People Are Sharing Stuff Everyone Thought Were The Next Big Thing, But Now Just Feel Like A Distant Memory

    "3D movies. Over and over again it appears then vanishes because it’s always been a bit sh*t."

    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    In a post shared to r/AskReddit, site user u/swedishplayer97 asked, "What was advertised as the next big thing but then just vanished?" Here are some of the most-upvoted answers:

    1. "3D televisions."

    Multiple floating digital screens showcasing various multimedia and technology symbols against a dark background
    Vertigo3d / Getty Images

    u/cyclejones

    "I got a 3D gaming monitor.

    It was actually really cool for games that bothered to implement it properly. It should be much easier for games to convert to 3D than movies, so I thought it was the future.

    Unfortunately, the glasses needed to charge, they didn't fit well under my headset, and could only do up to 60fps (per eye), so I just stopped using it entirely.

    I think 3D gaming might come back around with VR headsets taking off. Some games could simply implement a 3D view (AR or something), not necessarily convert their whole game to interactive VR." 

    u/R0GUERAGE


    2. "Any of the internet glasses. All were flops."

    Person in a plaid shirt wearing smart glasses, looking through a window with reflections
    Tim Robberts / Getty Images

    u/always_ina911

    3. "HD DVD. Streaming killed a lot of it just when it was getting really impressive."

    A DVD player with an open tray and disc partially inserted
    Law Ho Ming / Getty Images

    u/latruce

    "Blu-Ray actually kind of delivered for a while, and I honestly find it a crying shame that the convenience of streaming won." 

    u/ParagonOlsen

    4. "3D movies. Over and over again it appears then vanishes because it’s always been a bit shit."

    Audience in 3D glasses watching a movie, expressions of surprise, one holding popcorn
    Photoalto / Getty Images/PhotoAlto

    u/ServiceNumerous9995  

    "Remember when everyone was buying 3D TVs for their home and they would come with like a pack of four glasses?" 

    u/throwaway_babex

    5. "Minidiscs in the late '90s/early 2000s."

    Person sitting on stairs holding a camera, with a notebook and pen beside them
    Dekiart / Getty Images

    u/JonnyP3283

    6. "Those stupid NFT pictures that were great for money laundering. A jpeg that was worth 20K for some reason is now $5."

    Abstract digital art within an ornate frame, displayed against a patterned background
    Andriy Onufriyenko / Getty Images

    u/pup5581

    7. "Virtual reality every time it's been promoted over the last 30 years."

    Person in a VR headset reaching out with hands, seated on a couch, seemingly immersed in a virtual experience
    Juanma Hache / Getty Images

    u/sund82

    8. "Google Reader was amazing and I still think about it like once a week. I really enjoyed that platform."

    Woman with glasses smiling, working on a computer in an office setting
    Pixdeluxe / Getty Images

    u/CloakandCandle  

    9. "I feel like 3D printing was advertised as AI-level transformation about 12 years ago. I remember guys at my work investing in stocks. I know people use it and innovate with it, but it didn’t seem to change the landscape as radically as advertised."

    Two technicians inspecting machinery with focus and attention
    Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

    u/CoverCall

    10. "Are curved televisions still a thing?"

    Woman standing beside the world's first curved 3D TVs on display
    Sean Gallup / Getty Images

    u/amalgamatedson

    11. "Airship moorings at the Empire State Building."

    New York City skyline with prominent Empire State Building during sunset
    Gary Hershorn / Getty Images

    u/RunsWithPremise  

    "I'm genuinely disappointed that we don't use blimps more." 

    u/wolf_man007

    12. "Hydrogen cars."

    A car being fueled at a hydrogen station, nozzle attached to car's tank with H2 label visible
    Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

    u/Pristine_Ad5229

    13. "Mars tourism."

    Planet Mars in space with stars and galactic dust in the background
    Nemes Laszlo / Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

    u/ChroniclesOfSarnia  

    14. "The Mummy with Tom Cruise was supposed to be the next DC Universe to rival Marvel."

    Tom Cruise in a dark shirt, with a concerned expression, standing in an eerie setting with Gothic architecture
    Universal Pictures

    u/LondonDavis1

    15. "Video game motion controllers."

    Person playing with a video game controller facing a TV stand with games
    Getty Images

    u/Decent_Cow

    16. "Graphene batteries. And that makes me sad."

    Multiple rectangular solid-state batteries arranged in an organized pattern on a surface
    John D / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    u/macguy9  

    17. "Modular cell phones with different attachments you can freely connect or disconnect at will."

    Two modular smartphones with interchangeable parts on a white background
    Alexlmx / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    u/EarthenEyes

    18. "Hoverboards."

    Person riding a hoverboard in a warehouse
    Halfpoint / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    u/Vanilla_Neko

    19. "Not really a product but where did the murder hornets go?"

    A large wasp nest hanging from a tree branch in daylight
    Japatino / Getty Images

    u/aomorigray  

    "That's possibly because in the areas where they were found, the governments made a huge effort to find and eradicate them. Here is info from the state of Washington, and here from the province of British Columbia. They recruited members of the public to put up traps and report any that were found." 

    u/tractiontiresadvised

    Thanks to r/AskReddit and u/swedishplayer97 for having this discussion.

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.      

    Do you have anything to add, or do you disagree with any of these picks? Let us know in the comments below!