A week or so ago, Facebook acquired Oculus and potentially changed the direction of personal entertainment. Oculus, in case you didn’t know, is a small virtual reality company in California that has created an affordable headset (rift) that actually works. With Facebook’s billions backing them now, developers should take notice and begin banging out code for this new device. My hope is that gamers won’t be the only target. Surely, movie makers will see the potential. Perhaps some sort of hybrid experience that incorporates elements of both will evolve; a primitive holodeck that allows the users to immerse themselves in the action. Think about what a rush that would be.
It has taken a long time for the technology to catch up with the concept of VR. Back in the mid-nineties I bought a VR headset from a now defunct computer chain. It was big and heavy; looked like Darth Vader’s helmet. I brought it home and took two days to set it up. The CPU in my computer was top of the line at the time. However, it was so under powered that the latency caused me to experience motion sickness after about five minutes of use, and the resolution was terrible. From everything I have read the people at Oculus have over come these obstacles.
Science fiction fans would gladly pay to become a part of the action. I know I would. Think about sitting on the deck of the Enterprise laying in coordinates to Altair five. Hell, it gives me goose bumps.
Gnostic Science Fiction 