That’s right everyone, settle your nerves and prepare yourself for the next stage in futuristic gaming. Oculus, leading the way in virtual reality headsets, have posted a release date of 2016; with many other competitors already hitting the headlines, it’s going to be a very interesting next couple of years within the gaming industry.
Although there was some contention what with the – still quite far away – release date, firm supporters of Oculus know that the wait will be worth it. Testing and perfecting what is already shaping up to be a beautiful machine, can only hope to prove that the Oculus Rift will live up to the hype. On their website, we’re given some close ups on the headset itself; sleek black with the universe in the eyepieces, I think it’s safe to say they’ve got the world’s attention.
Now we know what to expect to wear, how does the hardware shape up with the design? Well, along with the tantalising images, we were given enough specs to keep game developers busy and PC gamers scratching around in their wallets to find the cash to upgrade their graphics cards. When a system demands a NVIDIA GTX 970 or higher and 8GB+ RAM, you know they mean business. The numerous bug fixes and added features such as improved compatibility and support (which is super helpful for the people behind the games) also listed on their site show that the developers are really listening. The real test, however, will be E3. We can’t wait.
The Rift Team have stated that ‘virtual reality is going to transform gaming, film, entertainment, communication, and much more’ giving rise to the ever present question of: when are these other industries going to jump on the band wagon? The answer to that is unclear, but that’s secondary to your excitement about a first person shooter where you feel like you’re actually in the game, or an adventure you get to immerse yourself in fully, right? We’re in the baby stages right now, but like with anything, these first few years of testing and making alterations are crucial.
My advice is to you is cancel that holiday and stock up those pennies, because the headset, and the games, aren’t going to be cheap. And with various competitors finding their way onto Kickstarter this year: Fove, Samsung and Avegant to name a few, you’re going to need money to keep up with the upcoming changes that are going to blow your gaming reality into the next dimension.