????進入虛擬現實（VR）那一刻的感覺，實在是語言無法形容的，傳統的視頻展示也做不到這一點。這也就是為什么很多人寧可在今年的電子娛樂展上排隊等候一個小時，甚至更長時間，也要試玩一下最新的VR游戲。

????隨著Oculus、索尼和HTC/Valve研發的虛擬現實頭盔即將投入市場，消費者恐怕將面臨一次艱難的選擇。

????不過有一件事是肯定的，那就是這個領域擁有廣闊的發展潛力。

????R.W. Baird & Co公司高級分析師柯林?賽巴斯蒂安指出：“這個領域還有很多細節問題要解決，不過我認為在兩三年內，VR設備將成為一個非常重要的產品類別。”

????當然，任何人選擇VR頭盔時，很可能都會集中到幾個因素上。高價位將成為讓許多人望而興嘆的第一座大山。

????MKM Partners公司的高級證券分析師埃里克?漢德勒指出：“VR每年都會吸引越來越多人的注意，但它仍是個非常昂貴的東西。”

????同樣重要的是每個平臺的軟件——再好的技術也無法改善一款爛游戲的體驗。不過目前我們暫時不考慮軟件因素（因為VR游戲的制作還沒結束），先來比較一下這三家的VR頭盔誰最有機會成為熱門。

????我們對每個平臺都投入了相當時間進行試玩（利用本周的電子娛樂展和以前的幾次活動），并總結出了各個產品的利弊。

????Oculus Rift：虛擬現實領域最出名的品牌之一。就在上周，它還獲得Ubisoft和Insomniac Games等很多游戲開發商的支持。不過，它的軟硬件還沒完全就緒。

????利：Oculus擁有VR領域最令人印象深刻的技術團隊，而且背后還有Facebook雄厚的財力支持，最近它與微軟的合作更使它平添了不少底氣。在今年的電子娛樂展上，該公司展示了幾款游戲，其中給人印象最深的是《Eve：瓦爾基里》、《無處可逃》和一款第一視角的冰球游戲。在這款冰球游戲中，你將扮演一名守門員，任務是擋住飛來的進球。

????弊：到目前為止，Oculus Rift只在控制得非常嚴格的情形下展示過，而且Oculus頭盔對PC主機的要求極高，現實中只有極少數土豪能滿足這些配置。如果Rift真的相當“吃硬件”的話，那么對它持負面反應的人數有可能顯著上升。另外一個老生常談的問題就是，它的價格令很多人望而卻步。

????總結：Oculus資金雄厚，并有重量級合作伙伴支持。如果它可以邁過價格這座大山（這個問題并非不重要），降低對最低配置的要求，那么它很有可能會樹立VR領域的黃金標準。

????索尼“墨菲斯計劃”：Oculus和Valve主要面向PC市場，而索尼是唯一一家想把VR與游戲機搭配在一起的公司。而要想在Oculus上玩Xbox精選游戲，你首先需要的是一臺Windows 10系統的PC——而這會導致各種幀速率問題。

????利：有可能影響Valve和Oculus的配置問題，在索尼這里就不是問題了。由于索尼的VR頭盔是與參數固定的PlayStation 4游戲機配對的，每個玩家都能獲得完全相同的體驗，這是一個巨大的優勢。從電子娛樂展上看，《Rigs：機械化沖突》、《廚房》以及其它幾款游戲的效果都相當不錯。因此，開發者們可以放心地優化自家的游戲，構建出一些通用的VR效果，而且也不會有人跑到社交網站或留言板上抱怨說，自己的VR系統玩不了旗艦級別的墨菲斯游戲。

????弊：索尼囊中的現金并不算多。事實上，這家公司正在試圖達到收支平衡。因此，雖然競爭對手們很可能會補貼自家的VR頭盔，以刺激消費者購買，但索尼很可能沒有能力那樣做——至少也達不到其他公司的補貼程度。對于早期用戶來說，價格可能不是一個重要因素。但隨著VR設備漸漸向大眾普及，價格將成為一個越來越重要的因素。

????總結：在所有VR公司中，索尼最有可能提供一種吸引人且具有一致性的體驗。

????Valve/HTC Vive：Valve和HTC是虛擬現實游戲的后來者，他們選擇不參加今年的電子娛樂展，改為在其它活動上進行營銷推廣，比如即將于今年8月舉辦的游戲錦標賽，以及競技性比較強、主要針對消費者的PAX游戲展等等。（我們對該產品的印象主要來自3月的一次親身試玩。）他們還表示將于2015年正式出貨，從而給Oculus和索尼帶來了一定的壓力。（Oculus Rift和索尼Morpheus的上市時間都是2016年）。

????利：其它VR系統主要注重頭盔，而Valve和HTC則關注整個VR環境。它的視覺感毫不遜色于其它競品。另一方面，你還可以在虛擬世界中走路，并且通過手中的控制裝置接觸虛擬世界，從而大大提高游戲體驗。（Oculus的控制專利還沒有確切的發布日期。）那么如果你的房間大小有限怎么辦？Vive有一種聰明的方法讓你知道：當你走近一堵墻或一個障礙物時，你眼前會閃現出一道柵欄的影像，就像走到了一個全息甲板的邊緣。因此，這兩家公司完全可以理直氣壯地宣稱，他們的產品才是真正的虛擬體驗。

????弊：在一間空屋子里展示Vive的確是挺炫的，但在真實生活中，你居住的屋子里還有桌椅、燈、寵物等等東西。人們是否會愿意為了玩Vive而經常搬家具呢？

????總結：體驗無與倫比，但配置要求高，在真實世界中用它玩游戲的難度也不小，要想在家里獲得最佳體驗估計有點難。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????Words can’t accurately paint the picture for what it’s like to step into virtual reality—and traditional video demos don’t do it either. That’s in part why so many people were waiting an hour—and sometimes a lot more—for a 5-minute demo of new VR games at this year’s E3.

