It is finally real. In the span of two weeks, both the Oculus Rift CV1 and the HTC Vive have shipped to consumers. Four years of dev kits, demos, and hype, and you can now buy a proper VR headset, plug it into a gaming PC, and step inside a digital world. The VR energy that dominated CES 2016 has turned into actual products on actual desks. That matters.
Two philosophies, one cable problem
The Rift is sleek and comfortable and great for seated content. It ships without motion controllers, which feels like a strange omission. The Vive is bulkier but ships with room-scale tracking and two controllers out of the box, which is the experience people actually want. Both require a serious gaming PC and have trailing cables that will trip you at exactly the wrong moment. Both are priced at levels that make you wince. Both work.
The trend for the year ahead
The hardware is here. The content is the question. Expect a scramble for VR experiences that go beyond the short demo. The first generation of buyers will love and evangelize it. The mainstream audience will wait for wireless, cheaper, and easier, which is the right call.
The Vive with room-scale is the one that sells the dream. The Rift feels more polished but less exciting in practice. Both prove VR is viable. Neither proves it is ready for the mass market. The next headset that cuts the cord and drops the price is the one that changes everything.
Part of Two Decades of XR, my running diary of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.