The novelty era
For years, immersion meant demos. Impressive, brief, then back in the drawer.
"Amazing" but not useful. Spectacle without staying power.
The utility era
Something shifted. Not one breakthrough—a thousand small ones. Hardware lighter. Tools easier. Expectations ready.
The question changed from "what can it do?" to "what can it do for me, today?"
The first time immersion matters isn't a demo. It's when your hands are busy and you still get the next step—without breaking your flow.
What actually changed
Not a tech spec list. A lived difference:
- Devices you can wear for hours, not minutes
- Development that doesn't require a team of specialists
- People who've used AR filters, spatial audio, mixed reality—ready for more
The trust gap
People hesitate because they've been burned:
- Privacy concerns (cameras everywhere)
- Attention hijacking (more notifications, more feeds)
- Unreliable experiences (impressive demos, broken daily use)
The adoption bottleneck isn't technology—it's trust.
What we won't do
We won't optimize for engagement over wellbeing.
We won't collect what we don't need.
We won't ship unreliable experiences and call them "beta."
The new standard
The winners will make immersion feel:
- Normal (not sci-fi)
- Safe (not invasive)
- Useful (not gimmicky)
This requires craft, boundaries, and reliability.