????進(jìn)入虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)（VR）那一刻的感覺,，實(shí)在是語(yǔ)言無(wú)法形容的，傳統(tǒng)的視頻展示也做不到這一點(diǎn),。這也就是為什么很多人寧可在今年的電子娛樂展上排隊(duì)等候一個(gè)小時(shí),，甚至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間，也要試玩一下最新的VR游戲,。

????隨著Oculus,、索尼和HTC/Valve研發(fā)的虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)頭盔即將投入市場(chǎng)，消費(fèi)者恐怕將面臨一次艱難的選擇,。

????不過有一件事是肯定的,，那就是這個(gè)領(lǐng)域擁有廣闊的發(fā)展?jié)摿Α?/p>

????R.W. Baird & Co公司高級(jí)分析師柯林?賽巴斯蒂安指出：“這個(gè)領(lǐng)域還有很多細(xì)節(jié)問題要解決，不過我認(rèn)為在兩三年內(nèi),，VR設(shè)備將成為一個(gè)非常重要的產(chǎn)品類別,。”

????當(dāng)然,，任何人選擇VR頭盔時(shí),，很可能都會(huì)集中到幾個(gè)因素上。高價(jià)位將成為讓許多人望而興嘆的第一座大山,。

????MKM Partners公司的高級(jí)證券分析師埃里克?漢德勒指出：“VR每年都會(huì)吸引越來(lái)越多人的注意,，但它仍是個(gè)非常昂貴的東西。”

????同樣重要的是每個(gè)平臺(tái)的軟件——再好的技術(shù)也無(wú)法改善一款爛游戲的體驗(yàn),。不過目前我們暫時(shí)不考慮軟件因素（因?yàn)閂R游戲的制作還沒結(jié)束）,，先來(lái)比較一下這三家的VR頭盔誰(shuí)最有機(jī)會(huì)成為熱門。

????我們對(duì)每個(gè)平臺(tái)都投入了相當(dāng)時(shí)間進(jìn)行試玩（利用本周的電子娛樂展和以前的幾次活動(dòng)）,，并總結(jié)出了各個(gè)產(chǎn)品的利弊,。

????Oculus Rift：虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)領(lǐng)域最出名的品牌之一。就在上周,，它還獲得Ubisoft和Insomniac Games等很多游戲開發(fā)商的支持,。不過，它的軟硬件還沒完全就緒,。

????利：Oculus擁有VR領(lǐng)域最令人印象深刻的技術(shù)團(tuán)隊(duì),，而且背后還有Facebook雄厚的財(cái)力支持，最近它與微軟的合作更使它平添了不少底氣,。在今年的電子娛樂展上,，該公司展示了幾款游戲，其中給人印象最深的是《Eve：瓦爾基里》,、《無(wú)處可逃》和一款第一視角的冰球游戲,。在這款冰球游戲中，你將扮演一名守門員,，任務(wù)是擋住飛來(lái)的進(jìn)球,。

????弊：到目前為止，Oculus Rift只在控制得非常嚴(yán)格的情形下展示過,，而且Oculus頭盔對(duì)PC主機(jī)的要求極高,，現(xiàn)實(shí)中只有極少數(shù)土豪能滿足這些配置。如果Rift真的相當(dāng)“吃硬件”的話,，那么對(duì)它持負(fù)面反應(yīng)的人數(shù)有可能顯著上升,。另外一個(gè)老生常談的問題就是，它的價(jià)格令很多人望而卻步,。

????總結(jié)：Oculus資金雄厚,，并有重量級(jí)合作伙伴支持。如果它可以邁過價(jià)格這座大山（這個(gè)問題并非不重要）,，降低對(duì)最低配置的要求,，那么它很有可能會(huì)樹立VR領(lǐng)域的黃金標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

????索尼“墨菲斯計(jì)劃”：Oculus和Valve主要面向PC市場(chǎng),，而索尼是唯一一家想把VR與游戲機(jī)搭配在一起的公司,。而要想在Oculus上玩Xbox精選游戲，你首先需要的是一臺(tái)Windows 10系統(tǒng)的PC——而這會(huì)導(dǎo)致各種幀速率問題,。

