YCW19 Application
Simula
https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula
(Please don’t password protect it; just use an obscure url.)
https://github.com/georgewsinger/SimulaVR/Simula
Run Linux Desktop on (standalone) VR/AR headsets.
We’re making the world’s first VR Linux distro, runnable as a standalone OS on any Head-Mounted Display (HMD) or VR/AR-equipped computer. We’re doing this because we believe the following:
(T) Most people think that the future of VR is in games and entertainment, but it is also in office work; in particular, VR is going to replace screens and laptops.
Because of (T), the VR industry is too biased towards Windows (where PC games are traditionally deployed); moreover, nobody is thinking about how VR can be optimized for (i) clear text resolution, (ii) killer VR office applications, and (iii) having multiple 2D and 3D office apps simultaneously running in a shared workspace.
The product works like this: simply plug in your headset, install our OS (or its window manager), and all of your existing 2D and 3D Linux applications will float in a shared work space (3D applications reside in either “cuboids” or “2D portals”). This will give users unlimited virtual screens (of any size), crystal clear text resolution (something the OS will be optimized for), and Linux. Initially, the OS will be able to run on any VR ready computer, but our ultimate goal is for manufacturers to be able run it as a standalone OS on their own HMDs (which increases our distribution upper bound; see below). Between now and then, we plan to use Simula to jumpstart a 3D office app ecosystem.
- Value proposition for consumers: A distraction-free, highly immersive and unlimited VR workspace that is 10x better than using physical screens. Literally: users can have 10x as many screens as they currently do. Each of these screens is more than 10x cheaper (i.e., free) than any physical alternative. A VR headset is even 10x smaller than a multi-monitor setup, and can fit in a bag. Killer VR office applications will be 10x better than their 2D counterparts (ex: VR programming, VR web browsing, & VR computing).
- Value proposition for HMD manufacturers: A free and open-source VR OS they can modify and deploy on their headsets without having to pay Microsoft for any licensing fees.
Something analogous to (2) held for Android in the late 2000s. During this period, Apple was closed off to smartphone manufacturers, while Microsoft’s mobile platform had expensive licensing fees and closed-source barriers to the hardware. This created an opportunity for a Linux-based OS to take off – an OS which is now installed on over 1.5 billion devices. In this sense, Simula wants to be “Android for VR”.
Virtual Reality
Yes
VR & AR
(List as City A, Country A / City B, Country B.)
NYC, USA / NYC, USA
george.w.singer@gmail.com
580-484-3976
Please enter the url of a 1 minute unlisted (not private) YouTube video introducing the founders. (Follow the Video Guidelines.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUd1XD09JXs
Please tell us about an interesting project, preferably outside of class or work, that two or more of you created together. Include urls if possible.
We tried, unsuccessfully, to use an EEG headset to control a computer mouse. One of us worked on the hardware (assembling the headset, adjusting sensors, etc) while the other worked on the software.
- MVP. We have an MVP that is compatible with the HTC Vive on Linux. It runs at 90 fps and uses the Godot game engine.
- 0 Active Users. Since completing our MVP in early September, we have obtained 0 active users who use Simula for more than 1hr/day (mainly due to fixable crashes). We admit this up front since we know our main priority is to get a small number of people who absolutely love us. We track our users via MixPanel (and only track active users, not shallow users). Our growth target is 25% per week (which will take us from 1 to 10,000 active users in 41 weeks, once we get a single active user).
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Process.
- We track our progress against a Master Plan in the form of monthly updates. See https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula/wiki
- GitHub stats: 6 repos, 263,837 LOC, 271 GitHub stars, 21 watchers, 10 forks, and 6 contributors.
Launched.
How many active users or customers do you have? If you have some particularly valuable customers, who are they?
- 0 Active Users. Since completing our MVP in early September, we have obtained 0 active users who use Simula for more than 1hr/day (mainly due to fixable crashes). We admit this up front since we know our main priority is to get a small number of people who absolutely love us. We track our users via MixPanel (and only track active users, not shallow users). Our growth target is 25% per week (which will take us from 1 to 10,000 active users in 41 weeks, once we get a single active user).
- VR ∩ Linux. Our most valuable custumers (initially) are people in the intersection of VR Enthusiasts ∩ Linux Enthusiasts (in particular “screen riggers” who use multiple monitors to get more screen space: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13405472). We think we can take an immediate monopoly of this small market since there is literally no competition for it (see our answer to “how will you get users?”).
