I have to admit, my first reaction was one of
sinking dread. Like hearing a great show got canceled by a network that
never gave it a chance (Pushing Up Daisies anyone?). How could this
possibly be anything but a give-up by Oculus VR in the face of Sony
developing better technology.
Well, here is why I think this is may not be a bad move.
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| Not the Oculus Rift |
First,
there will always be a bigger fish. This is the modern tech world.
There are no small players anymore. Like the maturation of any
industry, any good idea is going to be absorbed by a big fish. This is
an inevitability. This isn't a guarantee that the Oculus is great tech
by itself but I've seen first hand that it is really good tech.
Facebook is making an investment in the future, an investment in
technology that works.
Second, the Rift is no longer a
unique technology. Sony is working on their own VR and Mircrosoft
probably is as well. And with Microsoft's newly found belief in the PC
as a gaming platform (we'll see MS, we'll see) Oculus was in danger of
being passed by the faster and better behemoths of the world. The
influx of money and people that Facebook should bring may be the only
thing that drives the Rift to keep pace.
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| Probably not the Oculus Rift |
Finally, Oculus VR
has been innovating the Rift publicly longer than anyone. The benefit
of this can not be overstated. The changes they've made are not only
single handedly moving VR forward, they are currently ahead of the game
in some respects. Believe me, I do not trust Facebook with this
technology but they have a chance here to be the nameplate on some of
the most innovative technology to be unleashed onto the public in years.
So, as with any major business partnership, let's all
just take a deep breath and see what happens before we start getting out
the pitchforks.
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