Currently,the
most interesting tech idea floating about seems to be the idea of VR and the leader, so far,
Oculus Rift. Although I haven't tried it yet; like many, many others,
I'll be waiting for the consumer release. I have liked the idea of
accessible 3D for years (the VR effect is just icing on top for me) and
some hopelessly crude experiences on a pair of E-dimensional glasses
have not turned me off the idea. I still have those glasses lying around
somewhere and will not be going back to them anytime soon. Not with the
potential the Oculus Rift seems to have.
When
Facebook announced the acquisition of Oculus, the outrage was expected
yet shortlived, IMHO. The supply of high-res, low-latency screens seemed
like the most troublesome hardware hurdle at that point. Although I was
briefly disappointed that it was Facebook that bought them out, I had
to admit that they'd finally have the financial muscle needed to get the
CV1 version of Oculus Rift up to Palmer's standards. There couldn't be
more than a handful of companies which would fit the bill, and with
Facebook's 'hands off' policy so far, and with their viewing this as a
long term project, I will admit I am pleasantly surprised.
 |
| A long, long time ago, there was - The DK1. |
This
is in addition to admiration of Palmer & team's own resistance to
releasing the product before it's up to their very high standard for VR.
Almost anyone else would have succumbed to the pressure of selling the
company off or releasing a product as 'good enough' to rake in the
moolah. The fact that they've stuck to the course, means they're looking
at getting the entire VR scene off the ground, rather than just their
product. I cannot recall the last time a startup welcomed competition,
before their own product was even on the shelves! This bodes well, as
does the fact that they've not deviated from their objective since their
Kickstarter days.
I can't help but admire Palmer Luckey and his team for sticking to their guns to the idea of 'getting it right' before CV1 is released. While I wait, I've been saving up at least a 100$ a month since last summer. The rig needed for fully exploiting this device will be well beyond the capabilities of my currently 3 year old PC.
In fact, I'm seriously considering waiting for CV2, so that my initial experience is as smooth as possible. I've waited years, a couple of months more can't hurt... :)
