A dream of science fiction, which is how Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg describes virtual reality, is about to come true.
Oculus, the virtual reality company that Facebook acquired for $2 billion two years ago, released its much-hyped Oculus Rift system on Monday. With a headset, camera and game controller, the system, which costs $1,500 when bundled with a powerful computer, is the first virtual reality product of its kind to reach consumers, before similar ones coming this year from HTC and Sony.
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Body and Mind
If you purchase the Rift, you had better have thick skin. The aesthetic of the headgear — it looks like a pair of black ski goggles with air traffic controller headphones built into the sides — is not designed to get you a date. And since wearing the Rift makes users less aware of the outside world, videos and photos of them donning the contraption — and taken without their knowledge — may end up on Instagram or Facebook. I became a subject of ridicule when my partner was watching TV and I crouched in the middle of the living room while playing the dead space pilot game.
The Rift has other consequences for the mind and body. I felt mentally drained after 20-minute sessions. My eyes felt strained after half an hour, and over a week I developed a nervous eye twitch.