- Godot game developers. There’s also interest among Godot game developers to make Simula immediately useful as a developer tool. Specifically, a Godot developer could run Simula, launch the Godot graphical editor, and then pop into and out of their game environment (with Simula holding window state across environment changes). This could serve as a stepping stone to a more general protocol which allows multiple 3D applications to run together in a single shared space (part of Simula’s long-term product vision).
No
(Please use USD. If none, enter ‘0’)
N/A
If you’ve applied previously with the same idea, how much progress have you made since the last time you applied? Anything change?
- We transformed our prototype into a usable MVP (complete rewrite). We completely rewrote our prototype using the Godot game engine. This took our product from a glitchy prototype running at 45 FPS into a fully stocked MVP running at 90 FPS. We completed this in early September, and you can see a video of our MVP in action here: https://d.tube/#!/v/sudoreboot/t026ny0m.
- We set up telemetry to measure (and therefore improve) our active user count. Since completing our MVP in early September, we have obtained 0 active users who use Simula for more than 1hr/day (mainly due to fixable crashes). We admit this up front since we know our main priority is to get a small number of people who absolutely love us. We track our users via MixPanel (and only track active users, not shallow users). Our growth target is 25% per week (which will take us from 1 to 10,000 active users in 41 weeks, once we get a single active user).
- We continue to track our progress in the form of monthly updates (against a Master Plan). See https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula/wiki for our list of updates and project Master Plan.
If you have already participated or committed to participate in an incubator, “accelerator” or “pre-accelerator” program, please tell us about it.
N/A
Why did you pick this idea to work on? Do you have domain expertise in this area? How do you know people need what you’re making?
We picked this idea for the following reasons:
- 10x Technology. We want to build a breakthrough product, not an incremental one. If we are successful, this idea could non-trivially change the way that billions of people physically interact with computers. We know that people want our product not so much from the requests we’ve seen on subreddits or HN for Linux VR Desktop (which there are some), but because we believe that 10x products can change behavior at scale if the timing and execution is right.
- Contrarian. The idea is contrarian, and follows from 3 key beliefs we have about the future of VR that most people don’t ѕhare (see “what do you understand about your business that other companies in it just don’t get?”).
- Selfishness. We have been running multi-screen Linux rigs for years, and want what we are making.
- Monopoly. The idea has a chance to scale from a small monopoly to something large (see “how will you get users?”) and then endure for 10+ years.
- Timing. VR/AR is under the forces of many exponential technology curves (we calculate that VR pixel density has been increasing at a staggering 23.4% per year since the original Oculus was released). And while the big tech firms are working on popularizing VR as an entertainment/gaming platform, the timing is perfect for a startup to develop the platform as the next office replacement for PCs and laptops.
- Human Nature. The idea is consistent with our theory of human nature, which is that humans evolved to think and process information geospatially (ideally while moving freely about their environments) and not hunched over keyboards staring at tiny 2D screens.
What’s new about what you’re making? What substitutes do people resort to because it doesn’t exist yet (or they don’t know about it)?
The old: laptops, dual monitors, oversized screens. The new: VR, or
- 10x the screen real estate
- 10x the immersion and focus
- 10x less physical space taken on your desk
With VR Desktop, anybody can have a workstation more impressive than a Wall Street trader. Eventually, killer VR office applications will be 10x better than their 2D counterparts (ex: VR programming, VR web browsing, & VR computing).
What we fear the most is obscurity. Android excluded, most Linux-based projects (i.e., the Ubuntu phone) have been doomed to obscurity because they failed to provide a compelling alternative to existing solutions and were way too late on their timing. But because the dust hasn’t settled with VR (in particular: VR as an office platform), a Linux-based VR OS has an actual chance at world domination. Other risk factors:
- Poor Text Resolution. You can’t spend 16 hours a day in VR Desktop if the text resolution is poor. Industry improvements to GPUs and HMDs will eventually solve this (VR PPI is increasing exponentially at 23.4% per year), but there might be additional techniques that we can use to accelerate this (i.e., vector-based 3D text rendering).
- Headset Friction. The friction of having to mount and unmount an HMD just to access your OS might prohibit VR Desktops from taking off. VR HMDs will likely get ligher over time, however.
- Lack of Open-Source Durability. Open source projects are easily forkable. Until we build a network effect with an (office-focused) app ecosystem, we will not be long-term durable (see our answer to “how will you get users?”).
