Think about it: Have you ever sat on your couch and thought, “Man, I wish I could look at a mountain in 360 degrees right now”? No? Shocking. Ever been on Zoom and said, “You know what would make this meeting better? If my coworkers were floating avatars above my coffee table.” Didn’t think so. Apple told us we wanted five floating screens to boost productivity, ski-goggle cooking instructions, and 3D toddler birthday memories. We did not.
So now along comes Vivo with the Vivo Vision Discovery Edition, the company’s first mixed-reality headset. On paper, it’s cheaper at about $1,395, lighter at 398 grams, and comes with its own operating system (OriginOS Vision). It can do spatial photos, 3D videos, immersive 180-degree panoramas, and even a 120-foot virtual movie theater. Sounds impressive, right? Except - again - it’s the same list of “solutions” for problems nobody has.
The only real difference here is geography (China-only for now) and price (half of Apple’s). But if Apple couldn’t get people excited for this, I highly doubt Vivo can. The real issue isn’t the specs, the battery pack, or whether it looks slightly sleeker than the Vision Pro. The issue is that nobody wants this category to exist. It’s the Metaverse all over again: a shiny sizzle reel, a ton of hype, but no actual reason to strap this thing on more than once.
And it’s not just me being cranky. The only reason you even saw YouTubers wearing these things is because it made for good content - funny unboxings, over-the-top reactions, and viral stunts. And then? Straight to the shelf. These headsets have been collecting dust ever since. No one uses them for anything. Ever.
This is marketing 101: identify a need, fill that need, profit. What we’re seeing here is the exact opposite - make a product, then scramble to convince people they need it.
So here’s my take. Vivo deserves credit for trying something bold on their 30th anniversary. It’s always fun to see more players experiment in the AR/VR space. But let’s be real. This isn’t going to change how we live, work, or play. You can make it lighter, cheaper, shinier - it won’t matter if the fundamental problem remains:
No one ever asked for this.
