How big is virtual reality at this moment? Is it something that can affect us right now? Couple of decades ago it was just something seem in movies like The Matrix Trilogy and Disclosure with Michael Douglas & Demi Moore having a twisted work related affair.
But before that it was something called Sensorama in the 1960’s, developed by Morton Heilig a cinematographer that placed surround sound, moving chairs, odor emitters, and other elements to created a scenery. In other words this was just like going to a 3D movie in a overpriced movie theaters today.
After that, there were other intents like in 1965 “Ultimate Display” by Ivan Sutherland that describe virtual reality the way we understand it today. Then of course came NASA for flight simulations, the CIA, in 1987 Jaron Lanier called it Virtual Reality and it stuck with that name forever. Later on, it just became study and where to executed like car simulations, flying, Nintendo even had a real cool handset where you could play games but still was very far fetched from what we have today with what we now know, Oculus Rift.
In the world of today, Oculus VR maybe the company that actually goes and makes the breakthrough of the long waited virtual reality that has being expected all this time, but just to be clear the recently acquire company by Facebook is just in the prototype phase.
There is no actual guarantee that tomorrow, the day after or next year you will start seeing the profits of virtual reality or even have it in your hands to play with it.
Some actually ask the question why Facebook bought this company and how was it snatched away from a company like Microsoft? Whomever was destined for it, what will be the game plan for the future to come?
Facebook mention (well Mark Zuckerberg) that at first Oculus Rift will remain for video games, at first.
What does this mean for other industries like advertising and marketing? Will this be a new option for brands to jump on board this technology? Even though we all know that real gamers and young consumers are not very fond of advertisers and specially marketers meddling in their space.
How about designers? Will they take part on this technology? Can they offer clients a look and feel of final products, if so count me in.
The future of virtual reality remains to be seen, at least the tunnel has received more light than what it was couple of decades ago where movies were the only place you could be amazed everytime the subject came up in the big screen.
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