????利：有可能影響Valve和Oculus的配置問題,，在索尼這里就不是問題了,。由于索尼的VR頭盔是與參數(shù)固定的PlayStation 4游戲機(jī)配對(duì)的，每個(gè)玩家都能獲得完全相同的體驗(yàn),，這是一個(gè)巨大的優(yōu)勢(shì),。從電子娛樂展上看，《Rigs：機(jī)械化沖突》,、《廚房》以及其它幾款游戲的效果都相當(dāng)不錯(cuò),。因此，開發(fā)者們可以放心地優(yōu)化自家的游戲,，構(gòu)建出一些通用的VR效果,，而且也不會(huì)有人跑到社交網(wǎng)站或留言板上抱怨說(shuō)，自己的VR系統(tǒng)玩不了旗艦級(jí)別的墨菲斯游戲,。

????弊：索尼囊中的現(xiàn)金并不算多,。事實(shí)上，這家公司正在試圖達(dá)到收支平衡,。因此,，雖然競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手們很可能會(huì)補(bǔ)貼自家的VR頭盔，以刺激消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買,，但索尼很可能沒有能力那樣做——至少也達(dá)不到其他公司的補(bǔ)貼程度,。對(duì)于早期用戶來(lái)說(shuō)，價(jià)格可能不是一個(gè)重要因素,。但隨著VR設(shè)備漸漸向大眾普及,，價(jià)格將成為一個(gè)越來(lái)越重要的因素。

????總結(jié)：在所有VR公司中,，索尼最有可能提供一種吸引人且具有一致性的體驗(yàn),。

????Valve/HTC Vive：Valve和HTC是虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)游戲的后來(lái)者,，他們選擇不參加今年的電子娛樂展,，改為在其它活動(dòng)上進(jìn)行營(yíng)銷推廣，比如即將于今年8月舉辦的游戲錦標(biāo)賽,，以及競(jìng)技性比較強(qiáng),、主要針對(duì)消費(fèi)者的PAX游戲展等等。（我們對(duì)該產(chǎn)品的印象主要來(lái)自3月的一次親身試玩,。）他們還表示將于2015年正式出貨,，從而給Oculus和索尼帶來(lái)了一定的壓力。（Oculus Rift和索尼Morpheus的上市時(shí)間都是2016年）,。

????利：其它VR系統(tǒng)主要注重頭盔,，而Valve和HTC則關(guān)注整個(gè)VR環(huán)境。它的視覺感毫不遜色于其它競(jìng)品,。另一方面,，你還可以在虛擬世界中走路,，并且通過手中的控制裝置接觸虛擬世界，從而大大提高游戲體驗(yàn),。（Oculus的控制專利還沒有確切的發(fā)布日期,。）那么如果你的房間大小有限怎么辦？Vive有一種聰明的方法讓你知道：當(dāng)你走近一堵墻或一個(gè)障礙物時(shí),，你眼前會(huì)閃現(xiàn)出一道柵欄的影像,，就像走到了一個(gè)全息甲板的邊緣。因此,，這兩家公司完全可以理直氣壯地宣稱,，他們的產(chǎn)品才是真正的虛擬體驗(yàn)。

????弊：在一間空屋子里展示Vive的確是挺炫的,，但在真實(shí)生活中,，你居住的屋子里還有桌椅、燈,、寵物等等東西,。人們是否會(huì)愿意為了玩Vive而經(jīng)常搬家具呢？

????總結(jié)：體驗(yàn)無(wú)與倫比,，但配置要求高,，在真實(shí)世界中用它玩游戲的難度也不小，要想在家里獲得最佳體驗(yàn)估計(jì)有點(diǎn)難,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????Words can’t accurately paint the picture for what it’s like to step into virtual reality—and traditional video demos don’t do it either. That’s in part why so many people were waiting an hour—and sometimes a lot more—for a 5-minute demo of new VR games at this year’s E3.

????With three major competing VR headsets—from Oculus, Sony and HTC/Valve—preparing to hit the market, that could make it difficult for consumers to decide which headset they want.

????One thing is certain, though. There’s a lot of potential in the category.

????“There are a lot of details to be worked out there, but I think in a couple years, VR could be very relevant,” says Colin Sebastian, senior research analyst with R.W. Baird & Co.

