The launch of the Oculus Rift could be said to be the stone that precedes the avalanche. Since the Oculus’ first version become available, it has led the way in virtual reality (VR). A recent blog post by VP of Content Jason Rubin suggests that the strategy is working out for Oculus.
Rubin muses on the current state of the VR industry in the blog post, and what is yet to come: “The truth is that VR’s going to generate a lot of killer apps as it matures, but any journey starts with a first step!” He says, speaking of titles such as Echo Arena, “AAA games like Echo Arena are coming at a steady pace now, as we’re launching almost one a month between now and the end of the year. Last weekend, we announced our first major 2018 title, and we’ll have more big 2018 titles to announce as this year progresses.”
The wider VR community is also mentioned, as Rubin speaks of the positivity that has begun to permeate the Oculus Forums and Reddit with regards to the future of VR: “We’re finally hearing the words we wanted to hear from the community. On Reddit and on the Oculus Forums, we’re seeing the community reacting positively to our content offering,” Rubin says, “Our investment is paying off. Multiple games have passed the $1M mark, and players have logged more than 1.3M hours combined in our top five apps by time spent since launch. There’s something for everyone, and as our community continues to grow, even more people will be inspired to step into Rift and experience the action first-hand.”
Lowering the price of the Oculus Rift was seen by many as a significant step towards reducing the barrier for entry to consumers. Rubin appears to agree: “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Price matters. Lowering the price point of high-end VR hardware is a win for consumers, a win for developers, and a win for the industry as a whole. As PC and component prices continue to drop, VR will become increasingly affordable, attracting even more people to the highest-end experiences that VR has to offer.”
Though VR as an industry is still seen as being in its infancy by many, for Oculus at least, things seem to be heading in the right direction.
VRFocus will bring you further news on Oculus Rift and other VR platforms as it becomes available.