Oculus Founder Thinks Cables Are a Major Obstacle for VR on PC

It looks like virtual reality might not become as popular on the PC as we have initially anticipated, at least according to Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey. Palmer had a few interesting things to say about the future of VR and about cables, which seem to represent the biggest obstacle in its path to popularity on the PC.

Cables are going to be a major obstacle in the VR industry for a long time. Mobile VR will be successful long before PC VR goes wireless.

— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) November 1, 2015

Obviously, the “Mobile VR” part refers to devices such as the Samsung Gear VR and the Google Cardboard, both of which rely on smartphones to provide the display and the needed rendering power. The same cannot be said for the Oculus Rift, which needs to be connected to a rather powerful PC in order to function properly. Even though Mobile VR headsets have an advantage because they can operate independently and wirelessly, wired headsets are able to provide a more immersive and advanced virtual reality experience. The thing is, the user can get tangled up in cables very easily, which is probably why Oculus has often described VR as a “seated experience.” Luckey explained that regular users won’t have someone near them at all times to help out with cables, and I have to admit that he has a point there.

“It is important to design both hardware and software with those limitations in mind. Real users won’t have cable servants. And I say this as someone who has spent many hours as a cable servant, dancing cables around users to keep them immersed!”