Change Your Reality

So over the past year, I've been reading up and watching videos about VR and AR headsets, the big players in the market and possibilities for the future of gaming using these devices.

I've seen some really cool stuff, and hopefully, after reading this article, you'll want to check it out for yourself!

Technology has come a very long way since the days of my old Commodore 64 and Windows 3.11 PC. We've seen huge changes in hardware, software, networking, and so much more. More memory for this, more storage space for that, better hard drives, faster RAM, smarter CPU's....But have they changed the way we play games as much as these new devices will? You decide.

Project Morpheus; Sony

Sony's new VR-Visor

Announced at GDC 2014, Sony's Project Morpheus is an ambitious project to bring VR to PlayStation owners. It's currently in development, as are many other VR projects - and very little information short of the spec sheet are available at this time. Considering first impressions count as information, we have to keep in mind that first impressions are based on a work in progress, and we might see a very different final product. 

Specs

• Native Resolution: 1920*1080
• Resolution Per Eye: 960*1080
• Field of View: 90 Degrees
• Screen Type: LCD

Being a PlayStation 4 owner, I am very excited to see where Sony's VR headset will go, and how it will work for me. But to be honest, sometimes I just prefer my TV and controller in hand ;)

Oculus Rift

DK2 - Development Kit 2

Seeing original release in 2012 (of the DK1 model) and later in 2014 (DK2) Oculus was one of the first VR platforms to make a splash in the industry; getting people excited about VR. Roughly $2.4 million was raised to aid in the development of the rift. And, in March 2014, Facebook announced it would buy Oculus Rift for $400 million, $1.6 billion in Facebook stock, and an additional $300 million if certain financial milestones could be reached. Astounding. 

Specs

• Native Resolution: 1920*1080
• Resolution Per Eye: 960*1080
• Field of View: 100 Degrees
• Screen Type: OLED

These are just two of the some of the biggest players in the market right now. According to some sources, Samsung has already developed their version of the VR headset, calling it the Gear VR. Microsoft is also working on an AR headset, called the Holo-Lens, and there's quite a bit of buzz going around about it online.

Seeing how fast we're moving into the future, I can only anticipate and salivate at the thought of being able to play with all these cool toys. But being the old school kind of guy that I am, I believe that nothing will replace the accuracy and reliability of my mouse and keyboard, which I use to enjoy all of my games today. Well, at least not until well into the development cycles of some of these new devices. Who knows? Maybe one day we won't need mice and keyboards anymore. 

Let me know what you think about VR and whether or not you're planning on picking one up. The word is we'll be seeing some consumer versions hitting shelves as early as sometime this year, and I am interested in seeing how they do in the consumer market.

As always, thanks for reading/watching, and if you haven't already, please check out and subscribe to the YouTube channel with the link in the nav bar above. Oh, and of course, stay classy! :)

Scar