I'm sick of being burned by hardware and software

I've finally reached my fill of stuff that just doesn't work and why the Metaverse (or whatever it will be called) many want will never happen anytime soon, if at all.

I'm an early adopter - so I expect things to be janky in many ways - but let's face it - some things should JUST work by now.

All of my pent-up emotions on the subject came to a head with the most unexpected item - a wireless guitar setup by Line 6 - their Relay G10.

Literally, the straw that broke my digital back.

But Wil - how is this even remotely connected to the Metaverse?

It isn't, it's not even XR related - but it helps paint a picture of the state of things.

Hardware and software have reached a point where firmware updates/patches are constant - and if a company shits the bed - you get the stink.

The more complexities we add - the more that can go wrong - I mean why the hell does a "WIRELESS GUITAR" receiver and transmitter require firmware?! I have a system that is over 30 years old that works the moment I turn it on and I can do a whole set with it.

The trend with hardware of all types being controlled by companies (I'm looking at you Meta) via patches and sometimes not even being able to use it if not for an account has become a little insane.

I go to play a game - and either the game itself or the hardware running it needs an update.

Then there is interoperability - just throw that out the fucking window because it will never - ever - ever happen! 3D models for example - I've been dealing with them for 30 years... do you know how many flavours of FBX I've used? Recently Apple even janked their own USDZ in the latest update where it is boned on newer iOS versions but works fine on older versions. gLTF is the closest thing I've witnessed that comes close - but when you have companies garden walling WebXR like Apple is - it's another ding/scratch/dent in the allure of the Metaverse.

Don't even get me started on the transfer of IP across various ecosystems.

I was in a creative mood to create music - Ableton needed an update.

I was in a mood to finish a video - Filmora needed an update.

I wanted to play a game - I had to update the headset and then the game itself.

I went to go have a Zoom meeting - and because I have various USB Digital audio controllers - it always causes an issue if I jump between Zoom/Google Meet/Microsoft Teams/etc - there is so much jank in the layering of software, hardware, and the control of each company that being able to jump between games/worlds/content is not a thing that will happen soon - if at all. The bloat of software (how many versions of Unity do you have installed if you are a developer just to do different things or to workaround problems?) and the control of hardware is insane.

My friend gave me the Line 6 Relay g10 as a Christmas gift, brand new in the box, never used, and I couldn't even enjoy it because it won't even hold a charge for 15-30 minutes after hours on the charger and was "HOT" to the touch - and there are so many posts on so many forums discussing it. I had to go digging to find the issue. It's a simple 2.4GHZ Receiver/Transmitter - ridiculous.

This problem of janky software and hardware is prevalent across the board in the XR industry - it's across every industry. The general public does not have the patience or skill to have to find workarounds - and even the ones that do - are getting a little tired of it.

Software/Hardware/Games were so much better before the "oh we can just patch it" mantra came to light.

Until we can get to the point of ubiquitous computing - it's all a steaming pile - and in some cases that steaming pile could be a fire hazard.