Facebook CTO, Mike Schroepfer, warned VR enthusiasts that while they may put their hands on virtual reality headsets within a year, those headsets might not deliver the experience everybody expects.
Schroepfer noted that 360 and 3D video capturing and sharing are some of easiest VR applications and will be integrated into Facebook as soon as the headsets are in consumer hands. "Deeper integrations" however, will probably require specialized touch controllers.
"With the headset without the controllers, you are more limited in what you can do in terms of social engagement," he argued. "With the controllers, you get in there, and you can pick stuff up, give a thumbs up. It's a two-person demo. You're in VR with someone else. But that technology hasn't even shipped to the consumer market yet."
In move obviously fueled by the desire to beat the competition to the market, Oculus decided to bundle the Rift with an Xbox One controller at launch instead of waiting for the its prototype Half Moon touch controller to be ready.
"The trick with VR is, it's going to be incredible, but everyone is going to have to be a little patient," assured Schroepfer. "I think everyone wants it today, including me, but we have a long roadmap for this. We are already planning out the second and third [hardware] generations after the one we're going to ship. It's going to be amazing, but it's just going to take a while for the hardware to get out there, and then to work with third-party developers to build all the experiences, because that's going to be the real long pull."
