Finally, despite ordering within 30 minutes of the window opening. And HTC charged my credit card several days before they shipped. Not awesome, but the Vive did arrive. And it's pretty cool. I will be upfront that my view of the Vive is very much in line with Cnet's review. I'm a fan.
First, let me describe my rationale in buying this device. My initial thought was that VR is very likely to come into its own in the next couple of years. I want to be understand early the implications and the limitations of the technology. And, I would be pretty excited if my boys were to be inspired by the technology and then do something fantastic. They both have a lot of potential; but at the moment latent potential. If I decide that I don't really think the technology is that cool, I reasoned that I could just sell my Vive quickly while it is still difficult to come by, for basically full price. So I'm giving myself only a month to evaluate it.
Second, let's talk about the games available right now. The Vive comes with three games included. Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption and Tilt Brush (less game and more 3D paint/sculpture application. Reviews indicate that Fantastic Contraption is the best of the bunch and I'll admit that I haven't had time to play it yet. Job Simulator was fun, though I only played for 15 minutes and it'll need to pick up the pace to keep me interested. I have a real job, so I know how it tends to go and don't need a simulator. Tilt Brush was fun to use as a platform for Pictionary. My two boys and I played for about 45 minutes last night. Painting in 3D is pretty sweet and the controls are reasonably intuitive. The most fun I had, though, was with an early release game.
Space Pirate Trainer is a fantastic game. Almost just worth it for the guns themselves and how completely your brain maps the VR gun to the controllers that you are holding in your hands. It is amazing if simple game that kept me interested for an hour and I plan on spending much more time with it. I'm very much looking forward to additional FPS-type games that have been successfully mapped to VR space.
Third, let's look to the future. I'm a proponent that VR could be a very useful tool for expanding people's perspective about the world. Want to go to Machu Picchu but not cause any damage to the historic site? VR will be by far the best way to make that happen. I think that there are a number of business opportunities here: games (obviously), virtual tourism, emersive learning (3D "hands on" lectures), and emersive entertainment like NextVR. I'm always thinking about what is next for me - maybe there is something here. If not, perhaps I can enjoy playing some very cool games and seeing my boys do the same.
Finally, I'm tightening my timeline for making a decision as to keep the Vive or not. At the end of this weekend, I'll be pulling out my credit card, or I'll be listing one very lightly used Vive on Craigslist. I'll keep you updated.
