from Hacker News

Meta Is Building a Smart TV in VR

by signa11 on 10/19/25, 4:50 PM with 15 comments

• by andsoitis on 10/19/25, 4:56 PM

  There's an opportunity to break out of the LRUD-driven user interfaces and input modality.

  Only issue is all the TV apps that will run on this virtual smart TV assume LRUD, so I don't have high hopes for a transcendent advancement in usability. Not even Apple, who introduced a touch remote, control the Apple TV (hardware) and the Apple TV app attempted to supersede LRUD.

  LG's pointer-based input devices (you can think of it as a mouse) have been with us for many years now, but hasn't caught on with more device manufacturers.

  Some people hold out hope for Voice UI, but it has a number of downsides that make it worse than LRUD.

  Once you rethink the vending machine interface, maybe a different modality reveals it self.

• by efilife on 10/20/25, 9:46 AM

  This is not a breakthrough, it has been done countless times before. This is another shot at vr from facebook that noone is going to remember in a week

• by chaostheory on 10/20/25, 1:18 AM

  Unfortunately, the only generation that will notice any VR innovation is Gen Alpha or younger. The older generations as a whole are either indifferent or flat out hostile to VR.

  Also I agree with Adsoitis. VR apps have an opportunity to go beyond traditional UX. This is a missed opportunity, but understandable given the backlash to VR and to a lesser degree AR

• by ykcadcg on 10/19/25, 11:56 PM

  why VR at all, LOL.