????而Facebook的這一筆收購使虛擬現(xiàn)實重新成為媒體關注的焦點。盡管眾多玩家多年來一直對這項技術垂涎不已，但Oculus Rift卻并未占據(jù)主流地位。就算索尼這樣的公司在GDC上也要通過展示自己的PlayStation 4來贏得全球媒體的關注。在這屆大會上，索尼的展位就緊挨著Oculus Rift龐大的展位。這兩個展位都吸引了大批想一睹未來游戲風采的玩家排隊參觀。

????索尼PlayStation研發(fā)部門的“魔法實驗室”（Magic Lab）主管理查德?馬克斯表示，這一波虛擬現(xiàn)實潮流有別于此前的一點是，技術水平終于能滿足虛擬現(xiàn)實夢想的需求了。

????他說：“需要極強的圖形處理能力才能讓圖像達到在人們眼前大面積呈現(xiàn)且栩栩如生的效果。以前追蹤技術非常昂貴，但就在過去幾年，低成本慣性傳感器和攝像頭已經能使圖像具有極高的保真度?！?/p>

????索尼公司已明確表示，“夢菲斯計劃”2014年不會正式推出。盡管消費者現(xiàn)在能買到Oculus Rift的開發(fā)套件，但Oculus VR公司并沒有明確消費者版的上市時間。盡管游戲領域以外的虛擬現(xiàn)實技術應用尚處發(fā)展初期，但Facebook已計劃將Oculus在游戲方面的優(yōu)勢拓展到其他垂直領域，如通信、媒體和娛樂、教育及其他領域。鑒于這些用于多種領域的應用即將涌現(xiàn)，專家相信，虛擬現(xiàn)實技術很可能成為下一個社交和通訊平臺。

????沃曼說：“Oculus Rift更有機會獲得大規(guī)模應用，因為它與移動設備和個人電腦都能兼容，包括Valve公司的Steam Machines（它將于今年夏天上市）。總的來說，我仍然認為虛擬現(xiàn)實技術大規(guī)模商用還為時尚早。”他進一步表示，大家要習慣使用Kinect、谷歌眼鏡和其他同類設備還需要一代人時間。之后，虛擬現(xiàn)實技術才會真正獲得蓬勃的發(fā)展。

????人們是否接受虛擬現(xiàn)實設備，價格也是個重要因素。盡管谷歌眼鏡剛推出時少數(shù)嘗鮮者要花1,500美元的高價才能享用，但現(xiàn)在它如果要實現(xiàn)普及，價位預計就應大幅下調。而賣給開發(fā)者的Oculus Rift DK2僅為350美元。而且最終推出的消費者版預計價位會更低。

????沃曼稱，“夢菲斯計劃”的潛在市場和索尼PS4游戲機直接相關。他預計，長期來看，這款產品的全球最大銷量將達2000萬臺，這是索尼游戲機用戶數(shù)的25%。而由于有Facebook的支持，Oculus的潛在用戶規(guī)模要大得多。但沃曼表示，目前需要考慮的因素太多，很難做出銷售預測。

????Oculus和索尼無疑是虛擬現(xiàn)實領域兩個最大玩家，但它們也不乏對手。在本屆GDC大會上，創(chuàng)業(yè)公司Seebright就展出了自己全新的頭戴式設備原型機，它將虛擬現(xiàn)實和現(xiàn)實增強技術合二為一。這臺設備上插著一臺智能手機，通過一個小型手柄就能在三維游戲中暢游。公司創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官約翰?莫里稱，這臺融合了光學、電子學、軟件和人體工學的設備將會合理定價，讓多數(shù)人都消費得起，而且不管去哪兒都能用得上。

????Sulon Technologies公司也用自己融合了虛擬現(xiàn)實和現(xiàn)實增強技術的產品率先瞄準安卓（Android）用戶，隨后是iOS用戶。而Cortex公司此次是首次在本屆大會上亮相，公司創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官達努森?巴拉錢德斯沃倫向消費者承諾為他們提供《星際迷航》（Star Trek）全息甲板般的體驗。

????巴拉錢德斯沃倫稱：“它能在空間中開展三維追蹤，系統(tǒng)能在微毫米級別上了解玩家所處的物理環(huán)境。它背后的技術與谷歌自動駕駛汽車所用技術類似，但它被改造成了低成本的解決方案，適合家庭使用?！?/p>

????Richard Marks, who heads up the Magic Lab inside Sony PlayStation R&D, said the differentiator with this new wave of VR is that technology has finally caught up with the dream of virtual reality.

????"You need quite a bit of graphical horsepower to drive the graphics to a quality that you can actually have it take up such a big field of view in front of your eyes," said Marks. "The tracking technology has been very expensive in the past, but just over the last few years low-cost inertial sensors and low-cost cameras have made it possible to do this at a high fidelity."

????Sony has confirmed that Project Morpheus will not be shipping in 2014. And Oculus VR has yet to set a launch date for the consumer version of Oculus Rift, although consumers can purchase the development kit. While the applications for virtual reality technology beyond gaming are in their nascent stages, several industries are already experimenting with the technology, and Facebook plans to extend Oculus' existing advantage in gaming to new verticals, including communications, media and entertainment, education, and other areas. Given these broad potential applications, experts believe virtual reality technology is a strong candidate to emerge as the next social and communications platform.

????"Oculus Rift has a better chance of being used on a wide scale because of its compatibility with mobile devices and PCs, including Valve's Steam Machines (which launch this summer)," said Warman. "In general, I still believe it is too early for commercialization of VR on a mass scale." He adds that it will take another generation getting used to Kinect, Google Glass, and other types of devices before virtual reality will really take off.

????Price point will also play an important role in the acceptance of VR. While early Google Glass technology was released for $1,500 to select early adopters, it's expected to be at a much lower price point for its mainstream launch, Oculus Rift DK2 sells for just $350 to developers. And the final consumer price point is expected to be lower.

????Warman says that the potential market for Project Morpheus is directly related to Sony PS4 consoles. He estimates the maximum sales it could do in the long run is 20 million units worldwide, which is 25% of Sony's installed console base. The Oculus, because of Facebook, has a much larger audience potential, but Warman said there are too many factors to forecast any type of sales projections at this point.

????While Oculus and Sony are the two biggest players in the VR space, there is new competition. Startup Seebright was at GDC showing off its new prototype headset, which combines both virtual and augmented reality. A smartphone plugs directly into the device, and a small handheld controller allows for navigation through 3-D video games. John Murray, CEO and co-founder of Seebright, said the device, which blends optics, electronics, software, and ergonomics, will be priced so it's affordable to everyone and accessible anywhere they go.

????Sulon Technologies is also targeting Android, and later iOS, mobile users with its blend of virtual reality and augmented reality. The Cortex debuted at GDC 2014, and Dhanushan Balachandreswaran, founder and CEO of the company, promises a Star Trek holodeck experience for consumers.

????"It does 3-D tracking in space, and the system understands your physical environment right down to the micro-millimeters," said Balachandreswaran. "The technology behind it is similar to how the Google self-driving car works, but it's customized for a low-cost solution to bring this into the home."