You knew it was just a matter of time before the gloves came off!
If you’re a fan of VR, then I can only image what an incredibly exciting time this if for you. Personally, VR is something I’ve only admired from afar, and waited patiently for something ground breaking and revolutionary to come along. As the years passed I began to lose hope. The only thing seen ‘til just recently were blocky polygons (via those kiosks found in malls from the ‘90s) or the headache inducing blood red screen of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy. Needless to say, the chances of ever getting truly immersive 3D worlds as seen in the movies seemed out of reach.
Then along came a little grass-roots project called the Oculus Rift!
Lucky Palmer is a guy who lives up to his name, as he is one lucky billionaire right now! Actually, that’s an unfair assumption, as luck only played a small part in his success. Credit where credit is due, his vision totally flipped the peripherals industry upside down in 2014. Instead of looking to things like racing wheels, fight sticks or surround sound headphones, the only thing now on many next-gener’s minds is VR, VR and VR! It was the development of the Oculus Rift that shoved the prospect of virtual worlds back into our periphery, promising to transport people into their environments rather than forcing us to remain an observer once removed by a monitor or TV. As the project gained momentum, everyone knows what happened next. Facebook plopped down a giant 2 billion dollar bag of cash to snatch up the rising star that was the Oculus. So far, the acquisition seems to have been a positive one, as Mark Zuckerberg and others have allowed the Rift team to maintain their course with minimal opposition or input. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re completely unopposed. As with all good things, copy cats are bound to pop up.
Enter Sony and their mysterious Project Morpheus.
Now I’m a big fan of what Sony has been doing as of late, but I believe in calling a spade a spade. In this case, the Morpheus 3D headset is a rip off at worst and a reactionary attempt at grabbing untapped market share at best. Having said that, I’m totally cool with it. While little is known about Sony’s plan to bring the VR experience to consoles, there’s no denying they’ve stolen some thunder from Palmer’s invention. Up until recently, it appeared the Oculus folks had decided to play nice with their latest (and only) competition. That cease fire was surprisingly broken recently by Rift CEO Brendan Iribe during a Dublin summit, as he took a shot at Sony’s rush to release their under-developed hardware far too soon. After touting how they’ve perfected many aspects of their product (to reduce things like motion-sickness and other technical hurdles), Irbe told the crowd, “…we’re a little worried about some of the bigger companies putting out product that isn’t quite ready…please make sure your product is as good or close!” Obviously a direct reference to their current Sony rival to be sure. But I do have to wonder if calling out the big dog in his own backyard is truly the smartest move.
While I give the edge to Oculus in regards to originality and crossover appeal, Sony has several things going for them that the Rift doesn’t. Granted Palmer’s headset has appeal that reaches outside gaming (into other industries such simulation, training and military application), it doesn’t have the install base of a platform like the PS4 does. When Sony brings the Morpheus to retailers, millions of gamers will instantly have brand-awareness (much of which will translate directly to sales). The Oculus Rift has to first navigate its way through the jungle that is the PC landscape. Zuckerberg recently put its success rate at 50-100 million units, which is no easy path. Especially considering PC gamers are only as accessible as their desktop hardware allows them to be vs. the pop-n’-play setup console owners enjoy.
I’m all for a good knockdown, drag out, but let’s be real here. Even though Sony arrived late to the party, it’s still possible the Rift’s girlfriend may drive away in the car sporting the PS4-4-Life license plate!