Terry Olaes
I Used to be the [H] News Guy
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2006
- Messages
- 4,646
Re/code sat down with the co-founder of the Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey. He discussed the current state of virtual reality, uses outside of gaming, and pricing, among other topics. When asked if VR is the next iPhone, here's how he responded.
I think it is, but the difference with the iPhone is that there had been smartphones for a really long time. The iPhone took it and refined it. It took decades of research into user interface design you had Windows Mobile phones, you had Palm phones. I had a Nokia N800. It was a really cool device. But it was really clunky to use.
You look at VR, it just died. Were not building on a decade of small improvements. Were kind of starting from scratch here. Its unlikely that the first things to come out in that range of consumer devices are going to be the iPhone. The iPhone moment is going to take longer, and its probably not going to be such a huge, radical jump, its going to be more gradual. The Rift is not the iPhone of VR. Nothing out there is the iPhone of VR. Theyre almost like the Palm Pilots and the Treos of virtual reality.