VR As Key Games Medium Is ‘Inevitable,” Says Oculus Exec

Oculus head of VR Nate Mitchell believes it’s “inevitable” that virtual reality will be a key medium for video games, according to a new blog post called “Why I’m Excited For VR in 2019.”

“We’ve already seen the beginnings of it,” Mitchell said. “Rift pushes the limits of what’s possible and remains the gold standard for high-end PC VR. It’s at the core of a growing and thriving community and home to some of the game industry’s most exciting new titles, like “Stormland,” “Defector,” and “Asgard’s Wrath.” As the Rift community expands, we continue to invest in a platform that gets you into your favorite games with your closest friends.”

Oculus continues to ship software improvements for its Rift headset on a steady basis, Mitchell said. He also teased the existence of new tech, and promised more details about that soon.

He then spent some time talking up the Oculus Quest, a standalone VR headset launching soon for $399. It doesn’t require a PC or mobile phone to run apps, and Mitchell believes it will jumpstart the next chapter of VR gaming.

“The experience is magical, and we can’t wait for more people to try it for themselves soon,” he said. “We have an exciting roadmap for Quest’s system software, and we plan to update and improve the platform regularly. Quest, Rift, and Go are living platforms that will evolve every month, alongside this community.”

Additionally, Oculus outlined its plans for some of the year’s biggest gaming events in a separate blog post on Monday. It will show off the Oculus Quest during GDC, which takes place Mar. 18-22 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Members of the Oculus team will also give talks and workshops on game design, leadership, sculpting with 6DOF controllers, and more.

The Quest will also make an appearance at PAX East in Boston on Mar. 28-31, where fans can check out a demo of a new adventure game from the makers of “Face Your Fears” and “The Well.”

Finally, Oculus said it will attend this year’s E3, which takes place Jun. 11-13 in Los Angeles. While it isn’t sharing specific details yet, it’s promising some playtime with the latest titles from Oculus Studios.

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