When I look back on it, I should have seen it coming all along. Im a gamer and have been for about 20 odd years. But what happened 6 days ago changed my life.
As I said before, I'm a gamer. I'm also a technophile. I love tech. I currently poured about $8000 into my Media Room. Front and center is my pride and joy. A 106" projector screen. I ended every house tour with a blazing demo of the first mission in Wolfenstein to my friends and family. I was happy. I was content.
Enter the Rift.
My friend and I had a vested interest in VR for about 2 years now, but never really had hands-on play time. Lo and behold my friends co worker has a DK2 and was willing to lend it out.
Knowing what new tech was all about, I expected the usual headaches with unsupported kit. Changing files, renaming files, etc. Our work was cut out for us.
After downloading the DK2 software we headed to the Oculus/Share site for some demos. The first (and arguably best) demo was a Star Wars Battle of Endor. The game starts out as all Star Wars games do: The Slanted Credits. This is kind of cool in VR, I thought. So I look around the screen and find I'm floating in space. I look behind me and Star Destroyer Fleet is inbound! I look ahead again and its the damn credits. Boom! Credits are over and you are literally dropped into an Xwing. You look down at your self and see your own body. Its a surreal experience to say the least. One thing about the cockpit is you Cant Stop Trying To Touch Things. It feels as real as the chair you are sitting in. And this is a Demo! I cant wait till they add textures.
The other demo worth mentioning among dozens on the Oculus site is a beauty called The Chair. Now I dont want to give anything away, but this is truly what VR is all about. Its the best demo out there and showcases depth, light, and distance in ways you never thought possible.
So here I am now. The Dev Kit has been returned to its rightful owner and all that remains are the memories and the programs on my Pc. Now when I sit in front of my screen the falls arent so sweet. The walls arent so real. The protagonist is a distant stranger.
Every new game release I hear is on the horizon I think to myself: What would that be like in VR? How will I play that with a Headset? How will the controllers work in VR?
If you do have the chance to play around in VR, and I hope someday you do, I hope you can live with the knowledge of a better world of gaming, just out of reach.
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Experiencing VR for the first time was the closest thing that I've ever had to a religious experience.
It's powerful stuff.
This is a great story of excitement and loss, it's almost romantic. A quick fling with VR. :'(
Isn't it great though knowing we're on the cusp of something that's going to be absolutely incredible - and (positively) destructive? Naysayers keep poo-pooing VR evangelists (which I readily admit I am now!) and I can see why people are skeptical, but holy crap things are going to get epic soon.