????Facebook首席執行官馬克?扎克伯格認為虛擬現實是“下一個平臺”。為了證明自己所言非虛，Facebook近日以20億美元天價收購了創業公司Oculus VR，在沉寂多年的虛擬現實界掀起驚濤駭浪。

????Oculus位于加州門羅帕克市，此次收購無疑使這家公司成為三維數字虛擬技術領域的佼佼者。但喧囂之后，我們不禁還是要問幾個關鍵的問題：虛擬現實技術在Oculus公司21歲的首席執行官帕爾默?勒奇出生之前就已經誕生了，為什么一直發展到今天仍然沒有成熟？從Facebook方面來看，扎克伯格對虛擬現實的格外高看是否正確？收購Oculus會成為他在收購方面的又一次滑鐵盧嗎？

????虛擬現實技術過去三十年停滯不前的主要原因有三個。時至今日，虛擬現實仍然是計算資源密集型技術，平常家用的PC機、手機和游戲機完全無法應對。所以，這項技術欠缺移動性。而且，這項技術本身發展也曾舉步維艱，由于缺乏高分辨率顯示技術和精確的頭戴式追蹤設備，虛擬現實技術難以創造栩栩如生的虛擬體驗。

????不過，近年來隨著高性能微處理器的突破，移動寬帶技術的爆炸式發展和移動傳感技術的進步，虛擬現實技術正在大踏步前進。

????斯坦福大學虛擬人類接觸實驗室（Virtual Human Interaction Lab）主任杰瑞米?拜倫森說：“就在兩年前，虛擬現實技術還在以龜速前進。從技術角度而言，硬件設備的重量越來越輕，效果更逼真，造價更便宜。從軟件角度而言，我們已跨過了轉折點。”

????那么，Oculus——或者規模比它大得多的競爭對手索尼（Sony）——為什么還不能確定什么時候推出可堪大用的虛擬現實平臺？拜倫森稱，部分原因在于性能和價格之間的權衡。

????拜倫森說：“包括索尼和Oculus在內，幾十家顯示公司都在競爭，希望成為業界的標桿。”而扎克伯格收購Oculus的幾周前曾與他碰面，他送了一本自己的大作《無限現實》給扎克伯格，這本書正是寫給本科生和初學者的虛擬現實入門教材。拜倫森還補充說：“我認為虛擬現實有可能改變教育、預防醫學，以及幾乎所有能想到的領域。”

????虛擬現實技術有無數應用——軍事訓練、醫療保健等等——但最直接的潛力在于價值千億美元的游戲產業，玩家們十分樂意以新奇的方式體驗游戲。

????這也許是Facebook對Oculus感興趣的最主要原因。作為一家社交網站，Facebook利用自己的平臺在休閑游戲領域大獲成功，同時還催生了數家大型游戲公司，星佳（Zynga）就是其中之一。難道扎克伯格認為虛擬現實是下一個大勢所趨？????

????Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg describes virtual reality as the "platform of tomorrow." To back that assertion up, his company in March bought the small firm Oculus VR for $2 billion, sparking a frenzy around VR that hasn't been seen in years.

????There's no arguing that the purchase puts the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company at the forefront of the technology, which digitally simulates a three-dimensional world. But several key questions remain despite the buzz over the deal: Why is it that, after being in development longer than Oculus's 21-year-old CEO Palmer Luckey has been alive, VR technology is still not ready for prime time? And on Facebook's (FB) part, is Zuckerberg even right in targeting VR as the next big technology to watch -- or is he just setting himself up for another disappointing purchase?

????There are three primary reasons for VR's arrested development over the past three decades. Until recently, virtual reality technology has always needed more computational power than was readily available on home PCs, mobile phones, and gaming consoles. For that same reason, it lacked mobility. And the technology itself has lagged somewhat, lacking sufficient resolution and head-tracking capabilities to create a truly convincing virtual experience.

????Technologists have largely overcome these obstacles in the last few years, thanks to faster microchips, an explosion in broadband infrastructure, and a proliferation in the use of sensors in mobile devices.

????"The technology has been moving at a crawl up until two years ago," says Jeremy Bailenson, director of Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab. "From a technological standpoint, the hardware is becoming lighter, more realistic, and cheaper. From a software standpoint, we have passed the tipping point."

????So why won't Oculus -- or Sony (SNE), its much larger competitor -- commit to a release date for a VR platform that is ready for prime time? The trade-off between performance and price may be partly to blame, Bailenson says.

????"There are dozens of display companies, including Sony and Oculus, who are racing to be the standard," he says. Bailenson says he met with Zuckerberg a few weeks before he bought Oculus and gave the billionaire a copy of his book Infinite Reality, a VR primer for undergraduates and novices. "I think VR has the potential to transform education, preventative medicine, and just about every domain imaginable," he adds.

????There are myriad applications for the technology -- military training, health care, etc. -- but the most immediate potential lies in the $100 billion video game industry, where consumers are welcoming of a novel, new way to experience titles.

????This is perhaps the strongest reason underscoring Facebook's interest in Oculus. The social company has seen great success in using its platform for simple gaming, and has given birth to several large companies -- Zynga (ZNGA) among them -- because of it. Does Zuckerberg think that VR is the next wave?????