Now that the Oculus Rift has some competition, the virtual reality content race has begun.
Molly Wood
MACHINE LEARNING
READY or not, here comes virtual reality.
Gaming was the focus of the original Oculus Rift headset, the virtual reality viewing device that set off the recent wave of interest in the technology. But now companies like Samsung, movie studios and Silicon Valley start-ups are racing to create new types of video experiences for virtual reality — and in some cases, even the cameras they will need to film it.
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Oculus’s most recent prototype, the Crescent Bay, is said to reduce this effect, but it’s not yet available. But it’s coming — along with a load of hype.
“Until you put the headset on, which pretty much makes everybody a believer instantly, it’s pretty hard to explain what you’re saying and why it’s different,” Mr. Rubin of Oculus said about virtual reality. “I believe it’ll take a little while, but I think it’ll grow in a way that is obvious that it’s going to be huge.”
We’ll have to see how huge. But if the level of interest of powerful tech and media companies is any indication, we’re in store for a barrage of virtual reality products in the near future.
Email: molly.wood@nytimes.com; Twitter: @mollywood
A version of this article appears in print on January 29, 2015, on page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: Signs That Virtual Reality Is on the Verge of Taking Off. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
