I don't see the fit here. I get Microsoft buying the Kinect platform for Xbox. Instantly plug it into games, you have an incredible game option, and additional features get built down the line.
Seems like the first stop for a VR headset would be with an existing top-tier game console manufacturer. for the sole reason that they already have a library of material, most of which is an immersive world you navigate with a joystick, which would benefit greatly from a headset. additional use cases down the line.
Sony was launching their own, so nintendo or microsoft would make sense.
for facebook - most facebook games are simple, like farmville - not really benefitting from a VR helmet. how do i interact with my friends in a VR helmet if they are wearing one too? neither face is actually visible - step down from facetime, hangouts etc. photo immersion perhaps?
I guess i will be one of the stunned outsiders when i see what amazing use case facebook has for this.
I was trying to make the argument that Facebook probably DIDN'T buy them for games (ie Farmville).
I'm saying that it's a longer bet. Maybe they see it as a new interface for general computing. It certainly has that intimate, only-I-know-what-I'm-doing quality that voice commands (Siri and Google Now for example) don't have.
The problem is, without establishing a beachhead in gaming, there's no real path towards adoption. You can't just leapfrog the gamers and expect to build a market with other stuff that might or might not turn out to be compelling: gaming is VR's no-brainer killer app.
People are going to be buying this for games first, and when a critical mass assembles, other stuff. So, this is either a very, very long range bet, or a misguided one.
I hear you. When the bet is so far out that you can't even guess at it - either we're just too dim (likely), or the theory is pretty shaky. the mouse is a good parallel - just a way to interface with content. many people have figured out how to build one. the star of the show (and the revenue) remains the content we use it to point at.
Seems like the first stop for a VR headset would be with an existing top-tier game console manufacturer. for the sole reason that they already have a library of material, most of which is an immersive world you navigate with a joystick, which would benefit greatly from a headset. additional use cases down the line. Sony was launching their own, so nintendo or microsoft would make sense.
for facebook - most facebook games are simple, like farmville - not really benefitting from a VR helmet. how do i interact with my friends in a VR helmet if they are wearing one too? neither face is actually visible - step down from facetime, hangouts etc. photo immersion perhaps?
I guess i will be one of the stunned outsiders when i see what amazing use case facebook has for this.