At the recent South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, tech reporter Eric Bleeker immersed himself in several VR demonstrations, including a spaceship simulator. It's easy to see why the technology took center stage at the conference -- consumers can now get their hands on the high profile devices.
Facebook's (NASDAQ:FB) Oculus Rift is now available for purchase. For $599 you get the headset, sensor, remote, cables, an Xbox One controller, and the Lucky's Tale game.
The more advanced HTC Vive Pre is also out this week. It's $799, but comes with a lot more equipment. The Pre was developed with Valve Corp., and allows the user to walk around and easily navigate inside a room. CNET calls it "...the closest thing to having a holodeck in your home."
What does it all mean for investors? The implications are immense... $100 billion for the gaming market alone by some estimates.
In the video below, Bleeker explains what he saw at SXSW and what to expect in the future for VR.
Eric Bleeker, CFA owns shares of Facebook. Rex Moore owns shares of Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
