The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality

(Paperback)

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The dramatic, larger-than-life true story behind the founding of Oculus and its quest for virtual reality, by the bestselling author of Console Wars.Drawing on over a hundred interviews with the key players driving this revolution,The History of the Futureweaves together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a super accessible and supremely entertaining look at the birth of a game-changing new industry.

From iconic books like Neuromancer to blockbuster films like The Matrix, virtual reality has long been hailed as the ultimate technology. But outside of a few research labs and military training facilities, this tantalizing vision of the future was nothing but science fiction. Until 2012, when Oculus founder Palmer Luckeythen just a rebellious teenage dreamer living alone in a camper trailerinvents a device that has the potential to change everything.

With the help of a videogame legend, a serial entrepreneur and many other colorful characters, Luckeys scrappy startup kickstarts a revolution and sets out to bring VR to the masses. As with most underdog stories, things dont quite go according to plan. But what happens next turns out to be the ultimate entrepreneurial journey: a tale of battles won and lost, lessons learned and neverending twists and turnsincluding an unlikely multi-billion-dollar acquisition by Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, which shakes up the landscape in Silicon Valley and gives Oculus the chance to forever change our reality.

Drawing on over a hundred interviews with the key players driving this revolution, The History of the Future weaves together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a super accessible and supremely entertaining look at the birth of a game-changing new industry.

Reviews

A riveting story full of colorful characters a fascinating, illuminating history an essential read. Publishers Weekly A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller. Kirkus Reviews Brilliant...masterful...a sprawling story filled with unforgettable characters. Forbes Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced. Booklist A must-read. Period. IGN

Author Bio

Blake J. Harris is the bestselling author of History of the Future andConsole Wars, which is now a CBS All Access feature film by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. He has written for ESPN, IGN, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, /Film and The AV Club. Heis also a regular guest on Paul Scheers How Did This Get Made podcast, where every week he interviews some the biggest names responsible for some of the worst movies ever made.Harris lives in New York with his wife.