InformationWeek Geekend: Oculus Rift Vacations Need Work

Geekend author David Wagner has peered through the Oculus Rift to see the future of the family vacation. It needs some work.

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Dec 12, 2014, 01:36 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oculus Rift virtual reality helmet holds the promise of delivering a Star Trek-like holodeck experience to the average person. In fact, there's a demo of how British Columbia in Canada looks in virtual reality.

InformationWeek Geekend author David Wagner, a big Star Trek aficionado himself, tried the virtual British Columbia tour on the Oculus Rift recently, and while it certainly seemed real, the idea of a whole vacation in a virtual world seemed to lack something.

In his latest Geekend column, Wagner explains:

"The funny thing about virtual reality marketing is that virtual reality is supposed to replace, augment, or at least mimic plain old, real reality. How good does it have to be to make us feel like we saw the real thing? Could a video designed to make us want to see something make us feel like we already saw it?"

Wagner adds that the Oculus Rift could be the next big thing for holiday gift giving next year, so there's still plenty of time for the technology to improve, especially if GoPro-style cameras can shoot specifically for the virtual reality experience.

Until then, you'll still have to take the kids to Disney World.

Every week, David Wagner's Geekend column looks at the sometimes funny, sometimes head scratching intersection between technology and the geeks who love it.

Join the conversation right now, and lend your voice to the discussion.

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