In a blog post on its site, Meta has introduced a new system for VR optics called the Infinite Display. The company is partly aiming to offset the criticism of its spending on VR and the lack of return by touting the results of its research. Not to diminish the fact that Meta may know a thing or two about what works in VR optics. The company has had enough user exposure to be able to make qualified judgements. The question remains whether this will lead to greater adoption of VR, enough to move the dial on its billions of users, or remain a niche but expensive pastime for Meta executives.
The post comes hot on the heels of John Carmack announcing his resignation as a Consulting CTO to Meta. The headlines say he sent a scathing memo to management, but it is pretty standard for a programmer who is quitting because the programming part of the business seems to be not so good at programming.
If anything, Carmack’s memo is a heartfelt message to Meta that basically says, “Guys, you have all these resources and ability and you’re just wasting it by not listening to people who know what they are doing.” And then, there’s the bit that basically says, “I am quitting out of frustration at not really being heard and, by the way, I have my own cool startup to worry about.” You need to find the real memo to get the exact wording but that is the gist of it. If you have ever had a programmer quit on you, a good one at least, it is mostly out of frustration that the work was not challenging or they were working with people who were a little beneath them or a startup or, you know, more money somewhere else. Carmack pretty much hits all of those points in his memo. And he praises the Oculus 2 as a product.
