GameSci: Where's Our Virtual Reality?
We're still seeing products guaranteeing the truly immersive experience videogames have always promised--but why don't we have them by now? GameSci is a new column on the science of videogames--the ways psychology, technology, and art are bringing play into the future. At the start of August, we got a tantalizing look at something we've heard about for decades, always seeing glimpses of, until it's reached where's-my-jet-pack levels of furor: a satisfying, mass-produced, consumer-ready virtual reality game. The Oculus Rift was on Kickstarter August 1 through September 1, and in that time racked up $2.4 million. In the promotional video, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey laments how no equipment out there was good enough to "plug in and actually be in the game." It's yet to be seen what the Rift will do--it only has a single game planned for release, Doom 3--but it's a sentiment a lot of gamers share. That raises...