In an industry racing toward higher resolutions, smarter AI, and seamless passthrough, Play For Dream founder and CEO F offers a contrarian perspective: the real battle for VR’s future isn’t being fought in pixels or processors—but in grams. In this interview, F explains why weight remains the fundamental barrier to mass adoption—and how overcoming gravity could finally unlock VR’s true potential.

Q: As you look toward your next-generation device, the conversation in the industry is dominated by passthrough, resolution, and AI integration. What's the single biggest pain point you believe Play For Dream needs to solve next?

F: The industry is absolutely buzzing with those topics, and they are all critical pieces of the puzzle. We’re pushing the boundaries on all of them. But if you ask me for the single biggest pain point, the one that acts as the foundational barrier to mass adoption, my answer is surprisingly simple. It’s not about the pixels or the processors. It’s about gravity. The single most important problem to solve is weight.

Q: Weight? That’s an interesting take. Many would argue that content is king. Why prioritize grams over a killer app?

F: Think of it as a hierarchy of needs for virtual reality, a pyramid. At the very top, you have those transcendent experiences—social connection, immersive gaming, productive work, creative expression. But you can't get there if the foundational layers are cracked. The absolute base of that pyramid is physical viability, which breaks down into two things: comfort and duration. And weight is the primary antagonist to both.

We can create the most breathtaking, photorealistic world, the most addictive game, or the most intuitive productivity app. But if the hardware imposes a physical tax on the user—a constant pressure on the face, a strain on the neck—you create friction. That friction is a subconscious timer that starts ticking the moment they put the headset on. It’s the voice in the back of their head saying, "How much longer do I have to wear this?"

Q: So you’re saying the success of the entire software ecosystem is dependent on shaving off a few dozen grams?

F: I’m saying it’s the critical unlock. It’s not about a few dozen grams; it’s about crossing a psychological threshold. True immersion is achieved not when the virtual world looks real, but when you forget you are wearing a device to see it.

We believe that for XR to become truly personal and ubiquitous, it must first achieve a state of ergonomic invisibility. We believe the ultimate user experience is one where the technology recedes into the background, becoming a natural extension of your senses. We are betting on the power of comfort. The final barrier between the virtual and the real isn't the screen; it's the sensation of the device itself. Our mission is to tear that barrier down.

Look at the metrics that matter for a platform to thrive: session duration and usage frequency. Why do people spend hours on their phones or laptops? Because the physical cost of using them is near zero. For VR to make the leap from a novelty toy used for 30-minute sessions to an integral computing platform used for hours at a time, we have to eliminate that physical cost. Only when a user can comfortably wear a device for two hours to watch a movie, or for a four-hour game, or for an evening of socializing with friends in a virtual space—only then does the demand for a rich ecosystem of apps truly ignite. A beautiful palace is useless if the doors are too heavy to open.

Q: That makes sense, but from an engineering standpoint, reducing weight involves brutal trade-offs. Lighter materials are more expensive. A smaller battery means shorter battery life. Less thermal mass means you have to throttle the processor. How do you solve for weight without compromising on the power and performance that your "prosumer" audience demands?

F: You’ve hit on the central engineering challenge of our time in this field. It’s not a single solution; it’s a multi-pronged assault on mass.

First, materials science. We're moving beyond plastics, trying some advanced magnesium alloys that offer superior strength-to-weight ratios. Second, component miniaturization. The new Micro-OLED displays, for example, aren't just about better contrast; the panels themselves are smaller and lighter, allowing for a more compact optical stack.

But the real strategic shift, the one we are deeply invested in for our next generation, is rethinking the architecture of the device itself. We are pioneering an ultra-lightweight "display and sensor" array on the head, which communicates with a processing puck that can be worn on a belt or kept in a pocket. Using next-gen cable, we can achieve the low-latency, high-bandwidth connection needed for a seamless split-rendering pipeline. This allows us to deliver flagship-level performance and a multi-hour battery life, while making the headset itself feel no more intrusive than a pair of ski goggles or large sunglasses.

Q: You mentioned that 'weight is the biggest barrier to mass adoption.' Could you provide a specific user scenario that illustrates how weight directly undermines their experience?

F: We've conducted over 300 user interviews, and more than half of users told us they wanted to take off the headset due to discomfort. It wasn't because the game wasn't fun or the features weren't useful, but a physiological, instinctual resistance. The moment a user puts on the headset and feels that weight, their subconscious starts a countdown: "How much longer do I have to endure this?" This 'feeling of endurance' completely kills immersion. For example, when playing Beat Saber, they should be moving with the rhythm, but instead, the user is worried that "the heavy headset might slip off at any moment."Q: When a headset is as light as no more than 200 grams, what qualitative changes in user behavior do you foresee? For instance, will it shift from 'passive endurance' to 'active engagement'?

F: We actually ran a 'proof of concept' in our lab: we had users wear a 90-gram prototype (close to the weight of sunglasses), and their behavior changed completely. They watched Game of Thrones for half an hour straight without once thinking of taking it off.

This is a scenario that was previously unheard of. More importantly, the immersion was enhanced dramatically. One tester told us: "Wearing a headset this light, I feel almost no interference. I can focus entirely on experiencing the virtual world." That is the magic of weight reduction: when the device is no longer a burden, the user can completely 'embody' the experience instead of 'fighting' it.

Q: Finally, once the weight problem is solved, how do you foresee the user profile for XR changing? Where is the tipping point from 'geeky early adopter' to 'mainstream consumer'?

F: The tipping point is when the weight crosses a 'psychological threshold.' Right now, the user base largely consists of gaming enthusiasts who tolerate the weight for the sake of performance. In the future, when a headset is as light as no more than 200 grams, the user will become 'anyone who needs a portable big screen.' Our founding mission for XR was to 'extend human perception,' not to 'add a burden to humanity.' Once the weight problem is solved, the user will shift from 'using a device' to 'becoming part of the device.' That is the ultimate XR experience: the virtual world feels real, but what's even more real is that you forget you're wearing a headset at all.