Mar 26, 2019
“Even if listeners are not very familiar with virtual reality or not sure if they’re interested in it, this really is just a universal story about a kid who invents something and decides to not sell out…and then he does end up selling out, which makes for a more interesting story,” says Blake Harris, commenting on his newest book, The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality.
It’s the story of how a young, brilliant teenager named Palmer Luckey set out to develop the first virtual reality headset during a time when the concept of virtual reality was still a technological punchline—akin to the idea of flying cars and jet packs. But, driven by passion and determination, it wasn’t long before he succeeded in his invention and founded Oculus, the virtual reality company that would soon catch the attention of Mark Zuckerberg and be bought out for more money that Luckey ever sought, or ever even imagined.
Blake Harris is also the author of Console Wars, the behind-the-scenes business battle story between Sega and Nintendo in the early 90s, and he joins the podcast today to discuss a little bit about both books, as well as a range of other topics, including insider information he’s gained from years of interest in the development of the virtual reality and gaming space, the material that he wanted to include in The History of the Future but couldn’t, the backlash surrounding Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus, how the emergence of virtual reality can be compared to the emergence of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, and where he sees the future of virtual reality going.
Tune in for the full conversation, reach out to him via Twitter, and stay current on his latest work by visiting <a href="http://blakejharris.com">blakejharris.com</a>.