Virtual reality as a concept has been knocking about for a good long while, and has existed in one form or another since the eighties, when Nintendo dealt with their first big failure (the Virtual Boy wound up just giving people headaches and nausea with its red-hued worlds, rather than immersing players in a totally different world). William Gibson, The Matrix, all that gubbins... ...It certainly seemed like science fiction rather than science fact, with the technology struggling to match up to the ideas. Virtual reality as a concept is sound, but how likely were you to believe you were in another world when you're dealing with the Playstation era of graphics? The HD, photorealistic views of the current gen of consoles, meanwhile, are something else altogether. As is the Oculus Rift, the new form of VR headset, hit the big time this year after being bought up by Facebook. Their technology is far more like the sort sci-fi authors have dreamed of for years, causing people to believe they're actually riding a rollercoaster. And acting accordingly. At last, First Person Shooter will be a reality! Wait, is that a good thing?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
