Virtual Reality Check

If I had to take a guess what will be one of the most popular new consumer devices in 2014 ( the next i-phone) my pick would be the Oculus Rift. The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head-set originally designed for video games. Yes, there have been a lot of attempts at Virtual Reality in the past and no one knows this better than the guy who designed this one, Palmer Luckey. Over a few years he collected about 56 different Virtual Reality Head sets including one that cost $97,000 which he nabbed for $80. He began taking them apart and tinkering with them in his parents garage. Out of that creative process emerged the prototype for what is now known as the Oculus Rift. But just getting the prototype built is one thing but having financial backing to see it built and do it at an affordable cost is very different. That's where Kickstarter.com has helped. Through the use of this "crowd-sourcing" website he raised $2.5 million and gained some momentum in actually bringing the device to the people who could design games for it. He has since recruited a big name in the gaming industry John Carmack among others. 

             The real reason that I think this could take off though, is not the $16 million that this small start-up has now amassed or the demand for the  next cool new gadget. What really intrigues me here is the guy behind product, Palmer Luckey himself. I mean if all I knew was his name, I would guess things will go well for him. But this kid was in community college at 14 and has spent time working fixing and selling cell phones and cleaning boats. He used money he earned to buy his Virtual Reality sets, originally just for his own video gaming pleasure. Upon the realization that there was no better device out there, he took matters into his own hands and been on a mission ever since. According to Wikipedia he was enrolled at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technology before transforming into the leader of the group now called Oculus VR. He seems to be passionate about and completely comfortable with hardware engineering and at the same time a non-stop promoter and recruiter. It looks like he has all the elements of a good old fashioned home grown American entrepreneurship, with the right balance of technical thinking and people pleasing.

The device, if it can deliver for $150, it will do something  that the U.S. government has spent millions of dollars trying and failing to develop. It could be used for anything from training to gaming to movies and has the distinct traits of disruptive innovation at work. If nothing else it has been a very inspiring story so far, but barring any unexpected mishaps, I see this going a long way. And I hope it does! This is the type of phenomena drives our economy it creates new industries and probably most importantly sparks your imagination.    

...If not, there will always be someone who will play it: Keith Apicary!