The DeanBeat: The Oasis is here, just on the wrong screen

It’s a good time for us to get inspired about games. I was delighted to see Ernest Cline’s vision for Ready Player One to come to fruition in a blockbuster Steve Spielberg film as it debuted last week. But it only made me more anxious about when the world of the Oasis, which is the spiritual successor to Neal Stephenson’s vision for the Metaverse from his 1990s book Snowcrash, will finally come to games. I want to interact with the Oasis, not just watch it.

We’ve been promised the virtual world of worlds for decades. It’s out there on the Silver Screen now, but it’s still not quite here in the form of a game. Virtual reality is the direct path to get there, but it needs some help. The first generation of VR headsets haven’t been selling. Maybe they’ll get a boost with the launch of the HTC Vive Pro with its better graphics, and some ancillary interest related to Ready Player One VR apps. But VR needs a bridge to the future, and that’s why I’m looking forward to our conference next week, GamesBeat Summit 2018.