- Explicit competition. Microsoft Holographic is providing the well-polished, proprietary VR OS in the Windows ecosystem; meanwhile, other VR Desktop startups (BigScreen) are also based in the MS ecosystem. In addition, some headset manufacturers appear to be making their own VR OS’s internally (i.e., Magic Leap). Other than this, nobody is explicitly targeting Linux Desktop users like we are, primarily because it is such a small starting market (1%-2% of all PC desktops run Linux).
Our idea follows from 3 contrarian beliefs:
(T1) Most people think that the future of VR is in games and entertainment, but it is also in office work; in particular, VR is going to replace screens and laptops.
Because of (T1), the VR industry is too biased towards Windows (where PC games are deployed). Ours is based on Linux (small and overlooked starting point). It’s not focused on video games or entertainment experiences (SteamVR, Daydream, Oculus), but on “boring”, 2D (and eventually 3D) work applications.
(T2) Most people think that VR is about single-purpose 3D applications, but VR is just as much about multi-purpose 2D applications.
Simula aims to let 2D and 3D apps reside and communicate with each other in a single shared workspace (see our MVP). Contrast this with existing VR applications (like Tilt Brush), which run once at a time.
(T3) Most people think that VR should be optimized for video game performance, but VR should also be optimized for clear text resolution.
Clear text resolution is a requirement for VR to become a viable work platform: people must be able to read code, spreadsheets, and information with 100% clarity in order for VR to be truly 10x better than physical screens.
(We realize you can’t know precisely, but give your best estimate.)
VR Office App Marketplace. Simula’s product development has 3 key phases: Simula.2D, Simula.3D, and Simula.OS. We plan to start making money in the second of these phases (via a VR office app marketplace). Our valuation potential is well north of $10B.
- Simula.2D (years 1-2). In the short run, Simula is Linux VR Desktop (and will be free).
- Simula.3D (years 2-3). In the medium run, Simula will develop (and provide a marketplace for) 3D office applications. These 3D applications will share the same space (and interact) with other 2D applications. Examples of needed VR apps: (i) 3D programming environment (see, i.e., luna-lang.org); (ii) 3D computing environment (i.e., Mathematica in VR); (iii) 3D spreadsheet; (vi) 3D web browser (i.e., JanusVR); (vii) 3D file system.
- Simula.OS (years 3-10). In the long run, Simula will become a full fledged VR/AR OS that will come pre-installed on the standalone HMDs of the future. This will help boost the value of our VR marketplace.
How will you get users? If your idea is the type that faces a chicken-and-egg problem in the sense that it won’t be attractive to users till it has a lot of users (e.g. a marketplace, a dating site, an ad network), how will you overcome that?
Simula’s distribution sequence has 3 key phases: Simula.2D, Simula.3D, and Simula.OS.
- Simula.2D (0-100K users). In the short run, Simula is just Linux VR Desktop. Here we will target the overlooked intersection of VR enthusiasts and Linux enthusiasts, especially those that are interested in working with significantly more screen real estate (i.e., https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13405472). Our value proposition to these people: “take your Vive, plug it into your Linux system, and multiply your screen real estate by 10.”
- Simula.3D (100K-1MM users). Here we plan to jumpstart the development of VR office applications via an app marketplace, and in so doing broaden Simula’s appeal to more people. Examples of killer VR office apps: (i) 3D programming environment (see, i.e., luna-lang.org); (ii) 3D computing environment (i.e., Mathematica in VR); (iii) 3D spreadsheet/data visualizer; (vi) 3D web browser (i.e., JanusVR); (vii) 3D file system.
- Simula.OS (1MM+ users). Here we plan to distribute Simula as a standalone OS that comes pre-installed on the VR/AR HMDs of the future. This is the ultimate goal of the project, and is what will give us the opportunity for world domination.
(Pending lawsuits, cofounders who have left, etc.)
No.
If you had any other ideas you considered applying with, please list them. One may be something we’ve been waiting for. Often when we fund people it’s to do something they list here and not in the main application.
N/A
(The answer need not be related to your project.)
If you want to listen to a book that hasn’t been converted to an audiobook, you can download its PDF and listen to it via Text-To-Speech engines, which have gotten surprisingly good over the past few years.
We received an email saying we were in the top 10% of last winter’s applications. In general, YC and San Francisco are the two best places in the world to learn how to scale a project into a business.
Paul Graham Essays