in 3D space. The pencil is just an extension of your hand which is an extension of your mind.
Combined with Facebook’s acquisition of CTRL-labs, you’ll be able to think and paint, or edit, or draw, or design, or do anything.
Gaming
This one is obvious, but VR gaming can / will do is still yet to be known. The plethora of Indie Games for the iPhone and Android phones are literally in the millions because they’re quick and easy to play.
While I may not be in VR to play quick and easy games, the more and more content that exists for that type of gaming experience will only grow.
The last time I put on my Oculus headset, I played MoonRider for 2 rounds, then jumped into the Tilt Brush app to make a table, then jumped into Rec Room to chat with people, took a break, then went back to MoonRider. These games don’t have to be extensive to still be immersive and fun.
The physics behind these games also changes with new mediums of interaction. Gravity can go up. Things can implode. You can fly. Time can be slowed with your head motions like with SuperHot. Space can be warped with your hands. And while this may have been done with other video games, the immersive component is what makes the experience almost God-like.
Sports / Sports Viewing
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has talked about having his team, the L.A. clippers show games from the perspective of the players. What better way to do that, than with Virtual Reality?
Why even have stadiums at all? A team can play a full fledged football / soccer / cricket game with a few dozen cameras set up and procedurally re-generate the game in all dimensions. Now everyone has access to a front row seat to the action.
eSports has already began to adopt this model and has events that allow streamers to participate and view the action “next” the gamers and it feels like you’re there with them. For eSports, you’ll be able to watch the game in “God-Mode” and see everything happening in real time.

Influencers
We already have virtually created social mediate influencers that are “wearing” famous brands, “going” to exotic places, and “doing” real life activities, yet they are entirely fabricated. Just take this to the next level and be able to interact with the very life like avatars.
You will see engagement with more and more virtual generated influencers. People will pay real money to get “selfies” with these influencers and say they were able to hang out.
This also dives further into the A.I. space and creating virtual friends… which is a whole other can of worms.
Therapy
There are dozens of startups working on the psychological effects of Virtual Reality on the plasticity of the human mind.
The Voices of VR have a great series of episodes specifically on the plasticity of the mind and how people are genuinely re-learning how to interact in 3D space because of the training they are getting from VR environments.
When I was at SXSW there was an app being created to help people overcome the fear of heights. Lifewire has a whole series of apps that target different fears and how to overcome them.
Even apps like Headspace are exploring virtual reality meditation and calming activities like Composure are blending music and virtual reality.
Additional Industries that VR can disrupt:
- Religious Expectations
- Art & Art Galleries
- Education
- Handicapped Mobility
- Movies and StoryTelling
- Family Gatherings
- Exercise… seriously
Closing
All of the above industries are at the threshold of 2 things: Socializing & Experiences. This is exactly where VR will dominate and why it’s the next Human Platform… not just computing. What’s even more exciting is that it’s a wide open landscape. The next winners and losers are currently being forged.
Are you Ready Player One?
Coming Soon
Just watch what’s coming from Oculus in the coming months and next year… The experience of interacting in the virtual world will become even more seamless and expansive.
