Both I and my almost obsolete Note 4 agree, actually. However I’ve just come to accept that VR development is both expensive and a financial risk, requiring degrees of both foolishness and fearlessness. None of us can really know what will emerge as a path to success for each of us.
Another thing that is clear, at least from my perspective, is how the developer ecosystem which Google is offering to solo devs and small studios, right now, far exceeds what Facebook is offering with Oculus at this time. I am uncertain, or less confident than I used to be, that the Oculus Platform will be an accessible and thriving platform down the road; and that even if it does succeed, that I will like or want to be a part of what it turns out to be - or if I will even be able to release something on their platform, considering their current position and attitude toward indie developers and feedback. Maybe that will change.
Google is positioned to build the most advanced AI in human history and is on a different level. If VR is a modern gold rush, today it felt like Oculus is a giant wagon train heading west, while Google just unveiled the railroad and invited everyone aboard. And if only ten percent of the non-VR developers currently on Android and Unity turn their attention toward VR after this week, that will mean hundreds of thousands of new developers. It also feels like Google is taking a page from Epic’s playbook and offering education and community tools to the developer community in an open way. At least it felt that way today. There’s more than just marketing and hype in what Google is doing; though the hype and conditioning are undeniably potent and almost trans-humanly orchestrated.
I’m debating whether to get on the train or not… still feeling a bit burned by jumping on the Mobile VR Jam’s hype last year and it still burning a hole in my wallet. However I feel fairly confident that Google’s path forward with VR leads to a potentially more attainable and successful income model for solo devs and small teams - and that when I finally pay off this Note 4, my next phone will be Daydream compatible.
Plus I can imagine an HTC Daydream compatible device that responds to Lighthouse and offers positional tracking while at home.