????With three major competing VR headsets—from Oculus, Sony and HTC/Valve—preparing to hit the market, that could make it difficult for consumers to decide which headset they want.

????One thing is certain, though. There’s a lot of potential in the category.

????“There are a lot of details to be worked out there, but I think in a couple years, VR could be very relevant,” says Colin Sebastian, senior research analyst with R.W. Baird & Co.

????Ultimately, of course, the VR headset anyone chooses will likely come down to a few factors. And the price of the systems will be the first hurdle.

????“VR is something that, every year, is gaining more traction in the minds of people, but it’s still a very expensive proposition,” says Eric Handler, senior equity analyst at MKM Partners.

????Just as critical is the software available for each platform—since good technology can’t make a bad game better. But if we take that out of the equation (since game lineups have yet to be finalized), which of these headsets stands the best chance at making it?

????After putting in a fair amount of time with each—both at E3 this week and at previous events—we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons.

????Oculus Rift:One of the best-known names in VR, Oculus has picked up a lot of developer support in the past week from companies like Ubisoft and Insomniac Games. But it doesn’t have everything sewn up just yet.

????Pros:Oculus has one of the most impressive teams of technicians working on VR. And it has Facebook’s FB 2.70% unfathomably large war chest backing it up. A recently announced partnership with Microsoft MSFT 0.28% is certain to stoke things as well. At E3, the company was showcasing several games, the most impressive being Eve: Valkyrie, Edge of Nowhere, and a first-person hockey game, where you play as the goalie, deflecting incoming pucks.

????Cons:The Oculus Rift has only been shown in very controlled situations so far—and the minimum specs Oculus has given for PCs running the headset are extremely high. In the real world, very few people can afford those setups. And if the Rift is hardware dependent, that means the odds of people having a negative reaction to the experience increase significantly. The lingering question of the price of the headset remains a concern as well.

????Bottom Line:Oculus is well-funded and has some significant partner support. If it can get past the price hurdle (which isn’t insignificant) and lower its minimum specs bar, it could set the gold standard in VR.

????Sony Project Morpheus:While Oculus and Valve focus on the PC market, Sony SNE 2.80% is the only company looking to bring VR directly to console owners. (To access select Xbox games with Oculus, you’ll need to run them through a Windows 10 PC—which brings up all sorts of framerate concerns.)

????Pros:The problem that could dog Valve and Oculus isn’t a concern for Sony. By making a VR headset for the fixed-spec PlayStation 4, the company knows that everyone is going to have the same experience, which is a huge advantage. Rigs: Mechanized Conflict, The Kitchen and several other games looked particularly good at E3. That lets developers optimize titles so they have less jutter and create VR effects that will be universal moments—without someone hopping onto social media or a message board and complaining that their system couldn’t handle the flagship Morpheus game.

????Cons:Sony isn’t exactly flush with cash these days. In fact, it’s still desperately trying to get its financial house in order. So while its competitors will likely subsidize the cost of their headsets to encourage adoption, Sony may not be in a position where it’s able to do that—and certainly not as much as other companies. Price may not be a big factor for early adopters, but it will be something that will matter more as VR rolls out to the mass audience.

????Bottom Line:Of all the VR companies, Sony is best positioned to offer a compelling, consistent experience.

????Valve/HTC Vive:Valve and HTC were latecomers to the VR game—and opted to sit out E3 this year, choosing instead to focus their marketing at other events, such as a gaming tournament it hosts in August and PAX, a competing, consumer-focused game show. (Impressions here were taken from an extended hands-on demo in March.) They’re also promising a 2015 delivery date, which puts pressure on Oculus and Sony (Both the Oculus Rift and the Sony Morpheus have 2016 launch dates.)

????Pros:While other VR systems just focus on headsets, Valve and HTC have been focusing on a whole VR environment. And while the visuals are just as impressive as the competition, the ability to walk around the virtual world you’re exploring and interact with it physically via the controls in your hand greatly enhances the experience. (Oculus’s proprietary control doesn’t yet have a date attached to it.) Limited room? The Vive has an intelligent way of letting you know, flashing a grid image as you near a wall or obstacle, like you were approaching the edge of a holodeck. The companies could easily argue that they’re the only ones offering a truly virtual experience.

????Cons:Demoing Vive in an empty room is wonderful, but in the real world, there are tables, chairs, lamps and pets that are scattered around your living space. Will people be willing to move furniture out of the way regularly for Vive?

????Bottom Line:The experience can’t be beat, but the setup and practical realities of playing a game with this system are formidable. Optimum experiences at home are going to be tough.