With three different VR (virtual reality) systems to be released over the course of the remaining year, a revolution is coming. Heralded by PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive this revolution will shake the foundation of the way we experience everything we do.
Each coming with their own set of unique and exculsive titles not only sets up an arms-race for the top spot, it also opens up new doors to change the way we paint, rock climb and play adventure games. The prowess that each system manages to have is yet to be determined though and the first few months of release may be a waiting game for newer titles to be polished and sent out to us.
And, yes, they are all mightily expensive gadgets and they do look like more ridiculous versions of the Google Glass. But the world and the tech industry are going to feel the weight of each step taken by VR as it roars back to life from its shallow grave we dug it in the 1990s.
VR isn't a new concept itself, it's been around for a while. But the VR we new only existed in arcade rooms and you had to pour in a dollar in quarters for a nauseating space ride in a large black helmet. What we thought was a dead concept has quietly been working into what could define the year, even the decade.
When the HTC Vive launches in early April, it will come with a copy of Tilt Brush, which allows the user to paint in a 3D space. Chronus will be released with the Oculus Rift on the 28th of March, AKA today, and it brings Dark Souls inspired third-person action to a fixed camera angle the likes of which we saw in the early Resident Evil games.
Obviously, a huge gripe with VR will be motion sickness. Minecraft VR has had tons of complaints of motion sickness and those of us not used to the systems may be unhappy with the blunt force of it all. But the problem will fade away as we all get used to wearing these VR systems around our eyes and as the companies patch the problems and provide fixes for the camera.
Forget the days of dead VR, enter in first-person rock climbing so detailed that you'll fall off the cliff face and have to start over. Enter cat petting simulators. Cat petting. VR knows its customers.
For tech industry giants in Silicon Valley, VR is described as, "Money, money, money! Holy crap! We are going to make so much money!" And here's why; Google Glass failed, in part, due to a poor marketing campaign and lack of public interest/access. VR solves all that. As expensive as any of the new generation consoles we've been buying our kids for the last two years, VR is an open door for everyone to step in. It's an experience we can all make better.
VR is bringing a revolution to our homes. Movies, TV shows and video games are all entering a new era.