????Ultimately, of course, the VR headset anyone chooses will likely come down to a few factors. And the price of the systems will be the first hurdle.

????“VR is something that, every year, is gaining more traction in the minds of people, but it’s still a very expensive proposition,” says Eric Handler, senior equity analyst at MKM Partners.

????Just as critical is the software available for each platform—since good technology can’t make a bad game better. But if we take that out of the equation (since game lineups have yet to be finalized), which of these headsets stands the best chance at making it?

????After putting in a fair amount of time with each—both at E3 this week and at previous events—we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons.

????Oculus Rift:One of the best-known names in VR, Oculus has picked up a lot of developer support in the past week from companies like Ubisoft and Insomniac Games. But it doesn’t have everything sewn up just yet.

????Pros:Oculus has one of the most impressive teams of technicians working on VR. And it has Facebook’s FB 2.70% unfathomably large war chest backing it up. A recently announced partnership with Microsoft MSFT 0.28% is certain to stoke things as well. At E3, the company was showcasing several games, the most impressive being Eve: Valkyrie, Edge of Nowhere, and a first-person hockey game, where you play as the goalie, deflecting incoming pucks.

????Cons:The Oculus Rift has only been shown in very controlled situations so far—and the minimum specs Oculus has given for PCs running the headset are extremely high. In the real world, very few people can afford those setups. And if the Rift is hardware dependent, that means the odds of people having a negative reaction to the experience increase significantly. The lingering question of the price of the headset remains a concern as well.

????Bottom Line:Oculus is well-funded and has some significant partner support. If it can get past the price hurdle (which isn’t insignificant) and lower its minimum specs bar, it could set the gold standard in VR.

????Sony Project Morpheus:While Oculus and Valve focus on the PC market, Sony SNE 2.80% is the only company looking to bring VR directly to console owners. (To access select Xbox games with Oculus, you’ll need to run them through a Windows 10 PC—which brings up all sorts of framerate concerns.)

????Pros:The problem that could dog Valve and Oculus isn’t a concern for Sony. By making a VR headset for the fixed-spec PlayStation 4, the company knows that everyone is going to have the same experience, which is a huge advantage. Rigs: Mechanized Conflict, The Kitchen and several other games looked particularly good at E3. That lets developers optimize titles so they have less jutter and create VR effects that will be universal moments—without someone hopping onto social media or a message board and complaining that their system couldn’t handle the flagship Morpheus game.

????Cons:Sony isn’t exactly flush with cash these days. In fact, it’s still desperately trying to get its financial house in order. So while its competitors will likely subsidize the cost of their headsets to encourage adoption, Sony may not be in a position where it’s able to do that—and certainly not as much as other companies. Price may not be a big factor for early adopters, but it will be something that will matter more as VR rolls out to the mass audience.

????Bottom Line:Of all the VR companies, Sony is best positioned to offer a compelling, consistent experience.

????Valve/HTC Vive:Valve and HTC were latecomers to the VR game—and opted to sit out E3 this year, choosing instead to focus their marketing at other events, such as a gaming tournament it hosts in August and PAX, a competing, consumer-focused game show. (Impressions here were taken from an extended hands-on demo in March.) They’re also promising a 2015 delivery date, which puts pressure on Oculus and Sony (Both the Oculus Rift and the Sony Morpheus have 2016 launch dates.)

????Pros:While other VR systems just focus on headsets, Valve and HTC have been focusing on a whole VR environment. And while the visuals are just as impressive as the competition, the ability to walk around the virtual world you’re exploring and interact with it physically via the controls in your hand greatly enhances the experience. (Oculus’s proprietary control doesn’t yet have a date attached to it.) Limited room? The Vive has an intelligent way of letting you know, flashing a grid image as you near a wall or obstacle, like you were approaching the edge of a holodeck. The companies could easily argue that they’re the only ones offering a truly virtual experience.

????Cons:Demoing Vive in an empty room is wonderful, but in the real world, there are tables, chairs, lamps and pets that are scattered around your living space. Will people be willing to move furniture out of the way regularly for Vive?

????Bottom Line:The experience can’t be beat, but the setup and practical realities of playing a game with this system are formidable. Optimum experiences at home are going to be tough.