While this game journalist is awaiting the release of the Oculus Rift with great anticipation, its creator is not sure others share the same level of enthusiasm just yet.
In a recent interview, Palmer Luckey states people have not yet fully grasped the magnitude of what VR tech can mean to them and our industry as a whole. “I don’t think they understand why it’s relevant to them yet. A lot of people, even if they know what VR is, see it as this tool to go in your basement and play Halo . I was about to correct myself and say another game, but that’s what a grandmother would say: ‘Oh, you’re going to plug it into your Nintendo and play Halo .’” He says.
But Luckey hasn’t limited his view to just gaming, as he feels VR will transcend our industry and find other applications in the practical world as well. When talking in regards to the mainstream public, he says, “They’re going to see this is relevant to them in their daily lives as a not-pimply-faced-teenage-kid. That’s going to be a difficult perception to overcome…I don’t think a television ad can nearly be as effective as showing people this thing.”
No official release date has been set for a consumer-grade model, but it’s believed it should arrive sometime in 2015.