There is a huge buzz about the latest gadget that is going to take virtual reality to an all new level. Matt Hartman, the director of Betaworks had said that while evaluating VR companies, the first thing that needs to be understood is whether the company is providing the product at the right time, cost and technology.
He used the example of Uber to explain the concept better. He said that there would have been no issue in having Uber a few years back, but the only glitch would have been that the customers would have to send in their latitude and longitude details to the driver so that he could be there to pick them up.
In such a situation it would have been far easier to go outside and raise one’s hand to get a cab than figure out the longitude and latitude of their location.
Delivering the value at scale will be the biggest challenge that Oculus Rift will have to face. Products like Google Glass faced the same thing when it was launched in 2012. At the annual developer conference, the Glass was unveiled amidst a lot of applause and the hype continued for over a year.
However, when Google started making them available, the consumers realized the problems that the device had. Firstly, that it was too expensive for the common mass and secondly, it had limited usage. Slowly with time, the negative reviews increased and the whole perception of the device changed.
Oculus Rift VR devices are similar to the Google Glass in many ways. In order to stop it from heading in the same direction, the developers have to try and bring it into our daily life alongside everyday items. If the VR is used with something like the smartphone that the consumer already possesses then they will be able to make a headway.
Oculus Rift will have to think of how it can make the consumer believe that possessing the VR headset will make their everyday experiences better.
Like the Google Glass, the Oculus Rift is also going to be pretty expensive and it is being priced at $600. However, those who are planning on enriching their gaming experience with the Oculus Rift will also have to buy the Oculus Touch Controller, which is again very expensive.
There are several VR games that have been launched, anticipating the rush that the gaming world will see once the VR headsets start rolling out. Lucky’s Tale is one such game, which recently introduced their gameplay.
It is similar to Super Mario 64, where the players will have to rescue Lucky the fox’s piggy friend from a villain. The gamers will have to overcome obstacles and fight the enemy in order to go up levels and finally rescue the piggy.
While the gameplay hasn’t impressed the players much, as it is not very challenging, they have all agreed that the VR headset makes for a very interesting experience. They feel like they are out there running, jumping and moving through confined spaces even though they are seated.
WSJ has reported that it is the experience of the amazing 3D landscape that results in the hype surrounding Oculus Rift and the whole VR platform. The Oculus Rift it is said helps the users to take a peek into the future where we can freely move through different virtual worlds.
Experts review has said that while there is a demand for the Oculus Rift VR headset, there is no reason for buying the product if one isn’t a serious gamer.